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Pilgrim Centers

Guruvayoor:

Guruvayoor is one of the most holy and important pilgrim centres of Kerala. Its main magnetism is the Sree Krishna temple. This historic temple is masked in mystery. According to trust, the temple is the creation of Guru, the preceptor of the Gods, and Vayu, the God of winds. The eastern nada is the main entrance to the holy place. In the Chuttambalam is the tall 33.5 m high gold plated Dwajathambam. There is also a 7 m high Dipastambham, whose thirteen circular receptacles provide a truly dazzling spectacle when lit

karimala and Neelimala. Devotees visit Sabarimala after undergoing 41 days of ‘Vritha' i.e., self-imposed devotional penance. They, with irumudikettu (bundle with offerings to Ayyappa) on their head, climb the mountain ranges and cross the forest bare footed repeatedly chanting ‘Saranam Ayyappa' which means we seek refuge in Ayyappa

Vaikom:

This town, situated on the store of the Vembanadu lake, is famous for its Siva temple, which is one of the oldest Siva Temple in the world. During the Sabarimala season pilgrims alight here to devotion the 'Annadanaprabhu (Load Siva)'. Vaikom gained eminence during the Indian freedom struggle, as it was the venue of the famous Satyagraha dramatic in 1925 for the admission of Harijans into this temple. Vaikom is situated about 40kms from Kottayam town. Two Ashtami festivals are held annually, one in Kumbam (Feb -Mar) and the other in Vrichikom of which the later is more famous

Agastyakudam:

Agastyakudam, near Thiruvananthapuram, a well-known peak of the Western Ghats, is a pilgrim centre of the Hindus. This place is also noted for it's rich Ayurvedic herbs..

The Jama-at Mosque:

This is an chief pilgrim centre of the Muslims of Kerala. The four day annual festival at the mosque is celebrated in April. neighboring the mosque is the mausoleum of the Malappuram Shaheeds whose brave exploits have been immortalised in the Mappila ballads.

The Kalady-Adi Sanakarachrya:

10kms away from Alwaye is a famous pilgrim center Kalady, situated on the banks of River Periyar, which is the birthplace of Adi Sankaracharya, the great Indian philosopher of the 8th century. There is a shrine dedicated to him in the name of Dakshimurthy and a temple of goddess Sharada. Also and ancient Shri Krishna Temple is situated close by, which was the family temple of Adi Sankaracharya, known as the International temple dedicated to Shri Ramakrishna. There is also a place situated there called the crocodile ghat, where this great philosopher took his vows of rejection.