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Kerala Tourism – The Lively Town of Adoor

By Manoj

The holy town of Adoor has its own story to speak. It is here that Lord Ayappa was found by the then Pandalam King. It is said that this town is blessed as it is the home of the God.

Even till date the palace where the God grew up stands here and the royal family overlooks his valuables. This is the only princely town which has a King till date.

With the passage of time this town has grown and today is the nerve centre of festivity in Kerala. With the many temples here there is some festivity or the other always happening here.

Tourists coming here are sure about two things which are firstly they would be entertained by the festivity and secondly travelling here means like taking a spiritual sojourn.

Pandalam Palace

Pandalam Palace

The Pandalam Palace lies on the banks of the Achankovil river. The royal family is believed to be descendants of the Pandya Kings of Madurai. What garners attraction to the palace is the legend that Lord Ayyappa was born in this family. The people of Kerala consider this palace as a temple and the family as blessed by divinity. The sacred ornaments of the Lord are kept within the palace, and is only brought out for public view during the Makaravilakku festival. Even today the eldest member of the family is called King by the people of Kerala.

Photo Courtesy: Anoopan

Pandalam Mahadeva Temple

Pandalam Mahadeva Temple

The Pandalam Mahadeva Temple is one of the oldest temples in Kerala. It stands on the banks of the Achankovil river and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The shrine also has idols of Lord Ganesha, Maya-Ekshi Amma, Lord Ayyappa, Nagaraja, Lord Subramanian, Brahma and Rakshas. In olden days the temple belonged to the royal family, today however, everyone can come and pray here. A ten day festival which is flagged of by the king and various other events are held on the temple grounds.

Photo Courtesy: Anoopan

St. George Orthodox Church

St. George Orthodox Church

The St. George Orthodox Church is regarded as one of the biggest churches in South India. The architecture of this church is inspired by Christian, Hindu and Muslim designs. The stand out feature of this church is a stone cross which has the images of saints and angels carved onto it. Tourists coming here are left amazed by the architectural brilliance of the church.

Photo Courtesy: Native Planet

Parthasarathy Temple

Parthasarathy Temple

The Parthasarathy Temple is another old temple in Kerala and is dedicated to Lord Parthasarathy who is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The idols of Lord Ganesh and Lord Shiva are also worshipped here. Visitors throng the temple during the annual festival called Gajamela, wherein nine adorned elephants are brought before the lord, and thereafter a grand procession is held.

Photo Courtesy: Pradeep717

St. Mary's Orthodox Syrian Cathedral

St. Mary's Orthodox Syrian Cathedral

The St. Mary's Orthodox Syrian Cathedral is one of the oldest church in Kerala. It is believed to have been constructed in the year 717 A.D. The small church attracts many tourists as they are curious to know about the history and culture of the region. Visitors can also enjoy the picturesque view of the surroundings here.

Photo Courtesy: Native Planet

Sree Narayanapuram Maha Vishnu Temple

Sree Narayanapuram Maha Vishnu Temple

The Sree Narayanapuram Maha Vishnu Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and stands in a small and secluded village of Manankala. This is one of the few temples in Kerala that celebrates the Dasavatarachartu festival. This festival spanning across ten days, sees a huge crowd of devotees and visitors gather here. The speciality of the festival is that on each single day, one of the avatars of Lord Vishnu is worshipped.

Photo Courtesy: Sandeep Sukumar

Trichende Mangalam Mahadeva Temple

Trichende Mangalam Mahadeva Temple

Well if you still have an appetite for celebrations, the next place to visit in Adoor is the Trichende Mangalam Mahadeva Temple, dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva. Kettukazhcha is the name of the festival and thousands of pilgrims come to participate in it. Visitors will be awed by the huge crowd that collects here to be a part of it. What actually amazes tourists is the sight of a large wooden structure of a chariot and a bull which is pulled by devotees with great zeal.

Photo Courtesy: Sandeep pranavam

How to Reach Adoor

How to Reach Adoor

By Air: The airport nearest to Adoor is the Kochi International Airport, which is located at a distance of 140 km. Kochi Airport has good connectivity to and from all major cities in India such as Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi and Hyderabad.

By Train: The nearest railway station to Adoor is the Chengannur Railway Station, located about 25 km away. Ernakulam is a major railhead, around 125 km away, and there are regular trains running to all parts of the country.

By Road: Adoor enjoys good connectivity by road. Buses are available to the town from major cities like Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi. Kayamkulam, Punaloor, Pathanamthitta, Kottarakkara, Guruvayoor, Chavara, Kollam, and Karunagapally are also connected to Adoor by road. There are luxury bus services available from Bangalore to Adoor.

Photo Courtesy: Dhruvaraj S

Read more about: kerala
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