Varkala Beach

Posted Date: 16 Mar 2010 Author: Latha Jayaprakash Member Level: Gold (Rs 50)

Varkala Beach is located between Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam on the national highway 47. Varkala Beach lies at about 51 kilometers from Thiruvananthapuram and 37 kilometers from Kollam.

About Varkala Beach

Varkala is a calm and quiet village which has several places of interest for the tourists. The beach is a very beautiful one, one would love to stand there for hours watching the waves hitting the shore. There is an age old, that is about 2000 years old in fact, Vishnu temple and a Sivagiri ashramam / Mutt which lies a little away from the beach.

About Mineral springs and the spas

Varkala Beach is rich in mineral water springs. It is said that a dip in the holy waters at this beach will cleanse the body of all the Papams/ sins / misdeeds of a person, hence it is also called as Papanasam Beach. There are many ayurvedic spas and clinics in the area.

Age Old Janardhanaswamy temple in Varkala

There is a 2000 year old temple with Janardhana swamy as the presiding deity, standing on the cliff is overlooking the beach from a short distance. This lies on the beach road about half way between the varkala town and the beach.There are stairs to climb to the top of the hill but only hinduis are allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.

About Sivagiri Ashram and Sri Narayana Guru

Sivagiri Mutt is situated close to the Varkala Beach. The founder Sri Narayana Guru was a great Hindu reformer and philosopher, Sri Narayana Guru is known and respected for his Vedic knowledge and poetic proficiency He was open to the views of others and followed a non-violent philosophy. His unrelenting resolve to set aright social wrongs got him the respect even though he was born in a lower caste which was looked down by the people. Guru's philosophy was "one caste, one religion and one god" and he propagated the philosophy to all his followers,
Sri Narayana Guru's Samadhi is here at Varkala and the place attracts thousands of devotees every year during the Sivagiri Pilgrimage days - that is Dec 30th - 1st Jan every year