Varkala

Varkala is one of the beautiful beach which lies in the western coast of India. The beach is regarded as second only to Kovalam in the Trivandrum beaches.Varkala is one of the Keralas most quite and pictureque beaches with less chaos, crowds and hawkers. Varkala is also fringed by backwaters.



Varkala is a seaside resort and spa. It is also an important Hindu centre of pilgrimage.The final resting place of the great social reformer, Sree Narayana Guru, is near Varkala, atop a hill called Sivagiri. High cliffs with mineral springs rise majestically from the coastline. According to a myth, sage Narada was approached by a group of mendicants who confessed to having sinned.

Narada threw his valkkalam (cloth made of the bark of a tree) into the air, and the place where it landed was subsequently named Varkala. The mendicants were directed by Narada to offer their prayers in the newly created place by the seashore. The place where they prayed for redemption, came to be known as the Papanasham Beach (Papanasham means redemption from sins). The 2000year old Sree Janardhana Swamy Temple and the Nature Care Centre are the two main attractions here.