Varkala
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Varkala വർക്കല Varkkala |
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| Town | |
Traffic circle in Varkala
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 Varkala
 Varkala
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| Coordinates: 8°43′59″N 76°43′01″E / 8.733°N 76.717°ECoordinates: 8°43′59″N 76°43′01″E / 8.733°N 76.717°E | |
| Country | India |
| State | Kerala |
| District | Thiruvananthapuram |
| Talukas | Varkala Taluk |
| Area | |
| • Total | 15.42 km2 (5.95 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 190 m (620 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 40,048 |
| • Density | 2,600/km2 (6,700/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Malayalam, English |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| PIN | 695141 |
| Telephone code | 0470 |
| Vehicle registration | KL-16 |
| Nearest cities | Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Varkala (Lok Sabha constituency) |
| Website | www |
Varkala is a coastal town and municipality in Thiruvananthapuram district situated in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the suburban town of Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum city). It is located 50 kilometres (approx. 32 miles) north-west of Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) and 37 km south-west of Kollam.
Varkala is the only place in southern Kerala where cliffs are found adjacent to the Arabian Sea. These Cenozoic sedimentary formation cliffs are a unique geological feature on the otherwise flat Kerala coast, and is known among geologists as Varkala Formation and a geological monument as declared by the Geological Survey of India. There are numerous water spouts and spas on the sides of these cliffs. In 2015, Ministry of Mines, Government of India and Geological Survey of India (GSI) have declared Varkala Cliff as a geo-heritage site.
Varkala is also famous for the 2,000-year-old Janardana Swami Temple which is an important Vaishnavaite shrine in India and is often referred to as Dakshin Kashi (Benares of the South). The temple is located close to the Papanasam beach, which is considered to have holy waters which wash away sins, and is also an important Ayurveda treatment centre. The temple has an ancient bell removed from a shipwreck, donated by the captain of the Dutch vessel which sank near Varkala without causing any casualties.
Another major landmark in Varkala is the Sivagiri Mutt, established by the social reformer Sree Narayana Guru. The hill-top mausoleum of Sree Narayana Guru is one of the most famous monuments in Kerala.
It is believed that a Pandyan King was instructed by Lord Brahma to build a temple at this very place to redeem him of his sins. But several other myths abound on the birth of Varkala. Another legend goes like this - when a group of pilgrims approached Sage Narada and told him that they had sinned, Narada threw his valkalam (a loin cloth made from the bark of a tree) and it landed at this scenic village and hence, the place came to be known as Varkala. Narada told the pilgrims to pray for their redemption at Papanasam, which literally means redemption from sins.
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Wikipedia