Thirparappu- Serene Beauty

It's summertime and most of the folks are already planning for holidays. Before you finalize your trip, here is a place that you don't want to miss out on.

What's better than visiting a scenic Waterfalls on a sunny day? Nothing better than soaking yourself in cold water when the sun is right above your head. Thiruparappu is one such place which flaunts a beautiful landscape along with providing enough comfort for the visitors even if the sun is shining bright. 

My trip to Thiruparappu was a surprising one since we never drafted this place on our list when I went out with my family on my summer vacation. The place itself is about 55 km away from Trivandrum yet a proper conveyance made our trip easier and comfortable. Thirparappu waterfall is 300 ft long and consists of a rocky riverbed. The water falls from a height of nearly 50 ft. The waterfall has flows with great force for around seven months in the whole year.

The whole bed above the falls is one rocky mass which extends up to a distance of about quarter of a kilometer upstream where the famous Thirparappu weir has been constructed for supplying water to the paddy fields. This irrigation facility is extremely useful here and it is fascinating to see the process of irrigation from the dam to the fields. The place has a swimming pool which facilitates bathing facility for children as the fall is slippery and is not safe for kids. The spot is ideal for swimming as long as you stay within the safe zone. The flow is regular and as far as I'm concerned, Thiruparappu is the best spot if you want to learn swimming. 

Apart from the Waterfalls, Thiruparappu is also known for the most prestigious temple in South India, dedicated to Lord Shiva. Mahadevar Kovil is the third one of the twelve Sivalaya, famous for "Shivalaya Ottam" during Shivaratri. It is said that Lord Mahadev lived here as Virabhadra which is a fierce incarnation of Lord Siva to kill Daksha Prajapati, after the death Sati Devi. There are many old inscriptions in this temple including the one of the Pandya King dated ninth century. This temple is built around A.D. 9th Century.

Thus a place with this much historical importance demands a visit and you can not deny the fact that Thiruparappu is easily one of the best tourist spots in Tamil Nadu or South India, in general. Furthermore, the temple adds a spiritual atmosphere to the serene waterfalls. It is worth every penny you spent to get here.





Contributed by Sooraj Ram

Jadayupara - Historic Sculpture recognized by Guinness

The one place that would singlehandedly increase the number of tourists in Kerala is Jadayupara. Moreover, Jadayupara is a place with a massive historic importance. In the great epic Ramayana, Jatayu is characterized as a noble bird of divine origin. One day he happened to hear the plaintive cry of a lady. It was Sitha lamenting for help while she had been abducted to Lanka by the demon king Ravana. Jatayu rushed to her rescue, stopped Ravana’s chariot named Pushpaka Vimana and engaged in a battle with him. Eventually, Ravana took his powerful sword Chandrahasa, cut off the bird’s left wing and went away with Sitha. It is said that the injured Jatayu and his lost wing landed on top of a rock. In time, the rock got the name Jatayupara. Also, one could find a footprint near the giant sculpture, which is said to be the footprint of Lord Rama who came to the place in search of his wife Sitha. Having these much historic tie-ups, Chadayamangalam, Jadayupara became a perfect spot for the sculptures to carve the giant structure of Jadayu. 

My curiosity compelled me to visit the place on a fine 2017 Sunday evening. Chadayamangalam is a small town near Kollam district which is almost 40 km from the capital city of Trivandrum. Picturing the grand project on my mind, my curiosity quickly became some sort of obsession which made me go out earlier than the scheduled time. 

Once I reached the spot, I came to know that the place is still under construction yet the place is half finished hence I was permitted to go inside and take a look. The place has an adventure club nearby which offers a wide collection of games ranging from archery to trekking. 

Once I reached the place, I witnessed the view of my life. The sculpture is made looks perfect and I can't wait for it to be complete. The place has a small temple dedicated Lord Rama. There is a small water reservoir which is said to have water 24x7 365 days regardless the climatic shifts. Next, there is a small man-made reservoir which reassures that the place has an uninterrupted supply of water. 

Overall, Jadayupara is a magnificent work of art that will surely attract tourists worldwide once the construction is complete. This colossal statue is 200 feet long,150 feet wide and 70 feet making is the largest functional bird sculpture in the world with an entry into the Guinness Book of World Records. If that doesn't make you anxious enough to visit the place, then I'm not sure what will make you visit a place.






Contributed by Sooraj Ram

Thenmala - - A Constellation hidden in the Surface

The thing about hill stations is that they are hard to not to stumble across, especially when you live in a place like Kerala. But there is this place where the Capital city, Trivandrum will surely blow your mind. Thenmala is a place of historic importance. Thenmala; "Then" stands for Honey and "Mala" stands for Mountain in Malayalam, is the first planned eco-tourism destination in India. Thenmala tourism quickly became a place for filming.

Fortunately enough, Thenmala is close to where I live and I was able to sort a plan out to visit the place on my sem break. Less than 80 km from Trivandrum, I was able to locate the place easily and could find a proper conveyance. After an hour and a half drive, I reached the place around 11 in the morning and after finishing all the formalities, I got in and the first thing I looked was the whereabouts and must-see places. The first thing that I had the pleasure to visit is a short trek towards the Sanctuary, placed near Thenmala. There is an affordable entry fee of Rs 100, but still the time you spend there will be cherished all through your life.

Next stop, The Butterfly park. There is a slight walking to do to get to the place, but, the moment you get there, all you could see is a place which holds the most varieties of Butterfly to be placed in a natural habitat for us to see.

After spending some quality time there, I went forward to explore more places. My favorite was the Nakshathravanam, which is a park holding 27 trees representing 27 birth stars. Moreover, the place is a must-see for those who like to study more about flora.

Thenmala is a huge place spread across a wide area, which is quite hard to cover everything in one go. To wrap up my short run, I visited the Parappar Dam, which is second largest irrigation project in Kerala and has the longest reservoir in the state. This trip to Thenmala was truly a memorable one as I got to see a lot of things which exemplifies the beauty of our mother nature. Thenmala is one such place which could easily make it to the top tourist places in Kerala or India, in general. I plan on visiting the place often so that I could see everything in one go.


Contributed by Sooraj Ram

Madavoorpara - A Treasure hidden in the heart of the city

Kerala is known as the "Gods own Country" for a reason. The entire coastal strip of Kerala is solely dedicated to breathtaking beaches and spiritual places. The Dravidian architecture as practiced in the South is rather a rare sight in Kerala as the architecture in Kerala combines the small portion of Dravidian Architecture along with a share of unique construction and Vastu Shastra. However, the religious gatherings are all widespread and the architecture practiced is surely a must see. 

Rock Temples are not widely practiced around Kerala, hence the Mudavoorpara tourism is a rare place in a Southern part of Kerala. The place itself is a bit close to the busy city, but the poor roads shadow this beautiful place. The place itself is hidden and not many people visit this place often. However, the occasional visitors are those who visit the temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. 

This Cave temple is one of the two cave temples in the Southern Kerala, the other one being the one in Vizhinjam. While we were en route to Madavoorpara, we stopped by a hotel to have our breakfast. I was fortunate enough to have a nice little chat with a person who was kind enough to tell the historic importance of Madavoorpara.

The cave temple at 'Madavoorpara' is believed to have been built around the 8th century A.D. Prior to that, this place was part of which is now affectionately referred to as ‘Tamizhakam’ It is believed that kings of the Ay dynasty ruled over this place. A place with this much importance, I immediately got curious as to why this place is hidden within plain sight. We got there within an hour and the first thing that we saw was the well-constructed rock temple. Surprisingly, on a pleasant Sunday morning, I found the place to be deserted. After that, we trekked up the hill and walked for 10 minutes to get to the Bamboo bridge. 

It is the bamboo bridge that took us to the hilltop where one could see the panoramic view from a hilltop hut which sets up a good ambiance. From the hut, we were able to see the tall buildings of Technopark and, the rest was covered in green. After spending see quality time in the hilltop we got off as the afternoon heat was setting in. 

Madavoorpara is undoubted, the best place that I've been to. It's a treasure hidden in the heart of the city which, surprisingly is hidden to many. If only the tourism is better and the roads do show proper signs, Madavoorpara would have been one of the crowded tourist destinations in Kerala. 






Quick facts about Madavoorpara -

1. How to reach – Frequent Buses from Trivandrum and Kazhakootam, but, it is preferable to visit in a private vehicle. 

2. Nearest town – Trivandrum 

3. Nearest railway station – Trivandrum, 18  km

4. Nearest Airport – Trivandrum,  19 km

5. Places to stay – Ideal for one day trip, if, you want to visit the place on a long run, accommodation can be obtained from Kazhakuttom 

6. Best time to visit –Monsoon

7. Things to do – Visit to the Temple and getting to the hilltop for experiencing a good view. 

8. Is it Child-Friendly- Yes

Contributed by Sooraj Ram