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Shubhyatra >> Kerala Yatra >> Holy Sites in Kerala

HOLY SITES IN KERALA

Major Religions : Hinduism, Christianity, Islam
Famous Hindu Pilgrimage : Sabarimala, Guruvayoor Temple
Major Churches : Malayatoor Church, St. Mary's Forance Church
Famous Mosques : Malik Dinar Mosque

Holy Sites And Sacred Sites - In Tune With The Times

Jewish Synagogue - Kerala
Jewish Synagogue - Kerala



FACT FILE
Sabarimala Temple : Temple Location - On The Slope of the Western Ghats.
Timings - It is open for worship, only during the days of Mandalapooja, Makaravilakku and Chitra Vishu.
Famous For - Dedicated to Lord Ayyappa.
Route - Kottayam to Pamba (via) Erumeli and from Pamba to Sabarimala (by foot) - total 136KmsKottayam to Pamba (via) Manimala and there to Sabarimala by foot - total 116 kms.
Guruvayoor Temple : Temple Location - Located in the Northwest of Thrissur in Kerala.
Timings - The temple doors open at 3 am in the morning and close at 10 pm at night.
Famous For - Dedicated to Lord Krishna popularly known as Guruvayoorappan.
Distance - Guruvayur is 29 kms from Thrissur and several state owned and private buses regularly ply to this place.
Ettumanoor Temple : Temple Location - 12 Kms North Of Kottayam Town, Kerala.
Timings - October to March is the best time to visit.
Famous For - Collection of Mural Paintings and Sculptures.
Route - The nearest International Airport is Cochin, 76 km. away. Kottayam, at a distance of just 2km., is the nearest Railway Station.
Malayatoor Church : Location - 52 kms from Kochi, Situated Atop the 609 m high Malayatoor Hill.
Timings - First Sunday after Easter is the best time to visit as pilgrims chanting the name of the Apostle ('Ponninkurisumala Muthappa'), climb Kurisumudi, the steep hill to visit the holy shrine.
Famous For - Life-Size Statue of St. Thomas and the Imprint of the Feet of the Apostle on a Rock.
Route - The Cochin International Airport is at a distance of 15 kms from here.The Angamaly Railway Station is at a distance of 17 kms from Malayatoor.
St. Mary's Florance Church at Bharanamganam : Location - One of the Oldest Churches in Kerala, at Bharanamganam.
Timings - 8 am to 6 pm.
Famous For - Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (9th of November) and the Feast of St. Sebastian (20th of January).
St George's Forane Church : Location - Edappally, Built in 595 AD.
Timings - 6 am – 9 pm.
Famous For - Its 10th day St. George's Feast on April 25.
Malik Dinar Mosque : Location – Situated at Thalankara.
Famous For - Muslim pilgrim center. Believed to be one of the ten earliest mosques built in India, subsequent to the advent of Islam in the country. Built by a Muslim preacher Malik Mohammed Dinar, whose tomb lies adjacent to the mosque.
Beemapalli Mosque : Location - Beemapalli in Trivandrum.
Time - Best time to visit is during Chandanakudam Mahotsavam.
Famous For - Beema Beevi, a pious and devoted Muslim Lady.
Thazathangadi Juma Masjid : Location - In Thzathangadi, 4 km from Kottayam.
Timings - 7 am – 6 pm.
Famous For - More than thousand years old, has exquisitely carved wooden gabled roof and traditional bathing area with lovely latticed windows.

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So many Gods, so many people, so many beliefs and so many choices. Welcome to God's own country, Kerala, which, over the pages of history has evolved as an ideal place for pilgrimage tourism. Take up famous pilgrim tours of Kerala to see the architecture, the history, the legends, the festivals, the traditions, the rituals, the coconuts, the elephants, the music...the list goes on. This gives Kerala a mystical charm and an edge over all other states. The repertoire of temples to choose from gives Kerala a fabulous promotional scope in this segment. And why not? It is only here that you will see fishermen humming beautiful symphonies or women singing praises while spinning coir - songs that are impeccably blended with their culture, songs that trace their origin to some bygone religious embroyo. Right from North to South of Kerala, the entire stretch of narrow land is dotted with religious shrines. Some of the destinations where these places of worship are located are ideal holiday getaways in waiting. And because you have the privilege to choose any cradle of faith in this palm fringed land, Kerala has achieved a cult status as a tourist destination in the minds of people across the world. The holys sites in Kerala India is varied.

Pilgrim Sites - Cradle of Faith

For an inbound tourist, India is a land of mysticism - they look forward to see and feel the diverse culture, cheerful people and enigmatic rituals that wreathe the defenition of India. It is like a journey through the waves of time, where you are awestruck by what you see. However, this is still not a well known fact outside Kerala. Leaving aside a few big shrines like Sabarimala, Guruvayoor, Jewish Synagogue, Padmanabhaswamy temples, the others have not attained prominence outside the state. But, since they are still untouched by the hands of modernity, these not-so-popular pilgrimage destinations will entice you at par, if not more, than the so called huge pads of religious communion. The popular pilgrimage tours in Kerala covers all the popular religious destinations in Kerala.

Church in Trivandrum - Kerala
Church in Trivandrum - Kerala

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Enjoy Keral trips to see the holy sites of Kerala. Plan a visit to Sabarimala Temple, the abode of Lord Ayyappa, Kerala's own God. Trek through the 2 ½ km uphill terrain, take a bath in Pampa river, and climb the 18 stairs to reach the temple of Ayyappa. Enjoy the sights of thousands of pilgrims from varied backgrounds, from near and far, all moving in unison to a single destination chanting "Swamiye Saranam". Plan a holiday to Guruvayur, considered as the Dwarka of the South. You can hear many interesting legends blowing with cool whiffs of the evening. Also praised as the Bhoolokavaikunta (heaven on Earth), the Guruvayoor Temple is renowned for its healing powers. One can find devotees making an amazing range of offerings here to the Lord; like 'thulabaranam' where a person is weighed against offerings of bananas, sugar, jaggery or coconuts.

On your pilgrimage tours to Kerala, plan a trip to Mattancherry, to see the oldest signature of Judaism in Kerala, the Jewish Synagogue. Besides fondling a mind-blowing landscape in its surroundings, this Jewish place of worship also displays some fine works of architecture. Throw a gaze at the exquisite hand painted blue Chinese tiles, hanging for more than 200 years but still none of the them resembles one another. It is amazing that whereever you go in Kerala, you will always hear chimes of the church. Christianity in Kerala is believed to be as old as the Christian era itself and this is endorsed by the number of churches dotting the terrain. Visit the Malayattoor Church, located 52 kms from Kochi on Malayattoor Hill, is believed to be one of the ancient catholic shrines built by St. Thomas. The sacred site has footprints and a life-size statue of St. Thomas which is a must see for every tourist.

Make Your Plan, Because There Is Always A Call From God

The Government of Kerala has taken recent measures to promote the various places of worship as a fine channel of pilgrimage tourism in India. There have been some individual efforts too by few tour companies in promoting some temple festivals, which unavoidably are the best times to experinece Malayali culture and religious rituals. Due importance has been given to the traffic to Sabarimala with facilities and infrastructure improving every year to accommodate the ever increasing number of devotees. Even the tourism department runs several buses to link the various sacred sites throughout the state. One can easily club the pilgrimage site along with your vacation trip and can ease off completely from a hectic work schedule. For more informaton related to fairs and festivals at the holy sites in Kerala, tourists can contact the Department of Tourism, located at every famous destinations in God's own country.

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Top 5 Reasons To Visit Holy Sites of Kerala


Devotee at Sabarimala Temple

A Cradle of Secularity
Welcome to the land of secularity, where the cult of brotherhood is the only religion, a state with many pilgrimage destinations. Where people from varied caste, creed and sect stay together, visit together to the stately monuments, and celebrate their festivals together - making Kerala truly God's own country. Take up famous pilgrimage tours of Kerala.


The Abode of Ayyappa
Plan a visit to Sabarimala, the abode of Lord Ayyappa, Kerala's own God. Trek through the 2 ½ km uphill terrain, take a bath in Pampa river, and climb the 18 stairs to reach the temple of Ayyappa. Enjoy the sights en route, all pictursque, unforgettable and moving - thousands from varied backgrounds, from near and far, all moving in unison to a single destination chanting "Swamiye Saranam"


Touch The Imprints of The Saint
Visit the St. Thomas Church at Malayattoor, situated on 2000 ft high Malayattoor Hill, which is believed to be one of the ancient catholic shrines built by St. Thomas. Don't forget to see the footprints and the life-size statue of St. Thomas, nestling in the premises. This is one of the most important holy sites in Kerala India.


The Impact of Islam
Visit to Malik Dinar Mosque during the Urs festival and you can see how Muslims celebrate their hours of merriment. It is said that Islam entered India through Kerala in the 7th century AD soon after the religion was envisaged by Prophet Mohammed (c 570 - 632 AD), in Arabia.


Chant A Prayer At The Old Synagogue
Another important pilgrimage destination in Kerala is the 500-year old synagogue in Kochi, which is bedecked with mid-18th century handpainted Cantonese tiles. Hebrew inscriptions on stone slabs, ancient scripts on copper plates and great scrolls of the Old Testament are preserved here.


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