Kalpathy is located in the Malabar region of Kerala and has the famous Kalpathy Viswanatha Swamy temple. This temple has Lord Shiva as the presiding deity and was constructed by H.Kombi Achan sometime in the year 1425 AD. It is one of the oldest types of temples of Shiva in the region of Malabar today. Located on the mouth of the River Neela, this is a place where many other deities like Sri Visalaksh, Valli Devayani Sametha Subrahmanyaswamy, Dakhshinayana Murthy, Gangadhara, Surya Bhavara, Vinayaka, Pradesh Handi, Nandeeswaran, Simhasundari, Nataraja are worshipped.

Tamil Brahmins perform the rituals and the place is replete with a lot of religious fervour and travel pleasures.

The Ratholsavam

Kalpathy is very famous for its Chariot Festival – The Ratholsavam which is normally held in the month of November. There is a procession that it is taken out on the seventh day of this chariot festival. The deity is taken out in the ratha or chariot.  These chariots look resplendent and the entire sight is very beautiful with the devotees pulling the chariots with a large number of crowds. The last three days of the Ratholsavam festival is very energetic and active as devotees join hands and enrich the entire place with the spiritual and religious events that keep happening continuously here. On one of your tours to Kalpathy do make it a point to attend this festival as it is a perfect example of beautiful sights and united efforts.

Lord Sri Vishwanadha Swamy and goddess Parvathy are taken out in one chariot, then Lord Visweswara in the other and Lord Subrahmanya in the third chariot. All of them look fascinatingly beautiful as they are seen adorned with beautiful floral decorations. The sight actually is very memorable and devotees cherish it a great deal as the whole ambience is one of purity and devotion.

Kalpathy is situated around 3 kms from the town of Palakkad lying on the border of the two states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. With Coimbatore Cochin as the nearest airports and Palakkad as the nearest railhead, Kalpathy is accessible easily by road, rail and air. The temple here is one of the 18 agraharams in the district of Palakkad and is as old as the 15th century.

Chittur Kongan Pada

The other festival that is celebrated here is the Chittur Kongan Pada which is celebrated in the Kalpathy temple. This is celebrated in memory of the victory of the Nayar soldiers from the region of Chittur over the Chola Kings of Coimbatore. This king was known as the Rajadhiraja. This festival is normally celebrated in the month of February. Then there are many other temples like the
Nellikulangara Bhagavathy Temple, the Kallakulangara temple which are located in and around the Kalpathy temple. The Nellikulangara temple is famous for the Nenmara Vallangi Vela and the Kallakulangara temple is famous for the Chinnathur Pooram.

With all this in tow, the Kalpathy region is certainly a must see spot in Kerala tours.

Come to the villages in Kerala and experience the most exotic pleasure that this land could ever give you. Punnathoorkotta is a great place where you could just unwind in leisure and where you would get the best of travel luxury. All the stress and worries that you had could be undone here in this land of fun, thrill, adventure and excitement. Very near the Shri Krishna temple in the region of Gurvayoor in Kerala, this is a lovely place where you get to se the best elephants and the most fascinating ones.

When you come here you would see the most enchanting sights of elephants wandering in this virgin ambience. There are many elephants that have been brought here for being offered in the rituals that have been offered to the Divine. These pachyderms are actually trained and also groomed well.

The Punnathoorkotta region is a great place where you could come and enjoy the presence of these playful elephants and see how they enthrall you completely. On one of those tours you would also get to see how the sick elephants are taken care of and how they are given medicines. You would also get a chance to get friendly with these elephants and it is an exciting experience to ride on these lovely animals. Elephants are normally trained for participating in the rituals and these are groomed for the best festivals in Kerala like the Thrissur Pooram.

The Guruvayoor Temple is another place which is visited in this region of Punnathoorkotta. With the nearest railway station as Guruvayoor the village is just around 2 km away from this place. Cochin is the nearest airport which is around 58 km from the Thrissur city.

Punnathoorkotta is a place that has some of the best sights of elephants which makes it a favourite amongst pilgrims coming to this part of the world. There is the 75 year old Ramachandran which is a lovely aged elephant which is respected a lot. This is in fact the place where you have the largest number of elephants. There are so many rich devotees who have donated these elephants to the region and so these elephants are a prize possession of Punnathoorkotta.

These elephants are taken for a bath by the mahouts and there are many tourists who love to see this sight. This sight is mesmerizing and very memorable and it is a great feeling to enjoy the sights of these innocent but majestic elephants which seem to dominate the beauty of the region.

Punnathoorkotta with its greenery and surroundings and the most fascinating ambience is a place where you would certainly go to just to enjoy the lovely feeling of being in a paradise.

Punnathoorkotta becomes a great place to visit simply because of the collection of elephants, the scenery and the surrounding only adding to your travel experience. Get the best out of this place and don’t miss this region whenever you happen to visit Gurvayoor in Kerala.

Ranipuram in Kerala is one such place which has the best attractions to offer and the ideal pleasures to experience. Come to this sleepy little village that is situated around 750 metres above sea level. Around 55 km from the city of Kasargod, this village is  very famous for its most diverse vegetation and the best varieties of shoal wood, monsoon forests, and the densest evergreen trees. Earlier known as Madathumala today this Ranipuram region is a great place to see wild elephants in full splendour. With the forests nearby being connected to the neighbouring Karnataka state, Ranipuram offers ideal travel luxuries.

During your visit to Ranipuram, be ready to indulge in some great adventure activities that are typical of this place. So get set for a lot of mountain climbing, trekking and also excursions. With this kind of scenic beauty, this village in Kerala offers the best memories and you would always cherish your visit here. This is in fact the most frequented hill station of Kerala. With the cottages offered by the tourism industry giving you comfortable pleasures, Ranipuram in Kerala is certainly a great locale and a perfect travel destination for all.

Accessible by road, rail and air, the nearest railhead is the Kasaragod railway station and the nearest airport is the Mangalore airport which is around 50 km from this place. Also you have the Karipur International Airport at Kozhikode which is again around 200 km from Kasargod.

Ranipuram is a small village on top of a mountain with an expanse of verdant stretch and has the best greenery around. This is a great place to rejuvenate and relax your spirits. The grasslands here are very popular and the monsoon forests with the trekking trails offer the perfect ambience to bask in this travel experience.

Also there is something very interesting about this place, and that is the story behind it. It is said that in the year 1970 the Catholic Diocese of Kottayam used to take care of this region and they brought some greenery here in those times. They belonged to the Kandoth family. They used to be the landlords here and it was named Madathumala then. They used to have the Theyyam as the traditional dance here and these people used to perform this dance to appease the Goddess Mother.

Ranipuram is very often compared to the other pristine hill station Ooty. Ranipuram is a little warmer than Ooty and is famous today amongst all the nature enthusiasts and wildlife lovers. It is the beauty of the place that holds the attention of the tourists here and they love to enjoy the sight of the panoramic view of the entire landscape that so forms a part of the beauty here.

Sometimes even the most fascinating sights prove to be very beneficial to all and Ranipuram is one such region which gives you great travel ideas and the most cherishable travel moments. Get surrounded by beauty and virgin expanses of greenery and come back totally enriched with the travel experience here.

Explore the culture and tradition of these villages, get to know their lifestyle and enjoy the beauty of the surroundings. Village tours in Kerala are a way of giving ultimate travel experiences to all.

Tourists coming to Kerala would surely want to experience this beauty called village experience and so Aranmula, Thrithala, Kalpathy, Malampuzha, and Tirunelli are all villages to explore and places to enjoy.

This is thus a perfect break for all those tourists who have a rigorous everyday life and who find the fast city life a total strain on their health. The charm of the olden days and the simplicity of the ambience enthralls the visitor who finds this a total contrast from the hubbub of daily schedule in a city. It looks like every single thing has come to a standstill for your sake so just enjoy the experience which is a once in a lifetime pleasure for any tourist coming to this part of the world.

So while you enjoy the travel pleasures of this land called Aranmula in Kerala you would also enjoy the lovely floral gardens and the beautiful Kerala villages which invite the tourists to come and enjoy in the lap of green expanse and in the flow of the loveliest rivers here. Tours to the Kerala villages are a perfect way to cross from hectic lifestyles to tranquil pleasures.

Make sure you go to Aranmula with your camera, the better the model the better for your memories to be captured on film. Aranmula is famous for its Snake Boat Festival so make sure you visit this village during this period. Kerala Travel Tourism gives you a chance to enjoy this charming place with its rural touch and gives you an opportunity to get to know the local arts and crafts of this region. So get involved in having a look at the traditional arts and crafts of Aranmula and enjoy the beauty of the mural paintings. The Aranmula kannadi and boat building are great sights for the interested tourist who comes here to have a different experience. In fact ARanmula is famous for its kannadi which is the mirror that is found here. The metal mirror is an intrigue for all with its unique craft style made of bell metal. Kannadi in Malayalam means mirror.

Then there is the beautiful tour of the 18th century murals in the Parthasarathy temple here. Located on the banks of the River Pamba, this temple has Lord Krishna as its presiding deity and has devotees in large numbers coming to this place on the last day of the very popular festival of Onam that is celebrated grandly here. On this day the deity is installed with a lot of devotional fanfare. The two day boat race of Aranmula is very famous and is held as a celebration of the Onam Festival. Kerala and snake boat race are synonymous so it is interesting to see this lovely sight of boats rowing on the river in this exotic land of pleasure – Aranmula.

Then there is the Vinjana Kalavedi which is an institute for arts. People come here to learn the arts of this region and the institute also gives introductory classes on music and dance.

A trip to Aranmula gives you a true feel of a rustic lifestyle and one which will be in your memory for a very long time.

During the British era in India, the sanctuary was owned by the North Travancore Land Planting Society. Later the Kanan Devan Hill Produce Corporation took over this place and converted the entire place into a private zone as it was found that the place was not suitable for tea plantation. This whole place was declared a wildlife sanctuary in the year 1936 but the Eravikulam Wildlife Sanctuary was established much later in the year 1975. Eventually in the year 1978 the sanctuary got  upgraded and became a national park officially.

This park has one of the most endangered species – the Nilgiri Tahr which is a major attraction here. This is also the place where you can see the wild goat. It was with an Endeavour to protect the animals in their natural habitat that the park was mainly established. The park authorities also ensured took a lot of efforts to increase the population of the Nilgiri Tahr. Then of course the park has other wild animals like the Giant Squirrel, the Gaur, the Lion Tailed macaque, the Leopard, the sambar and the tiger. Then you find the snakes, lizards and the amphibians here which are so much a part of this verdant zone.

Tourists love to come here and bask in the tropical forest region filled with evergreen trees here. Grasslands and shrubs also form a mainstay of the park and the shoals or patches of grass cover the whole region. Eravikulam is a place where one can get the sights of how tea is made. So experience the thrill of seeing tea leaves being plucked and processed to the Kundale tea plantation.

Tourists on their part should remember that they should not damage any flora or fauna here. They should ensure that they do not pluck any leaves or flowers and also deter others from doing so. While touring the park, it is advisable that they don’t litter the place, throw lit matches, cigarette buds etc. Littering the place is also not allowed and polythene and plastic bags should be given a pushover. Loud music, and talking in high volume is best avoided as it hinders the animals.

Take care that you don’t irritate the animals and always keep them safe and secure. Carry light cotton clothes when you visit this park as the climate is generally pleasant in summer. For winter tours you can take the lighter woolen clothes. November and February form the best times to visit this park.

With the nearest airport as Cochin, and the Ernakulam as the nearest Railway station, Eravikulam Wildlife Sanctuary and national park is surely an easily accessible wildlife zone. With the last road ending at Rajamalai, the national park has this as its headquarters. Nearby Munnar is another attraction for all tourists coming to this part of the world.

Wildlife tours and national park experiences make a tourist filled with delight and enjoyment. The Eravikulam National park is no exception and provides great travel delights and pleasures.

Pakshipathalam is one region in Wayanad district which would surprise you with its natural ambience and beautiful surroundings. Ensconced in the picturesque state of Kerala, this is a place which is a nature lover’s paradise and a traveler’s delight. With the densest forests of deciduous  trees and the most varied wildlife, Pakshipathalam offers to the tourist what he seeked for – adventure, thrill and travel luxury. Come to the forested zones of the state of Kerala in India and enjoy the ambience of Pakshipathalam the natural heaven in this part of the country. For all those who want adventure in their travels, this is the ideal place as it has some of the best trekking spots. The Pakshipathalam Reserve has some fascinating caves which add to the excitement. It is said that saints have meditated in these ancient caves and today provide ultimate travel thrills. Trek your way through here as this is the only way to come here. Around 17kms of trek trail would take you through some of the best plethora of avifauna and also the ideal verdant stretches. ‘

Tourists normally have to take permission prior to entering the reserve. There is a watchtower here which gives you a total view of the entire place. There are guides who help you walk through the verdant paradise and this place gives you all the opportunities to enjoy camping, trekking and also experience some of the best sights of birds.

Situated around 1740 m above the sea level Pakshipathalam is a great haven for all naturalists and bird lovers. The rock caves here are thick chunks of rocks that are found at the northern end of the Brahmagiri hills. This is where most of the wild beasts and birds live. Thirunelli is a place in Kerala in this region. Pakshipathalam is around 7 km from this place. Tourists who come to this part of Kerala often come here from a place called Mananthavady which is around 32 km from Thirunelli. Pakshipathalam is normally frequented by those who are interested in flora and fauna and those who want to see a pristine virgin land. Kalpetta is also a place which lies near the Pakshipathalam reserve. So while you are in this lovely land called Wayanad district you have many ways of reaching Pakshipathalam. People from these nearby towns often come here on weekends and enjoy the serene tranquil experience.

Ecologically very viable this reserve has some of the best collections of birds and has a variety of orchids and herbs. In fact Kuruvadweep is a place which is a hub of evergreen forests. These verdant stretches of more than 950 acres attract the tourists and they love to go across to the river Kabani and enjoy the sights here. Get ready to see some of the most precious sights and visual delights.

If one has to reach Pakshipathalam he can come here by air, road or rail. Kozhikode is the nearest airport and also the nearest rail head. So one can reach Pakshipathalam which is very near this place.

Natural surroundings and pristine ambience are a way of making our travel interesting and memorable. What better way to get it than to visit such areas like Pakshipathalam Reserve which not only provide great sights but also ensure you go back with a cherishable travel kitty.

So get into this densely forested zone with the best of Kerala tourism in your control and enjoy this tour in one of the best sanctuaries in Kerala. With the best kind of leafy expanse and an ideal scenic locale the streams and the terrain here only add to the travel pleasures.

So discover yourself in this verdant beauty and get to see the best sights of the most varied bird species. More than 60 kinds of migratory birds live here. the whole area seems to chirp with the songs of the birds and lends ideal colourful visual treats which are great travel memories.

Situated around 19 km from Kozhikode, in Kerala, this lovely verdant stretch has more than a hundred kinds of avifauna besides of course to being home to mussels and crabs too. Spanning over 3 km this beautiful land of hillocks is around 200 m above the sea level. So the stupendous scenic views of the river Kadalundi are an added visual delight to the curious traveler coming here. Also the sandpipers, whimbrels, sea terns, gulls are great attractions here providing great travel delights in  the months of April and November especially. So plan your tour such that you are here sometime in the months of April or December such that you get to see the best bird sights.

Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary is serenity personified. So the bliss of tranquil zones, and the thrill of trekking coupled with the excitement of photographic ecstasy are all a major feature of coming here in this land of birds. Indulge yourself luxuriously to the green zones here and pamper your travel kitty with greatly treasured travel memories.

Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary has the Beypore Port around 7 km from here and has a group of islands giving great scenic pleasures. Locally people call it the Kadalundi Nagaram. An absolute virginal experience this is a place where tourists love to come in search of Mother Nature’s blessings.

The birds here are many and in great variety. So the Brahminy kits, the egrets, terns, herons and cormorants are great favorites here besides the other exotic avifauna. Tourists also like to come here to see the turtles which come here to explore this area. Tourists normally come to the forest departments’ boat as turtles are found here in plenty. The climate here is very pleasant and acceptable to all and provides the right ambience to go around the place. It is advisable not to visit this place in the months of May to July as the area doesn’t receive enough rainfall during this time. One can also come to this sanctuary as a day trip.

It is seen that most of the wealthier people live in and around the sanctuary. So the row of luxury bungalows that are seen here catch the interest of the tourists coming here. Take your own meal here as there are very few eateries here in this region. the jetty here is dotted with innumerable crabs so the entire experience is unique, interesting and exciting.

The flora here includes the very unique dry thorn forests and also the deciduous kind of vegetation that is very typical here. Then of course you have the grasslands and the riparian types with the rugged rocks and cliffs which form a major landscape here. Then the small hillocks and the stretches of plains make a perfect living place for all the microhabitats.

One also finds a great reptilian population in the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala which stores the endangered species like the Albizia Lathamii. The dry forests in the sanctuary lend more beauty and the tourist gets lost in this maze of medicinal plants and riverine forests. With the best population of the Grizzled Giant Squirrel, the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala surely is a must see for all wildlife enthusiasts.

Housing more than 225 varieties of birds, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary also has the white bison of Manjampatti. With the most fascinating avian diversity, Chinnar surely forms a great conservation zone.

So come to this part of India, in the eastern part of the High Western Ghats Ranges in the state of Kerala in India and experience the beauty of the floral, ecological, geomorphological hub in this part of the world.

With Kochi and Coimbatore as the cities nearby, the airports also lie in these cities thus making this sanctuary easily accessible by air. The nearest town here is Marayur and the other tourists locales nearby include Munnar and Udumalpet.

With the undulating terrain and the lovely scenery here, the tourists are sure to find this magnificently enthralling ambience a perfect holiday experience. Chinnar has a plethora of deciduous forests, shoals, grasslands and the best species of flowering plants. For those who love ecologically based activities have many tours that are organized here by the Forest Department. The Ecodevelopment Committee also help the tourists to enjoy the ecologically inclined events. So get the best wilderness opportunities here in the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala and just let your travel juices flow here.

There are facilities for river trekking which the tourists really enjoy here. So the mesmerizing scenery and the enthralling sights are a great attraction to all those who visit this part of Kerala.

Then you have the trekking trails to the dolmens or the cultural site. All hiking and trekking lovers surely would find this a total paradise of outdoor activities.

Go to the watch tower and enjoy the nature trail up this path. It is interesting to enjoy the ambience here and understand the various facets of nature.

The Thoovanam Falls is another major attraction here.

Visit the Interpretation activities and the medicinal Garden that are found here and get a know how of the local flora.

There is a tree house here at Chinnar which is a great attraction for all tourists. Enjoy the machans at Kottar, Champakkad and Karakkad.

With great adventure and thrill and a lot of pleasant natural experiences, the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala comes as a great holiday package.

This was earlier the hunting preserve of the Maharaja of Rewa in olden days. Today it is the centre of the Royal Bengal Tiger and the White Tigers. The White tiger today is a major attraction in the zoos in the world. This tiger was first discovered in Rewa which is very near to this place. With a broken terrain occasionally and a background filled with rocky ranges, the entire park is filled with such ranges running across the land from the east to west with swamps with grass and valleys with forests interspersing the landscape rendering it a complete natural Eden.

Today this is one of the nicest and the finest national parks in the country and the park has the dubious achievement of housing the maximum number of tigers per unit area of the land.

Bandhavgarh National Park is one of the pristine national parks in India and has the distinction of harboring the highest concentration of tigers per unit area of forest. The Bandhavgarh National Park is spread over on area of 448 sq km with a cross area of 105 sq km. At the center of the park is the Bandhavgarh hill, rising 811 meters above sea level and surrounding it are sloping valleys. These valleys end in small, swampy meadows locally known as “bohera”.

Declared as a national park in the year 1968, there have been many steps taken to retain the natural surroundings of the park. It is a complete living heaven for the animals here and has been left totally unspoilt by the vagaries of nature. The wildlife here includes the sloth bear, the Indian bison or gaur, the porcupine, leopard, spotted bear, sambhar and the wild boar.

The park is also a bird lover’s haven with its cornucopia of avifauna. There are more than 140 bird species that are found here and these include the white browed fantails, the green pigeons, the lovely paradise flycatcher, the owls, Jerdon’s and gold fronted leaf birds, parakeets, Malabar hornbills, blue bearded bee eaters, grey Malabar hornbills, White bellied drongos, woodshrikes and minivets.

Then you also can see the peafowl, the dove, red jungle fowl, kingfishers, Egyptian Vulture, the Whistling Teal, and the Black Ibis here. The vegetation here encourages the growth of this kind of fauna here. The reptilian fauna include the viper, cobra, krait, turtle and python and many kinds of lizards too.

With such verdant beauties, and the best kind of habitat for all the living beings, the Bandhavgarh National Park is certainly a must visit in the tour of India.

History of this sport goes back to the time when the wrestlers used to exercise on wooden poles. This art dates back to the 12th century in the Manasholas which was written by Chalukya in the year 1153. This then got revived sometime in the 19th century by the physical instructor Balambhatta Dada who used to coach Bajirao Peshwa Ii. There were lot of efforts that were made to make this sport very popular. The modern Mallakhamb is very similar like the ancient kind. Earlier Mallakhamb was related to Kusti but today it is more related to gymnastics. Today Mallakhamb involves having a supple body, an alert mind and flexible muscles. The competitive levels are rising and the art of mastering this sport is increasing by the day. There is also a general need to have safety instruments for this sport to avoid any kind of calamity or accident.

Mallakhamb is of three types when played on a competitive basis. There is the Fixed Mallakhamb, Hanging Mallakhamb and the Rope Mallakhamb.

The fixed Mallakhamb is one that has a vertical pole fixed on the ground. The wood is generally teak or sesame. Sometimes it is made of rose wood. This wood is used as it is very tough and soft. Then after application of castor oil, the friction is reduced and thus the injuries are minimized. The pole is generally around 10 to 12 feet above the ground level. The diameter of this pole is around 6 inches at the base and around 2 inches at the top.

Then you have the Anging and Mallakhamb which is another version of the Fixed Mallakhamb. This is normally used for balancing exercises. The pole is normally suspended with a chain and a hook. The player normally uses this and swings and revolves around the pole and the body is kept very close and the body generally hangs from a height of around 4 feet from the ground.

Then the third form is the rope Mallakhamb which is a modernized version of this sport. The main difference lies in the structure and it is a version of today’s modern problems of transportation and space. There are many yogic positions that are performed in this form of sport and as the player gracefully swirls around in the pole it is a treat watching him perform various knots and enthrall the entire audience.

Then you also have the unsupported type of Mallakhamb that is inclined to the middle of the centre of gravity and people in this use traditional weapons like ancient torches, swords etc.

Mallakhamb is indeed a unique sport because the body is literally stretched, twisted and turned and also balanced on the pole. The spectators remain completely mesmerized by the swiftness and the dexterity of the player and the entire co-ordination and concentration of the players and speed is a work of skill and art. The training of Mallakhamb also helps in other sports like judo, wrestling, tennis, horse riding, and athletics.