Aranmula is situated on the left banks of the river Pampa. It is about128 km from Trivandrum, 10 kilometers from Chengannur and Pathanamthitta and 14 kms from Pandalam. The nearest railway station is at Chengannur. Aranmula, the picturesque village in Pathanamthitta district has been declared as an international tourism destination by the Union Government. (more…)
The annual Perunnal or feast at the Parumala Church St.Peter’s & St. Pauls Orthodox Church in Thiruvalla is to commemorate the death anniversary of Bishop Mar Gregorios Metropolitan, the declared saint of the Malankara Orthodox Church of Kerala. The bishop is interred in the church. During the Orma Perunnal day or commemorative feast, special prayers are offered and rituals performed. There is also a ceremonial procession through the town, attended by devotees from all over the State. The Parumala Church is at Parumala in Pathanamthitta district and about 11km from Thiruvalla (railway station).
Pathanamthitta is a combination of two words pathanam and thitta, which means an array of houses on the river side. This district was formed on first November 1982 in the interest of hastening process of development. Bordered by Western Ghats, this district offers a visual treat to your eyes with its picturesque landscape. It’s the district with evergreen forests, rivers, hills and plains. This land is adorned with fertile agricultural land, plantations and forests. Pathanamthitta situated in the central travancore region in Kerala. The total area of the district is 2642 sq.kms, of this, 1390.73 sq.kms come under forests. Forests cover more than fifty percent of this district. (more…)
One of the best popular pilgrimage centres for all people in the country, Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple is located in the Western Ghats in Pathanamthitta District, Kerala. The temple is located 72 kms away from Pathanamthitta. The shrine, situated on a hilltop surrounded by dense forests and 18 other hills, stands about 1260m/4135ft above sea level. This famous temple is dedicated to Lord Ayyappa, and is accessible only by foot. According to popular belief the temple is 4800-5000 years old.
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This small attractive hilly town situated 11 km from Pathanamthitta district, is famous for its elephant training centre and elephant rides. An agricultural region, Konni is an important center for cash crops and is surrounded by coffee, ginger, rubber and pepper plantations. It is the entry point to the forest bordering the district. It is also popular for ‘Aanakoodu’ (Elephant Cage), where wild elephants caught from the forests were brought, tamed and trained for work. This lush green land with acres of thick forest is an important tourist spot for those who are interested in trekking, elephant safari, wildlife watching etc. (more…)
Adoor Gajamela
Event date: 16.01.2011
Venue: Parthasarathy Temple, Adoor
The main Kerala Tourism attraction of Adoor, Pathanamthitta is the very famous and old Hindu temple Sree Parthasarathy Temple taking the centre stage in the town. This temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna who was a charioteer to Arjuna during the Kurukshetra war. The premise of this temple is the arena for the Adoor Gaja Mela. Adoor Gajamela has unique elephant pageant that is held as part of 10 day annual festival. The highlight is undoubtedly the majestically costumed nine elephants with towering parasols that take part in a spectacular parade. (more…)
The Kodumon Chilanthi Kshethram, also known as the Palliyara Kavu Devi Kshetram, is in Pathanamthitta district in Kerala and has a history that dates back to about 1,500 years, making it one of the oldest temples in South India. The word ‘Chilanthi’ means spider and curiously, legend goes that the deity of this temple has the power to heal the worst cases of spider poisoning. (more…)
This years Maramon Convention , will be held during Feb 13th -20th, 2011. It is conducted annually since 1895 near Kozhenchery, on the banks of Pamba river. Maramon Convention witnesses World’s biggest Annual Christian Gathering. (more…)
Kollam located on the south west coast of India, shares its boundary on the north by Alappuzha district, north east by the Pathanamthitta district, on the east by Thirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, on the south by Thiruvananthapuram district and on the west by the Arabian Sea. This district has an area 2,492 sq. kms.and ranks seventh in the State. Kollam has a latitude 9° 28′ N to 8° 45′ and longitude 76° 28′ to 77° 17′ N. The Ashtamudi Lake covers more than 30 percentage of the Kollam town. (more…)
Pathanamthitta is a country side town, famous for its large rubber plantations, lumber mills and wood industries. The town was formed when ten Nair families settled near river bank thus it has thriving Hindu culture. The Christian missionaries brought in rubber plantations, which attract large number of Christian immigrants from other parts of Kerala, came and settled here and owned larger rubber estates. Millions of devotees from irrespective of religion and caste visit Travancore Royal temple, Sabarimala, a shrine dedicated to Lord Ayyappa. Sabarimala Pilgrimage is the second largest pilgrimage center in the world after Haj of Saudi History of Pathanamthitta also hosts annual Maramon Convention, the largest Christian convention of Asia. Pathanamthitta thus became a famous pilgrimage center.
In early times, the areas under this district were under the reign of Pandalam, which had connections with the Pandya Kingdom. Important portions of erstwhile Kollam, Alappuzha and Idukki districts were taken into Pathanamthitta. Places like Pathanamthitta, Adoor, Ranni, Konni and Kozhencherry were taken from Kollam district, whereas Thiruvalla and Mallappally taken from Alappuzha district.
The district played a significant role in the freedom struggle. During Mahatma Gandhi’s visit to erstwhile Travancore in 1937, he asked his follower Khadar Das, T.P. Gopala Pillai to spread the message of Khadi and Charka. Thus he founded the ‘Mahatma Khadi Ashram’ at Elanthoor in 1941. He launched a scheme for mobilizing funds for khadi activities known as ‘ek paise fund’ in order to participate the whole people in the Khadi Movement . The contribution of Elanthoor K.Kumar, Thadiyal Raghavan Pillai, Pandalam KP and N.G. Chacko to the National Movement has much significance in the history of freedom struggle.
Pathanamthitta, youngest district, has western ghats on the east, Alappuzha district on the west,Kollam on the south and Kottayam and Idukki districts on the northern border. Pathanamthitta is stuated on the river banks of Achenkovil. Pathanamthitta is located at 9.27° N 76.78° E. It has an average elevation of 19 metres (62 feet) above sea level. The three major rivers in Pathanamthitta are Pampa, Achankovil and Manimala which flood with rainwater during monsoon season. One third of the electricity produced by the State comes from this district. The famous Sabarigiri Hydro Electric Project is at Pamba basin.
The district has three natural divisions – the lowlands, the midlands, the highlands. The highland stretches through the Western Ghats and decends into the midlands in the centre. Down on the western side bordered by Alappuzha are the lowlands with extensive coconut plantations. This district posses tall hill slopes covered with thick forests along the mountains down to the valleys and small hills. Like the rest of Kerala, the Geography and Climate of Pathanamthitta is moderate.
Geography and Climate of Pathanamthitta experiences three distinct weather conditions: Winter, summer, the monsoon. The southwest monsoon is from June to September, the North West monsoon from October to November provides good rain. The temperature is between 20 and 39 degree Celsius. The district receives heaviest rainfall in Kerala as it is located in the laps of western Ghat ranges. The forests in the district can broadly be classified as evergreen, semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forest. The forest is the main source of raw materials for wood based industrial units.
Gavi Eco Tourism project is an inspiring ecotourism project from Kerala Forest Development Corporation ( KFDC). The pristine nature of Gavi has inspired KFDC to create it an exceptional concept in eco-tourism including adventure experiences. Alstair International listed Gavi as the leading eco-tourism centres and one of the must-see places in India. As a result, Gavi is seeing high influx of visitors especially it attracts European tourists.
Gavi is a picturesque village in Pathanamthitta district. It is a part of Periyar Tiger Reserve and take prior approval from Forest department to enter the forest as they are organizing accommodation and trekking programs here. The highlight of Gavi ecotourism project is local community participation. It enhances and supports their livelihood. Gavi has many tribal pockets and settlements . These tribals and their way of life helps to preserve the state of the Gavi surroundings in its original character for the generations to come. The way to Gavi is carpeted with lush greenery of plantations. Gavi is home to exotic flora and fauna. It is the base camp for deep jungle trekkers, bird watchers, and research students.
Things to do in Gavi
If you want to visit somewhere off the beaten track, then Gavi is waiting for you – a preserved virgin forest provide a natural sanctuary for many species of birds and wildlife. An intricate web of well-established and maintained trails. Have your camera ready for the breathtaking natural beauty you will encounter on this once in a lifetime adventure.
Gavi Tour Pictures
Aranmula Boat RaceThe most famous Aranmula Boat Race is conducted on the Uthrittathi day of the Malayalam month Chingom(August – September)in connection with the national festival of Onam. The two-day event is more a water fiesta than a competition connected with Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple. Palliyodams are Aranmula’s unique snake boats which belong to different ‘’karas’’ (rustic parts) on the banks of river Pampa. This boat race is held to commemorate the crossing of the river by Lord Krishna on that day. The deity is supposed to be in all boats that take part in the carnival and all of them are expected to arrive at their destination simultaneously. Thus no element of competition in the Aranmula Boat Race as in other regattas held in the Kerala State. The race is not conducted to win any trophy or prize. (more…)
Padayani – folk art of Pathanamthitta. Pathanamthitta is famous and home land for the folk art Padayani. Padayani or Padeni in colloquial speech, is one of the most colourful and spectacular folk arts associated with the festivals of certain temples in Southern Kerala. Padayani literally means military formations or rows of army. However, in this folk art, a series of divine and semi divine impersonations wearing huge masks or Kolams of different shapes, colours and designs painted on the stalks of arecanut fronds. The most important of the Kolams usually presented in a padayani performance are ‘Bhairavi (Kali), Kolam (God of Death), Yakshi (Fairy), Pakshi (Bird) etc. It is the symbolic victory march of Goddess Kali, after she defeated the Asura chief Darika. The Kolam consists primarily of a huge head gear with many projections and devices with a mask for the face or a chest piece to cover the breast and abdomen of the performer. Drums called thappu and cymbals are used for musical support and the singers recite different poems for each kolam. The members of the Ganaka community traditionally paint the Kolams and Nairs perform the dance usually. The influence of Padayani can be clearly seen in the famous theatrical dance drama of Kerala, viz. Kathakali.
In fact in the Ezhumattur Temple there is a Muslim Kolam called Thangalum Padayum! Any number of persons can participate in a Padayani. It is customary for the performer to take a vrutham (fast) for 7-41 days before the performance. Usually Thullai, Pattu and Koothu are restricted to certain communities, for instance, the Kolamezhuthu is for the Ganaka caste of Kerala.
Sree Vallabha Temple is located in Thiruvalla in Pathanamthitta District of Kerala. It is 2½ km away Thiruvalla town. The Sreevallabha temple in Thiruvalla is one of the important pilgrim centres of Vaishanavites, one among the one hundred and eight vaishnava thirupathis in India. Mesmerizing picturesque view surrounding the temple is discernible as it is contributed by the rivers Pampa, Manimala and Achen Kovil.
The sanctum sanctorum of the main deity is dedicated to Maha Vishnu, which is a six feet tall idol, surrounded by ‘Anakottils’ on all four sides.The temple is remarkable for its exquisite carvings and colourful murals. The temple, had built in typical Kerala style architecture. The large tank near the temple is believed to have formed naturally from a spring.
This is perhaps the only temple in Kerala where Kathakali is performed as ritual offering every day after evening Pooja and this can be sponsored by the devotees. A 50 feet single piece carved out granite pillar stands in front of the temple with the image of Grauda ( vehicle of lord Vishnu )on its top, which is said to be made by Perumthachan , great carpenter of ancient Kerala.
10-day annual festival in Sree Vallabha Temple is conducted every year Feb-March. The ‘Pantheerayiram vazhipadu’ ritual is held in connection with the annual festival . Plantains in large nos of a special variety will be offered to the presiding deity . The annual festival will begin by Kodiyettu ( flag hoisting ) and conclude with Arattu , ritualistic holy dip of deity at the Arattu kadavu in river Manimala.
The temple is under the administration of the Travancore Devaswom Board.
Contact Details of Sree Vallabha Temple Thiruvalla
Thiruvithamkoor Devaswom Board
Sree Vallabha Maha Temple
Sree Vallabhapuram, Thiruvalla
Phone: 0469 2700191
Thiruvalla means the land of Thiruvallabha, is located on the western border of Pathanamthitta District, Kerala . This is the largest and the most developed town in Pathanamthitta district. The city covers a an area of 27.94 km² . The major crops grown here are rice, sugarcane, tapioca, plantains, coconuts, rubber and a variety of vegetables. (more…)
Parumala Church is situated at Mannar on the banks of river Pampa, near Thiruvalla, Pathanamthitta District, Kerala. It is only 10 kms away from Thiruvalla. (more…)
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