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

Sabarimala Jewish Synagogue

Pathanamthitta Guruvayur Temple

Churches In Kerala

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

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.