All about Culture - Kerala Kalamandalam

  

Recently I had a chance to visit Kerala Kalamandalam - center of Kerala's performing arts, just 5 kms away from my hometown, Shoranur, Kerala State, India .

I took entry pass and a special pass for photographs. A board about campus details guided me to reach various classes. Kalamandalam and the vast compound are well maintained and attract a lot of foreign and domestic visitors. The campus was filled with powerful sounds from various classes like Kathakali, Mohiniyattom, Bharathanatyam, Kootiyattam, Panchavadyam, Thullal, Kalari etc. etc.  I walked one class room to another, watching classes and took photographs.

One of the most interesting classes I saw was the Kathakali . I was excited to see the Gurukul system of teaching and before then I had only seen these arts performed in auditoriums.

Overall, it was a worth visit to Kerala Kalamandalam.

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Malampuzha Garden, Kerala

Palakkad is blessed with Festivals, Gardens, Hill Stations, Lake, Wild Life, National Park, Heritage, and Waterfalls.  But it has not been given much importance in the tourist map of Kerala and am sure that these diverse locations and culture cannot be seen in any other district of Kerala State.

Malampuzha is situated on the lower hills of the Western Ghats, located in Palakkad district, in the Indian state of Kerala. Malampuzha Dam is the largest reservoir in Kerala,  used for irrigation and is the source of drinking water to Palakkad and surrounding villages.

Driving on Kalpathy - Malampuzha route is a pleasure, and the picturesque route has to cross Kalpathy River Bridge and Kadukkamkunnam Railway Overbridge with the scenic hills of the Western Ghats in the background.

If you are visiting on a Sunday, it will surely be a treat for you. Malampuzha Garden is a beautifully landscaped garden on the front side of the Malampuzha Dam.  Once you take the entry ticket and begin to walk, there is a lot to be seen in the garden .

It is full of lush green lawns with well laid-out flower beds.

There is a fountain sprinkling fresh water.

Krishna Fountain

The Japanese Park

Designed in Japanese style, this park is one of the favorite spot in the Garden.

Hanging Bridge

It is a beautiful hanging bridge made up of rope, across the Malampuzha river. A walk through this bridge is crazy.

Located away from the city, this garden offers some spectacular view of the lake,the dam and the surrounding hills.

Boating

Boating Facility is available in the Garden. Pedal boats, row boats and motor boats are available for a fee.

Yakshi  Statue

The major attraction of the Malampuzha Garden is the concrete statue of Yakshi, a great piece of art by the renowned sculptor of Kerala, Kanayi Kunhiraman. It has been carved out of a single piece of rock.

Rope way 

The only Passenger Ropeway in the entire South India is a major attraction of the Malampuzha Garden. Travellers can go around the entire garden within a 20 minute ride.There are 64 trolleys having  two-seater chairs.

Top of the Dam

There can be some confusion about reaching the top of the Dam. There are steps located at intervals that take you to the top of the dam. You can also view the scenic beauty from the top of the Dam, where you can sit and enjoy the beauty on both sides.

View from the top of the dam is quite breath taking. With a vast reservoir on one side and a well designed garden on the other, the Dam top is the avenue for the best sightseeing experience in Malampuzha.

It began to rain, clouds rolled in quickly with a light drizzle and I admired the beautiful view of rain showering into the dam forming layers of cascading shades.

 There is a canal flowing through the middle of the garden, which has two hanging bridges above it.

From the top of the dam, you will get a mesmerizing panoramic view of the garden, a miniature of the world famous Mughal Garden.

Children's Park& Toy Train

One of the major attraction of  Malampuzha Gardens is a Children's park which has lot of recreational and enjoyment facilities for children. There are plenty of slides, see-saws, merry-go-rounds, swingsets, overhead ladders and a beautiful Metro model of the toy train. Open from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM,  the park is well surrounded by a fence.

Snake Park 

Snake Park is located just outside the main entrance of Malampuzha Garden. Managed by the  Forest Department, the snake park houses both poisonous as well as non-poisonous snakes. You can also see pythons  resting on the tree branches. Some are left free in a large wired cage.

This garden is the perfect getaway for a weekend trip. If you have enough time, you can visit  Rock Garden and an aquarium which are not far away from Malampuzha Garden.

Visiting time is restricted from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM for Weekdays and 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM for Weekends.

Entry Fees:
Rs. 25 per adult and Rs. 10 per child.

Camera:
Rs. 100 for Still Camera and Rs. 1000 for Video Camera

Getting there:-
Nearest railway station: Palakkad, about 9 kms.
Nearest airport: Coimbatore International Airport, about 67 kms.
Nearest towns : Palakkad, about 5 kms.
Bus Station : Palakkad Bus Station, about 5 kms.

Food Options : Only ice cream shops and small kiosks are available at Malampuzha.

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Palakkad Fort, Kerala

The Tipu Sultan Fort , is also known as Palakkad Fort.  It is perfectly situated in the heart of the Palakkad town, Kerala, India. It is one of the most happening place in the center of the city. 

Legend says that the fort was built by Hyder Ali . Once captured by the British way back in 1784 and recaptured from the troops of the Kozhikode Zamorin  in 1790, the fort came to be known by Tipu's name.

The fort is repaired and maintained  by Archaeological Survey of India, Thrissur circle. The moat around the fort still stands live. Spread across 15 acres of land, the fort has strong bastions on all four corners and also in the middle.  A witness to the Mysorean invasion and the British colonialism, the fort still stands alive in every sense of the word.

There is a temple of Lord Hanuman inside the fort .

The fort symbolises different dynasties, communities that existed in Kerala.

carvings on the walls inside the fort. 

And I climbed to the top of the fort to witness the glory.  The beauty and charming lush green exists today. The gardens around the fort are well maintained and the moat around the fort only added to the beauty of the Fort.  Checkout the beauty, so awesome here.

Entrance to the fort is free. Visiting time is restricted from 8 AM to 6 PM.
Surely a tour to Palakkad is incomplete without a visit to the Fort.

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Elephant Sanctuary at Punnathur Kotta, Kerala

Do you know that there’s an Elephant Sanctuary right in Guruvayur , Kerala, India. Punnathurkotta Elephant Sanctuary is located about 3 kms north of Guruvayur temple and is the ancient palace of the Punnathur Rajas.  Maintained by Guruvayur Devaswom, it is the only one of its kind in the world.

Visiting time is restricted from 9.00 AM to 5.00 PM . The entry fees are Rs. 10/- per adult & Rs. 5/- for children.  An extra Rs. 25/- is charged for a camera. Visitors are advised to follow the rules written on the board placed near the entrance. 

This 10 acre compound houses 56 elephants and are ritual offerings made by the devotees of Lord Guruvayurappa. Once known as Punnathurkotta, this palace ground has been renamed as Anakkotta (meaning "Elephant Fort").

Elephants of different nature are seen here. Some of them are silent and gentle but a few of  them have a very tough character. They all have names as well as identities. Some of them are Guruvayur Kesavan , Guruvayur Padmanabhan etc...

There is giant pond, where the elephants are taken for bath, spraying themselves with giant jets of water from their trunks.

The camp also acts as a training school for the elephants.

The elephants feed mainly on palm tree leaves. It was nice to see how the black beauties are taken care of and fed. Each of them are tied by chain and those with tough characters have an extra chain.

Some elephants were seen spraying themselves with loose mud.

  

The compound also has a naalu kettu, a traditional rectangular home with a central courtyard, which belonged to the Punnathur Raja. It  presently houses a training school for Papans (Mahouts). This complex also contains a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and Bhagavathy.

This building has also been a shooting spot for many Malayalam movies.

Here, you get an opportunity to watch more than 50 elephants. You can enjoy watching elephants bathing, tilting their heads and trunks, and making all sorts of activities. This will be definitely a fun filled picnic for you.  

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Vazhani Dam,Kerala

  

Vazhani dam is a small reservoir built across Wadakkanchery river. The dam is located 8 km from Wadakkanchery town , Thrissur district, Kerala State, India.  Vazhani dam and its garden has now become one of the tourist attractions of Thrissur district.

A ride through well maintained road from Wadakkanchery town to the dam premises is really enjoyable. Visiting time is restricted from 09.30am to 06.00pm. Entry Tickets available for Rs.25. One need to pay car parking charge and camera charge. Attractions of this place are hanging bridge, garden, check dam and children park.

There is one more entrance to the dam. One canteen is situated near to the dam entrance.  The beautiful surrounding of this water body is a sight to behold.  The beauty of the place is enhanced by reservoir in one side and lush green garden on the other side.  A walk along the road viewing the dam is really refreshing.

steps to  garden cum play area

The  beautiful garden with a children’s park below the dam attracts lot of people including school children.

I liked this place very much because it was very silent and less crowded. No wonder tourists opt this place for the weekend tours from Thrissur to enjoy the natural environment.

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Road trip to Thrissur - the Cultural Capital of Kerala

A road trip from Kochi to Thrissur through NH47 is an amazing experience. I was travelling to my home town, Shoranur and I liked this 60 kms ride through the four line highway. Road trips are more fun because it's all about the journey rather than getting to the destination, especially a well maintained highway has so many amazing views on each side and many over bridges for free traffic too.

Good road condition and pleasant weather made my ride enjoyable. It took around one and half hours to reach Thrissur from Kochi.

Thrissur known as cultural capital of Kerala has many temples, museums, churches etc. When we think about Thrissur, the first image comes to our mind is the Thrissur Pooram, popularly known as festival of festivals .

Had nothing to do, no specific places to visit, but just roam around and explore the city.  Well, when you have just a few hours at hand, it’s better to explore nearby places. Although there are some great historic and religious sites around the town, I visited Thekkinkadu Maidan and temples nearby.



Spread around 65-acres, Thekkinkadu Maidan houses Vadakkumnathan Temple, Nehru Park etc. The entire city is circled around this maidan and well connected by roads. Thrissur Pooram is hosted here. Some people use this area for relaxing while some others selling local articles. 

Thekkinkadu Maidan

I have a long  association with this city, right from my college days. I used to visit this place to see the annual Thrissur pooram fair. The pathways in Thekkinkadu Maidan are highly nostalgic to me. 

Vadakkumnathan temple is a classic example of the architectural style of Kerala . Recently, It has been awarded 'Award of Excellence' 2015 for the remarkable conservation efforts from UNESCO.

West Nada entrance of Vadakumnathan Temple

Sri Mula Sthana : It is said that linga of Siva remained here for some time.

 There are four Gopuras (Nada) for the temple for which North and South are not opened to public. The public enter either through the east or west gopura (Nada).

East Nada entrance of Vadakumnathan Temple

Near to Vadakumnathan, there are two other temples - Thiruvambadi Krishna Temple and Paramekkavu Devi Temple, which are considered to be sister temples of Vadakumnathan. These two temples are the key competitors and participants to the annual Thrissur Pooram.

Paramekkavu Devi Temple

Thiruvambadi Krishna Temple

After taking blessing from the lords, I walked towards my car bidding adieu to the city, where I vow to come again.

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Matheran in Monsoon

This was my second visit to Matheran Hills.  My first visit to Matheran was in summer last year. But in this monsoon season, I got an opportunity to experience the real beauty of Matheran. 

Situated close to Mumbai, Matheran offers stunning views of the Sahayadri ranges and 38 peaks that offer the best views of the hill station. 

There are multiple ways of getting in. The first option  is to board a toy train from Neral to Matheran. Last time I travelled in toy train. You can also opt for a share-a-cab facility running between Neral and Dasturi point. This time, we took a cab.  And as we went  further uphill most of the way, I craned my neck out of the cab while passing through hairpin curves.  It took only 30 minutes to reach Dasturi point.  Upon reaching we took an entry ticket for Rs. 50/-. Then made our way to entry point of Matheran.   You can also opt for a 30 minute horseback.

There was a light drizzle and we found several old and  abandoned bunglows on the way. And  we were encountered by a group of monkeys on the way.  You will see lots of flowers, reptiles and birds and will make your experience more interesting. Matheran is an ideal place to study bio diversity.  Preserving of nature always plays an important role not only in the life of  people but other species in the nature.

Soon we reached main market.  After tea and snacks, we made our way to various points. Walking to various points through the red soiled path is very rewarding for nature lovers. A two kilometer walk from the main market will take you to Charlotte Lake which supplies drinking water to the residents of Matheran.  The ancient Pisarnath temple is located at one end of the lake and there are also two beautiful picnic spots – Louisa Point and Echo Point.

Charlotte Lake

Those who are interested in adventurous activity can choose valley crossing or just enjoy the view.

Valley crossing over Charlotte Lake

Further up, we halted at echo point. As the name suggests, this point provides echoes to your voice. We quitely sat down at the edge of hill and I found the scene unbelievably beautiful, the stunning view of waterfall  near to us and rolling green hills at a distance.  It was scary to see people taking selfie from the edge of the cliff. Scenes from my last visit flashed through my mind - the same place, our group of 15, had beautiful moments by taking photos.

Depending upon which look out point you are at, you can  see an abundance of mountains.  The beauty gets doubled in monsoon.

The valley comes alive in the monsoon rain. There were lots of people when we reached Lousia point. The area is fenced with iron rail rods. Although it was a slightly cloudy day, I had several “wow” moments. It doesn’t matter how many times I go to Matheren, the views are undeniably stunning.

Situated in the lush green Western Ghats, the elevation of the region is around 80 m above sea level. We could see one tree hill from Lousia point. The highlight of my trip was sitting in a classic rock promontory at Lousia point. A gap allows you through a small path to the top of the rock.  I loved being in that place, breathing in the fresh crisp air and realising just how many mountains I was surrounded by.

Louis Point

Sky high mountains and tranquility will mesmerize you even though it looks scary. To the left side, I could see Echo point at a distance.

I got a beautiful view of Vishalgad and Prabhal forts from Louisa Point.  When you loook down, you can watch the river originating from waterfalls run like a silver line.  Monkeys are seen everywhere.

The beauty of Matheran is that it changes its face every season. During my last visit, when I took the photo of Lion's head, it was coverd by yellow colored grass.

Lion's Head

For few hours we walked around majority of points which includes King George point, Lord point, Malang point, Rambagh point, Alexander point, Echo point, Charlotte lake and Louisa point. We could see peaks in different heights . Overhanging the green meadows and  pinnacles made the whole area beautiful.

As the evening descended upon us, we decided to leave the place. Meanwhile, it started drizzling.

If you are a nature lover, do not miss the opportunity to witness the uniqueness of Matheran especially in monsoon.

My plan and  itinerary :

Reached Neral by local train by 11 am

Shared Taxi from Neral to Matheran Rs.70/
Reached entrance gate of Matheran (Dasturi Naka)  11.30 am
Entry fee to Matheran for Rs.50
Start walking from Dasturi Naka to Main market.
Nature Trail in Matheran about 6 hrs
Return to Dasturi Naka by 5.30 pm
Back to Neral Station by local Transport.

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