If you associate a beach vacation in India only with Goa, then you are fundamentally wrong! There is another beautiful place on the Indian subcontinent, where the beaches are covered with white sand, and the emerald green of palm trees sets off the turquoise ocean surface no less impressively. We are talking about the state of Kerala, where the foot of a Russian traveler does not step so often, and therefore you have a chance to be a pioneer. The splendor of the beach is accompanied by traditional Indian attractions, which means that the answer to the question of what to see in Kerala will be very lengthy. The attention of the guest will be offered to ancient Hindu temples, national parks, cities with an amazing history and even their own kind of theater, not found anywhere else on the planet.
TOP 10 attractions of Kerala
Padmanabhaswamy temple
Speaking about the sights of the most southwestern Indian state, local guides first of all mention the Padmanabhaswamy Temple, which is located in the city of Trivandrum. It was built in the middle of the 18th century. in honor of Vishnu and is known in the country as one of the 108 most holy abodes of the deity. The name of the temple means one of the forms in which Vishnu can exist. In Kerala, he prefers to be in a state of mystical sleep.
Carelessness is also demonstrated by the five-meter sculpture of Vishnu, installed in the temple and representing a reclining god, covered with precious stones and metals. The building itself is also very impressive for a European who is accustomed to the typical development of sleeping micro-districts laid out according to the plan of a modern architect. The temple is visible from afar, thanks to the seven-level gate tower, called "gopuram" and rising into the sky to a height of 30 meters. The walls are covered with frescoes, and the wide corridor inside is decorated with three hundred pillars with relief images of mystical stories.
In 2011, the Padmanabhaswamy temple became famous all over the world thanks to the huge treasure found in it. The value of the accidentally discovered treasures was $ 22 billion.
Kochin synagogue
Historically, one of the cities in the state was home to the oldest group of Jews. It appeared thanks to several waves of immigrants who arrived in Hindustan since the time of King Solomon. They traded in ivory and gold and settled in southern India in general and in Cochin in particular. Now the Kochin synagogue is considered the oldest in the country and the oldest in the entire British Commonwealth.
The Jewish prayer house was founded in the middle of the 16th century. In 1968, Indira Gandhi attended the synagogue's 400th anniversary ceremony. The current state of the synagogue is very satisfactory, it still functions for its intended purpose, and is open to everyone who wants to see its interiors and relics. The Kochin synagogue, called a landmark of Kerala, contains the tablets of the Law and ancient porcelain made by craftsmen, chandeliers made by Belgian glassblowers and copper tablets dating from the 10th century, on which the privileges of individual members of the Kochin Jewish diaspora were recorded.
Krishna Temple at Guruvayur
The first mention of the Krishna temple in the small village of Guruvayur in Kerala falls on the XIV century. Here Krsna is worshiped in the form of Narayana. The image of Krishna, personifying cosmic reality, preferred to show immediately after the birth of his own parents, and therefore he is especially significant for Hindus.
The temple in Guruvayur is the most important in the state and one of the richest not only in Kerala, but in the entire country. It was here that the Sanskrit poet Narayana Bhattatiri, suffering from rheumatism, created his work "Narayaniyam". Thanks to him, all people suffering from joint diseases now venerate the sanctuary especially.
The temple is the base for the adherents of the dramatic dance art, called "Krishnanattam" in Kerala. If you like Indian films and especially the part of them where the heroes drop everything and suddenly start singing and dancing, you can have a good time at Guruvayur. Tourists from all over Kerala come here to see the dancing numbers in the evenings.
Punnathurkotta
A few kilometers from the Krishna Temple in Guruvayur, on the territory of the ancient palace of the rajah, there is Punnathurkotta or the elephant sanctuary.
Kerala Elephant Farm is a special place even for India. More than 60 giants live here, each dedicated to Krishna and taking part in temple ceremonies and festivals at Guruvayur. Elephants are presented to Krishna by wealthy Hindus. One of the four-legged even became a hero of local folklore. His name is Gajarajan Guruvayur Keshavan and a monument is erected to him at the entrance to the temple.
The story goes that the elephant was donated to the temple by the Rajah's family from Nilambur. The giant was more than three meters tall at the withers, and the elephant lived for almost 70 years, most of which he showed special devotion to the deity of Krishna. How exactly the elephant did this can be understood by watching a movie about Gajarajan or taking part in the annual festival in his memory. The festivities take place on December 2, the day of the death of the king of the elephants.
The entrance to the Elephant Sanctuary is open daily. Right after the opening, viewers can watch the giants bathing in the river.
Mammiyur-mahadeva-ksetram
On the way from the Krishna temple to the elephant sanctuary, you will come across another iconic building that is important for any Hindu pilgrim. The temple with the unpronounceable name Mammiyur-mahadeva-ksetram is dedicated to the full manifestation of Krishna, called the deity Guruvayurappan.
It is almost impossible for a mere mortal to understand the heavenly nooks of the eternal abode of Krishn, but the temple looks very authentic among the evergreen impenetrable jungle, similar to the intricacies of the spiritual world of the Hindus.
Kutiyattam
Scientists believe that theatrical art, called Sanskrit drama in art history circles, originated in India at least in the 1st century. n. NS. Participants in the Sanskrit drama presented on stage works by prominent Indian authors, many of whom have been translated into European languages. So the drama "Mahabrahat" became a revelation for Goethe, who wrote after meeting it his immortal "Faust", and the world calls the epic "Ramayana" the most legendary example of Sanskrit literature.
Kerala has its own theatrical art called kutiyattam. It is practiced in Hindu temples and you can watch the performance while traveling.
The value of kuttiyat is highly appreciated by UNESCO. This type of theatrical art is included in the lists of the Intangible World Heritage.
Bharanangaram
A small town in the state of Kerala, Bharanangaram is famous for the final resting place of the Christian woman Alfonsa, canonized after her death and became a saint thanks to her righteous life and desire to help the sick and disadvantaged. The Christian church at the burial site of St. Alphonse serves as a place of worship for Christian pilgrims.
Adepts of the Hindu religion and simply fans of the architectural style, to which most of the temples of Kerala belong, will be interested to look at the Sri Krishna Swami temple. Legend has it that Krishna performed sacred rituals in the local forest and the area gave its name to the city of Bharanangaram.
Periyar Park
In the Western Ghats, around the highest point of Mount Kottamalai is the Periyar National Park, established by the government of India in 1982. Periyar is the most famous nature reserve in Kerala. You can look at its inhabitants and get acquainted with exotic flora by taking an excursion at any tourist office in Cochin.
Three quarters of the park's territory is covered with evergreen tropical jungle. Among the inhabitants, tigers, elephants and leopards are especially distinguished, but mongooses, Indian macaques, vanderu and other primates are also often found.
In general, the fauna of the Periyar National Park is amazingly diverse. During the tour, you can see representatives of more than three hundred species of birds and about fifty - reptiles of all colors and sizes. And in Periyar, the diverse world of butterflies is amazing. There are about 160 species of fragile and beautiful flyers in the reserve.
Lake Periyar, formed as a result of the construction of a dam on a local river, will give guests an excellent opportunity to take a boat trip. Tourists ride on old wheeled boats, as if descended from the pages of novels written in the century before last.
Munnar and tea plantations
Famous from childhood labels from packs of Indian tea, which depict plantations, seem to have been drawn from life in the vicinity of the city of Munnar. The center of tea plantations, it lies in the valley of the Western Ghats at an altitude of 1600 meters above sea level.
The main attractions around Munnar are endless mountain slopes with millions of tea bushes. During the tour, guests are shown the process of harvesting or caring for bushes, depending on the season. Then the cognitive walk continues at the tea factory, where the future drink is prepared from the collected raw materials. Here the leaf is dried, fermented and packaged. Details of the history of the appearance of tea fields and the peculiarities of the traditions of cultivation and consumption of the world's most popular drink can be found in the Tea Museum.
The highest point with the best views of Kerala is called Top Station and is 27 km away. from Munnar.
Eravikulam
The city closest to the Eravikulam National Park is called Munnar, and it is from there that it is easiest to start a journey through one of the most beautiful nature reserves in Kerala. In Eravikulam you can see Nilgir tigers and jungle cats, red wolves and leopards, Indian porcupines and mongooses.
The territory of the park lies at an altitude of about 2000 m above sea level, and the highest point of the park is Mount Anai-Mudi. Its peak rises above the ground to a height of 2695 m.
The flora of the park is no less unique than its fauna. In this part of the Western Ghats mountain system, once every 12 years, the slopes are covered with flowers of the kurunji plant, which turns an ordinary landscape into a fantastically beautiful picture. Blue-violet petals envelop the slopes of the ridge in a light haze, which looks like a sea wave.
