Rock Garden, Malampuzha, Kerala

When I visited Rock garden in Chandigarh long back, I was impressed by the breathtaking artwork and installations. I had the same experience when I made a detour to Rock Garden which is located 800 meters south of Malampuzha Dam in Palakkad district, in the Indian state of Kerala.

This garden is situated with a backdrop of the Malampuzha dam and the collection of artwork is conceived and designed by the renowned sculptor Padma Shri Nek Chand Saini, the creator of India's first Rock Garden located in Chandigarh. This is the first-of-its-kind in South India and thousands of visitors travel to Malampuzha to see the master pieces arranged in the Rock garden. 

The site was very peaceful even though it was a weekend that I visited. After crossing the entrance, you can see the central courtyard with arts in the traditional form of Kerala.

The unique feature of this garden is that the artifacts displayed here are made of waste materials such as used plastic bottles and cans, waste pieces of tiles, granites, stones, electricity fuse carriers, power insulators, broken bangles, melamine dishware, etc.

Walking through the dramatic entrances in the garden, you  find a new world after every gate.

Many narrow paths and staircases are made inside the garden . You can marvell the beautiful art work on the walls.

We were really surprised to see such artistic work created from just junk.  Every piece is carved from junk material.  Then I took a closer look on the top of the walls and they are decorated with sculpture of birds.

As I walked from one portion to another, I noticed many sculptures of people and animals.  Lots of human figurines, birds, animals were there with some breathtaking surreal murals on the walls.

I walked along the narrow passages  and found a Bharathanatiyam standing posture and so many other sculptures depicting different dance forms.

At the next rock wall, I found a lady dancing depicted in red color background.

Rocks tells lots of stories. Scenes recreated from Kathakali, Theyyam, Kalaripayattu, Thiruvathirakali,  Dandiya dance and the Mahabali legend are the main attractions. These are the exhibits showcasing the traditional culture and art forms of Kerala. Just go to the world of imagination to see it all come alive.

You can also see the sculpture of group of farmers and building workers created from concrete and tile pieces.

The exit wall of the garden is decorated with bangle pieces. It takes around two hours, but am glad to have visited this rock garden.

Entry time  is restricted from 10 am to 6 pm.

Entry tickets - Rs 10

Still camera - Rs 20

Video camera - Rs 50