Namaskaar

am
WELCOME
TO
KERALA - GOD’S
OWN COUNTRY
Capital : Thiruvananthapuram
Language : Malayalam
Number of districts : 14
Literacy : 90.9
Attire
Cuisines
 Leisure
Munnar:
Munnar is an extremely popular hill station
and is visited by tourists across the world. The
region is known for its spread out tea
plantations which are a beauty to look at. You
trek around as clouds hit the mountains slopes
and the mist flies right into your face.

Alappuzha:
Alappuzha – most still call it Alleppey – is the
hub of Kerala's backwaters, home to a vast
network of waterways and more than a
thousand houseboats.
Thekkady:
Thekkady is another major attraction located
close to the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. The
famous Periyar National Park is the highlight of
the region and is home to various species of
flora and fauna. The park is situated high in the
Western Ghats and a scenic lake only adds to
the beauty.

Ponmudi:
Ponmudi is a stunning off-beat hill station,
located close to Trivandrum. The region is
dotted with rushing water streams, scenic
hilltops, and beautiful slopes. One can also
visit the Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary, which
houses Asian elephants, leopards, hornbills,
etc
Vagamon:
The last but surely not the least, Vagamon is a
little-known hill station which is a valuable
addition to the list of amazing hill stations in
Kerala. Cascading waterfalls, bright green
valleys, pine forests, and more decorate the
region. It is located at a modest height of 1100
m above sea level and isn’t crowded like other
popular hill stations.

Wayanad :
Wayanad District is a district in the north-east
of Kerala state, India with headquarters at the
town of Kalpetta. The district was formed on 1
November 1980 as the 12th district in Kerala
by carving out areas
from Kozhikode and Kannur districts.
 Wildlife
National park Area (km2) Year started
Eravikulam National Park 97 1978
Periyar National Park 350 1982
Silent Valley National Park 237. 52 1984
Anamudi Shola National Park 7.5 2003
Mathikettan Shola National Park 12.817 2003
Pambadum Shola National Park 1.318 2003

Biosphere Reserve Area(km2) Year started

Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve 1455.4 1986
Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve 1701 2002
Wildlife sanctuary Area (km2) Year
started
Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary 777 1950
Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary 128 1958
Peechi-Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary 125 1958
Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary 344.44 1973
Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary 285 1973
Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary 70 1976
Thattekad Bird Sanctuary 25 1983
Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary 53 1983
Chimmony Wildlife sanctuary 85 1984
Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary 90.44 1984
Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary 171 1984
Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary 55 1984
Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary 0.0274 2004
Kurinjimala Sanctuary 32 2006
 Periyar national park
Safari Timings:
Boat Cruise in jungle for half n Hour:
7:25 AM, 9:15 AM, 11:15 AM, 1:30 AM, 4:00 AM
Jeep Safari:
Night safari: 11.00 PM to 03.00 AM
Full Day Safari: Max 03.00 PM Last entry
Elephant Safari :
Every day for Half an Hour: 06.00 A.M. to 05.00 P.M.
Best Time to Visit Periyar
October to June.
How to get there
By Air : Kochi (Cochin) at 200-kms or Madurai in Tamil Nadu
at 140-kms is the nearest airports from Periyar.
By Rail : Kottayam at 114-kms is the nearest railhead from
Periyar.
By Road : Kumily, the nearest town from Periyar is well served
by both state and private buses from Kottayam, Ernakulam
and Madurai in Tamil Nadu.
 Pilgrimage

Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple

This great temple for Vishnu is situated in
Trivandrum. It was established by the ruling
family of erstwhile Travancore. His Royal
Highness Marthanda Varma dedicated the
kingdom to the Lord and ruled as His obedient
Daasa.(servant)

Vadakkunathan Temple
This temple stands in a 9 acre area
surrounded by a fortified wall with towered
entrances on four sides. It stands on a hillock
and the city flows around it. There are 3
shrines one to Rama, one to Shiva and the
other to Shankaranarayana.
Sabarimala Sastha Temple
Sastha, born as the result of merging of the
power of Shiva and Vishnu is worshiped here.
This is where the young prince meditated after
killing the demoness Mahishi and never
returned to his palace. The temple is
dedicated to Him.
 Coastal
• Marari Beach is in Alleppey district
and is located on the way to
Alleppey from Kochi .This is a sleepy
little fishing village, is an idyllic
location for a vacation with coconut
trees lining the white sandy shore in
the beach. This is an ideal location to
visit Alleppey or Kochi and you can
opt for a Day Cruise in Alleppey
backwaters of a Cochin holidays tour
by staying at this beach.

Alleppey is famous for its backwaters,

houseboats, fishing and coir industry.
Howeever Alleppey beach in which there
is a 137 years old pier, which extends into
the sea is a popular tourist spot in Kerala .
Alleppey beach has a lighthouse and the
entertainment facilities at the Vijaya
Beach Park is also popular.
Vizhinjam is one of the most famous fishing
harbors in Kerala where you can watch
fishermen venturing into the distant sea at
dawn. Kovalam is located a distance of 3
kilometers from Vizhinjam and Vizhinjam is
rustic and earthy unlike Kovalam that is
touristy.

Kovalam is the most popular beach in Kerala

due to shallow waters and low tidal waves and
shot into limelight in the early seventies with
arrivals of the masses of hippies. That started
the transformation of a casual fishing village of
Kerala into one of the most important tourist
destinations in all India- the Kovalam beach
Bekal is located 16kms south of Kasaragod
town on the National Highway and is famoir
for its largest and best preserved forts in
Kerala. Bekal Beach is a lovely beach with the
palm fringed surroundings and a great view of
the Bekal Fort. The beach is really long and
clean but again not safe for swimming.

Beypore is famous for a small port through

which trading was done to the Middle East and
a beautiful beach with a kilometer bridge to
sea where you can just walk to end and come
back and the sunset from the Beypore sea
bridge is a wonderful memory.
Shankumugham Beach is around eight kms
from Thiruvanathapuram, and is famous
for matsya kanyaka – the mermaid statue and
a restaurant shaped like a starfish. This beach
is a favourite haunt of sunset watchers. The
beach is adjacent to the thiruvananthapuram
airport and veli tourist village. An indoor
recreation club and the beach the major
attractions here.

When the neighboring Kovalam beach got

taken over by bulldozers and chain resorts, the
surfers drifted over to Varkala. The long stretch
of sand is flanked by rocky cliffs which is lined
by an assortment of shacks (local cafes) serving
plates of beer and fish cuisine in non-air
conditioned huts.
 Medical Tourism

Kerala is already marketed as a health destination mainly for its Ayurveda packages.
Medical tourism is marketed along with ayurveda and other health packages.
Major hospitals like KIMS, Trivandrum, Lake Shore and AIMS in Kochi, and MIMS, Calicut
have pioneered joining hands with the Government promoting Medical Tourism. Kerala
has a number of Ayurveda treatment centres which offer various packages.
Kerala possesses an unbroken tradition of Ayurveda that has surpassed the many
invasions and intrusions both foreign and native. For hundreds of years the Ayurveda
Vaidyas (traditional practitioners of Ayurveda) were almost the only access for people
seeking healing from every kind of disease in Kerala. The legendary eight families of
Vaidyas (Ashta vaidyas) and their successors treated the entire state for centuries. Unlike
the other Indian states the status of Ayurveda in Kerala is not alternative but
mainstream. In fact, today, Kerala is the only State in India which practices this system of
medicine with absolute dedication.
 Festivals

Vishu
•Time of Celebration: This festival is celebrated
in month of April
•Major Attractions: Malayali begin this day by
looking to “Kani-Kanal” which is prepared
previous night and offered to garlanded deity
of Krishna. The festival’s major attractions are
the firecrackers, payasam and Vishu kanji.

Most Famous Boat Races in Kerala: Nehru Trophy

Boat Race in Alleppey, Champakulam Moolam Boat
Race at Alappuzha, Vallam Kali at Punnamada Lake
and PayippadJalotsavam at PayippadLake located at
a distance of 35 km from the district Alappuzha
Time of Celebration: Usually the boat festival is
held in between July to September
Major Attraction: Unique feature of the boat
festival is that it is celebrated for many reasons. It is
either associated with temples or with Onam or at
times held without any reason.
ONAM
•Time of Celebration of Onam: This festival is
celebrated between the month ofAugust and
September and is also known as harvest
festival of Kerala.
•Major Attractions of Onam: Tiger Play, Flower
Rangoli, Thumbi Thullal and Onasadya are the
major attractions to enjoy while enjoying this
10-day colorful festival.

THRISSUR POORAM FESTIVAL

•Time of Celebration: This festival is celebrated
in April
•Major Attractions: The major attraction of
this festival is enthralling sights of more than
fifty clad of elephants passing through the
streets of Thrissur at the sound of beating
drums.
THEYYAM FESTIVAL
•Time of Celebration: This festival is usually
celebrated from December to April.
•Major Attractions: The major attraction of
this festival is the mythological stories being
enacted through the “dance of gods”
performance.

ATTUKAL PONGALA FESTIVAL

•Time of Celebration: This festival is celebrated
during the month of February/ March.
•Major Attractions: Best Place to celebrate
Attukal Pongala is Trivandrum. This is a festival
of 10 days, where people worship Goddess
Attukal Devi.
KERALA IS HOME TO A NUMBER
OF DANCE AND ART FORMS.

SEVERAL DANCE FORMS

WHICH ORIGINATED IN
KERALA ARE
TODAY POPULAR
WORLDWIDE
ESPECIALLY THE KATHAKALI
DANCE FORM.
 Various Types of Dances

Oppana
Kathakali

Bharatnatyam

Mohiniyattam kolkali
God’s own Country gave us
many people to get
inspired…
P T usha

India’s “GOLDEN GIRL”

John Abraham
Benny Dayal
 Any
Questions