Varkala Beach which is also called ‘Papanasam Beach’ is a serene, sandy and a crescent-shaped beach surrounded by coconut palm trees and high red rocky cliffs of about 1500 meters and as such it is an Ideal Beach to spend your leisure hours with. There are principally two Cliffs, North and South Cliffs. They are very steep and rugged and are made up of red, brown stones.
Location
Located about 50 km from Thiruvanthapuram, the Capital City of the State of Kerala, India, it has got various attractions. However its Main Tourist Attraction is Varkala or Papanasam Beach.
Papanasam Beach means the Beach that destroys sins or the Beach that liberates you from sins. The Beach has Two Parts, the Religious and the Tourist Parts. Religious Part is used for religious purposes like holy dips, performance of last rites of relatives, etc and the Tourist Part is used for Tourist purposes, sight-seeing, etc.
Religious and Tourist Parts of Papanasam Beach
Varkala Beach is also called Papanasam Beach as Hindus believe that dips in its holy waters purify their bodies of impurities as also cleanse their souls afflicted with sins. They also use this Beach to immerse the ashes of their relatives and kin to get salvation for them.
Tourist Part of the Beach is a few minutes walk towards north along the coastline. The Road near Janardhana Swamy Temple and the Road that leads you to Helipad are the Main Access Points to this Part.
Small Beaches
Besides Main or Papanasam Beach there are several Small Beaches further north of Varkala with black volcanic sand. They are more serene and isolated than Papanasam and so they provide more privacies.
Mineral Springs
They are located near the Main Beach. They are believed to have medicinal properties to cure a whole host of ailments Accordingly a large number of people throng to these Springs to drink waters of Springs and to take baths in them to get cured of their diseases.
Sunsets
Its Sunsets are spectacular.
Monsoon magic
During monsoon it is enchanting to watch the high tidal waves kissing and embracing the cliffs and the rocky banks.
Adventure Activities
Sunbathing, water sports of wind-surfing, scuba diving, para-sailing, beach volleyball, swimming, etc.
Shopping
Frequently held Beach Markets provide excellent opportunities for shopping.
Additionally Beach Coast is lined up with Souvenir Shops, Restaurants, etc. Vendors sell a wide variety of decorative items, conch shells, beads, etc.
How to reach
By Air
The Nearest Airport Trivandrum, 50 km
By Train
The Nearest Railway Station is Sivagiri of Varkala itself which is located at a distance of approximately 5 km from Varkala Beach. Other Nearest Railway Stations are Kollam and Trivandrum which are situated about 37 and 50 km away from the Beach respectively.
By Road
Varkala is connected to all the Major Towns of Kerala
Copyright © 2017 by Davis Akkara
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