Cheruppadi Hills. Malappuram, Kerala.
Sunset in Kodikuthimala, Malapuram, Kerala.
Kodikuthimala
Kodikuthimala is a hill station located in Malappuram district of Kerala.
It is located at an elevation of 522 m above sea level, in the villages of Vettathoor and Thazhekode.
In a survey conducted in the past, the British hoisted the flag on this mountain range, hence the name Kodikuthimala. The top of the hill began to appear on the tourism map of Kerala two decades ago..
Trekking to the top of Kodikuthimala is a challenging task due to the diverse topography of the hill.
Kodikuthimala is located close to Perinthalmanna in Malapuram.
India: An insight from Vivekananda Rock.
At about 11 o’clock the sun began to shine hard. Vavathurai beach is just a short walk from where we stayed. The road is very active. The path does not feel hot as there are tree shades on both sides. Along the way, street sellers sell their wares. Interested to see, we all bought sunglasses for a hundred bucks each. It was just bought but later put to good use. The sun on Vivekananda Rock was so strong. It is a short downfall to Vavathurai beach. For a boat to Vivekananda Rock, we have to go through a building to reach the boating dock and pick up a ticket from the ticket counter at the queue. Ticket price 50. So we arrived at the boat jetty. Good rush. There are many places where life jackets are offered and the sea with strong tides. Good waves are coming. The boat was shaking well and had to struggle a bit to board. Nice rush on the boat.
The boat ride on the water is very interesting. Vivekananda Rock is only 500 meters away from here. In the distance, we can see two rocks rising. One is the Vivekananda Smriti Mandapam and the other is the Sripadam Temple. The Thiruvalluvar statue is about 133 feet high on a small rock nearby. The boat reached the jetty of Vivekananda Rock Memorial in 5 minutes. It’s sufficiently hot in the sun here. It was then that we realized the benefits of buying a cooling glass along the way. We had to queue again to reach the entrance of Vivekananda Smriti Mandapam. We have to go up through a passage that is close to the sea on the side of the rock. From there, we can enjoy the sea views, Vavathure Beach and other seaside visuals, as well as the Bhagwati Amman Temple, Fishing Harbor, Sunrise Point and Our Lady of Ransom Catholic Church. In the distance towards the north, the Agasthya Range, part of the Western Ghats, glowing on Sun. From there it is a feeling that a painter looks at his painting from the sidelines at the end of its construction while thinking about our Indian land. Anyone who gets an insight into our country this is the apt place I think. The queue began to move a little. There are a number of steps to go up. There is a place where shoes are kept. The heat that burns the feet when I take off my shoes from there. The pathways are painted white to survive the heat. Sripadam Temple is located on one side of the Vivekananda Rock, which is about seventy-five feet above sea level and covers an area of about 17,000 square meters. Books are being sold at a discounted rate near the temple. We bought a few books. Then we went up the steps to the Smriti Mandapam. The hall is filled with darkness. The atmosphere of the meditation hall is filled with refuge mantras all the time. It is said that there are six rooms in the meditation hall. We came down the stairs through the passage on the side and reached the back of the Smriti Mandapam. There is a pond near the wall that looks like a deep where many fish are kept. The sea views from here are very attractive. The Indian Ocean stretches endlessly straight ahead. The Arabian Sea on one side and the Bay of Bengal on the other – the confluence of three oceans. Kanyakumari is not only the southernmost tip of India and a Hindu pilgrimage centre but also the confluence of three oceans and a place where sunsets and sunrises can be seen from one location.
Vattakottai Fort, Kanyakumari – India. Evening Fun.
Vattakottai is one of the places that attracted me most to Kanyakumari, because of its charming beauty. The glory of a princely state can still be seen. A lot of tourists visit here now. Occasionally film shooting is done, but it may also include scenes from the former glory days.
It was constructed during the period of the Travancore dynasty in the eighteenth century. The architectural style followed in the eighteenth century and the peculiarities of the land that projected towards the sea in a semicircular shape – both of these things played a multiple role in the construction of the fort in circular shape as the name suggests.
Now it is preserved under the Archaeological Department of India.
The fort is located in Agastheeswaram Taluk, about 7 km northeast of Kanyakumari. We arrived here at the Tempo Traveller that we had already booked. It was about three o’clock. We entered the fort through the main gate. It is spread over an area of three and a half acres. There are some old trees. Their branches have been bent and wrinkled with old age. Small buildings that seemed like a bus waiting shed all around. Close to it a walkway, lawn on the side and a pool in the middle part. There are all kinds of scenarios for a selfie. At the end of that walkway, we can see a few more stairs. Slopes are lined up on both sides of the stairs. It is not known what its purpose is. It looks like a vehicle path, but it can be a very difficult task of walking up through it.
So we reached the top of the fort along those steps. The grassy grounds, like the green carpet, and a thick granite wall constructed around the sides of the ground. Because of being projected to the sea, the sea views on the sides and front are beautiful. The sea beneath this fort is generally calm is called the Gulf of Mannar. The breeze and the dancing waves below the fort, the breathtaking view of the sky, touching the sea at the horizon, and on the other side the view of a castle of the Western Ghats in the distance – an impression of a world in which everything else is.
There were a lot of tourists on the ground. Some of them just watch the sea, some just walk in the wind. Some people just make jokes. Some boys climb up the wall and holding their hands together. There is a very interesting game playing on one side of the ground. Several boys run off one by one jumping on the top of the boys standing in bending down position in the middle of the ground, creating a human wall. After all, the wall collapsed that made an enjoyment for them. From there the game continues again. It seems to be an entertaining event in the evenings. It was going to the Sunset, the shadow began to fade slightly. We’re back from there to watch the live sunset…
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