Hotels in Attingal

Sivagiri Mutt The hilly andquaint reaches of Varkala are home to one among the holiest sites inall of God's Own Country, the Sivagiri Mutt. Here lies theheadquarters of the SreeNarayana Dharma Sangham, an organisationbuilt by Sree Narayana Guru's disciples and followers, honouring oneamong the world's finest social reformers and crusader for justice.Spread over 200 acres, its location on an elevated plateau, alongwith the very structure and functioning of the place, has providedspiritual succour to thousands of people over the years.Itis said that SreeNarayana Guru himself fell in love with the overallambience at Varkala and decided to build a hermitage atop the SivagriHill. This is where the pilgrim centre we see today lies, and it alsohas the Samadhi of the Guru. The Guru set up an elementary schoolhere, inviting people across caste lines. He built a new temple atthe site and dedicated it to the Goddess of Knowledge, Saraswathi.Thus, the Saradha (Saraswathi

Elephant Rehabilitation Centre at Kottur The morning sun in its juvenile drive draws countless figures in the water reservoir to which the black beauties, both big and small, plunge in for their joyful dip and redraw the figures in the water. To watch these jumbos having their ceremonious bath is not enough for the spectators. Some of them cheerfully get into the water to help the mahouts in scrubbing the tough skin of this peace-loving mammals. This is not an intro of a fairy tale that we are discussing here, these are some of the routine visuals that one will come across in the Elephant Rehabilitation Centre at Kottur near Kappukadu in Thiruvananthapuram district. From time immemorial elephants have been an integral part of history, tradition, myth and culture of India and Kerala in particular. One cannot imagine a festival in Kerala without the presence of an elephant. Flanked by the water of the Neyyar reservoir and the moist deciduous forest and grasslands, the

SHANGHUMUGHAM BEACH Shanghumugham is a city beach, the beach of the capital. Conveniently located 8 Kilometres from Trivandrum city centre, city folks reach here to find much needed solace. Shanghumugham (also  Shamghumugham ) evenings are magical. Multitude of red in multiple shades spreads brilliance over the horizon. Gentle breeze sends cool comfort, as darker waves continue to splash over the sands in the backdrop of a sinking sun.  The long stretch of golden sands ideal for a stroll or beach side relaxation is however not a good swimming spot. Water here is simply not suitable for bathing. The beach is usually clean thanks to the efforts of local authorities. Still a fishing hamlet, Shamghumugham is similar to other fishing villages along Kerala shore line. Wooden boats and canoes can be seen resting on golden sands while not busy in action out in the sea. Beach side attractions Beach side attractions are  the mermaid, star fish restaurant, i

Varkala Beach Location: 51 km north of Thiruvananthapuram city in Thiruvananthapuram district and 37 km south of Kollam, south Kerala. Varkala, a calm and quiet hamlet, lies on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram district. It has several tourist attractions that include a beautiful beach, a 2000-year-old Vishnu Temple and the Ashramam - Sivagiri Mutt a little distance from the beach. The Papanasam Beach (also called as Varkala Beach), which is ten kilometers away from Varkala, is renowned for a natural spring. Which is considered to have medicinal and curative properties. A dip in the holy waters at this beach is believed to purge the body of impurities and the soul of all sins; hence the name 'Papanasam Beach'. A two thousand-year-old shrine the Janardhanaswamy Temple stands on the cliffs overlooking the beach, a short distance away. The Sivagiri Mutt, founded by the great religious reformer and philosopher Sree Narayana Guru (1856 - 1928) is also close by. The S

Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram Located inside the East Fort in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of the State of Kerala in India is the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. This temple is a blend of the Kerala and Dravidian styles of architecture. It is believed to be the world’s richest temple. The history of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple dates back to 8th century. It is one of the 108 sacred Vishnu temples or Divya Desams in India.  Divya Desams  are the holiest abodes of Lord Vishnu that are mentioned in the works of the Tamil Azhvars (saints). The presiding deity of this temple is Lord Vishnu, reclining on  Anantha , the hooded Serpent. Marthanda Varma,  noted among Travancore kings, did a major renovation to the temple and it resulted in the present day structure of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple. It was Marthanda Varma who introduced the  Murajapam  and  Bhadra Deepam  festivals in the temple.  Murajapam , which literally

Zoological Garden, Thiruvananthapuram TheThiruvananthapuram Zoo is the oldest zoo in India continuing to existing its original location in the heart of the temple cityThiruvananthapuram. Similarly the Museum and Botanical Gardens are also the oldest of their kind in the country. Swathi ThirunalMaharaja (1816-1846), illustrious King and Music composer who had ruled Travancore during 1830-1846 is said to be the visionary behind the establishment of the Thiruvananthapuram Museum and Zoo. He had a good collection of animals including elephants in his horse breeding center. To the Trivandrum stables he incorporated a menagerie and kept tigers, panthers cheetahs, deer, bears and a lioness there. It was however left to his brother Uthram Thirunal Marthanda Varma and the then British Resident General Cullen which resulted in the establishment of Museum and Zoo in Thiruvananthapuram. A committee was formed in 1855 with the Maharaja of Travancore as Patron, GeneralCullen as Presiden