Major Tourist Places in Kerala

• Kumarakom

  Kumarakom is a village on Vembanad Lake in the backwaters of Kerala, southern India. It???s laced with canals, where houseboats ply the waters. Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary is home to many species including cuckoos and Siberian storks. Nearby, the Bay Island Driftwood Museum displays wooden sculptures. In the lake, Pathiramanal Island is a haven for rare migratory birds. Ancient Thazhathangady Mosque is east of Kumarakom.

  Lake

• Alleppey

  Alappuzha (or Alleppey) is a city on the Laccadive Sea in the southern Indian state of Kerala. It's best known for houseboat cruises along the rustic Kerala backwaters, a network of tranquil canals and lagoons. Alappuzha Beach is the site of the 19th-century Alappuzha Lighthouse. The city's Mullakkal Temple features a traditional design. Punnamada Lake's snake boat races are a well-known annual event.

  Beach

• Wayanad

  Wayanad is a rural district in Kerala state, southwest India. In the east, the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is a lush, forested region with areas of high altitude, home to animals including Asiatic elephants, tigers, leopards and egrets. In the Ambukuthi Hills to the south, Edakkal Caves contain ancient petroglyphs, some dating back to the Neolithic age.

  Wild

• Kovalam

  Kovalam is a small coastal town in the southern Indian state of Kerala, south of Thiruvananthapuram. At the southern end of Lighthouse Beach is a striped lighthouse with a viewing platform. Palm-backed beaches also include Hawa Beach and Samudra Beach. Heading south, Vizhinjam Juma Masjid mosque overlooks the busy fishing harbor. Inland, Sagarika Marine Research Aquarium displays technology used in pearl production.

  Beach

• Munnar

  Munnar is a town in the Western Ghats mountain range in India???s Kerala state. A hill station and former resort for the British Raj elite, it's surrounded by rolling hills dotted with tea plantations established in the late 19th century. Eravikulam National Park, a habitat for the endangered mountain goat Nilgiri tahr, is home to the Lakkam Waterfalls, hiking trails and 2,695m-tall Anamudi Peak.

  Hill

• Varkala

  Varkala is a town in the south Indian state of Kerala. It???s on the Arabian Sea and known for Varkala Beach, backed by palm-covered red cliffs. Just south, Papanasam Beach is believed to have holy waters. On a nearby hill, the ancient Janardanaswamy Temple is a Hindu pilgrimage site dedicated to Vishnu. Farther inland, the Sivagiri Mutt monument memorializes the social reformer Sree Narayana Guru, who is buried

  Beach

• Cochin

  Kochi (also known as Cochin) is a city in southwest India's coastal Kerala state. It has been a port since 1341, when a flood carved out its harbor and opened it to Arab, Chinese and European merchants. Sites reflecting those influences include Fort Kochi, a settlement with tiled colonial bungalows and diverse houses of worship. Cantilevered Chinese fishing nets, typical of Kochi, have been in use for centuries.

  Capital

• Padmanabhaswamy temple, Thiruvananthapuram

  Dedicated to Lord Vishnu in Thiruvananthapuram, the Padmanabhaswamy temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams or holy abodes of Lord Vishnu. The temple though has references in Epics and Puranas has its origin lost in antiquity. The majestic and impressive idol of Sree Padmanabhaswamy is seen reclined on the five hooded serpent Anantha in a conscious cosmic slumber. The granite stone pillars with rich and elaborate carvings that adorn the temple corridor stand as a testimony to the architectural brilliance of the Vishwakarma sthapathis. Recent revelations about the temple’s assets have solidified the status of Padmanabhaswamy temple as the wealthiest temple in India, surpassing Tirumala Venkateshwara Temple.

  Temple

• Sabarimala Temple, Pathanamthitta

  Located in the Western Ghat mountain ranges of Pathanamthitta district in Kerala, Sabarimala Sri Dharmasastha Temple is open to all faiths. The temple is believed to be the place where Hindu God Ayyappan meditated after killing the demon Mahishi. Surrounded by dense forests and mountains, the temple is the largest annual pilgrimage in the world with 45-50 million devotees visiting annually. It is open for worship only during the days of Mandalpooja (from November 15 to December 26 approximately), Makaravilakku (January 14-Makar Sankranti), Vishu (April 14) and the first six days of each Malayalam month.

  Temple