Excursions

The town is known for its numerous places of worship and their colourful festivals. Durga Temple the Pooram at Chenakkathur the Nercha festival commemorating the Aulia.

This village is the native place of the late Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, the doyen of Carnatic music.

About 19 km from Palakkad town, north Kerala. Attractions: Endless green paddy fields, an ancient Vishnu temple and the Kollengode Palace. The Kollengode Palace, the Vishnu Temple and the Poet P.Kunhiraman Nair Memorial are worth visiting.

15 K.M - It is a 3 hour trek from the base on the Dhoni Hills to this reserve forest area with its small, beautiful waterfall.

Pothundi reservoir located 26 km from Nelliyampathy has enchanting views. This is a popular picnic spot and many tourists engage in boating activities here. Pothundi is known for having one of the oldest dams. Built in the 1800’s, the construction of this dam did not include the use of cement, concrete or iron. Instead boulders mixed with jaggery and lime was used in its construction. The dam is quite small but in very good conditions and still functions as a main source of irrigation for the nearby farms.

Koothampully village located on the banks of Bharathappuzha, on the border between the districts of Thrissur and Palakkad, is well known for its handloom, woven weavers’ community of this village. The off-white Kerala saris and dhotis with borders woven in colour or gold or both are well known. These weavers are originally from Mysore, brought here by the erstwhile Maharaja of Travancore in the 16th century, to cater to his personal wardrobe.

Pakshipathalam, is a bird watching centre located 7 km east of Thirunelli or Vishnu temple in the Brahma Giri Hills. The place is accessible only by trekking up 17 km to the hill station, 1740m above the sea level. The trek path goes through a dense forest before reaching rock caves that lie at the northern top end of the hills. These caves are home to many birds and wild beasts. There is a watch tower located nearby that can be used to spot the birds.

Located in the hilly eastern part of Wayanad district, 35 km from Lakkidi, Sultan Bathery is a base to explore areas of Muthanga and Eddakal. The place was named after Tipu Sultan who cleared a 14th Century Jain Temple of its idols to store ammunition dump here.

50km from Kottayam, Aranmula is the site of the splendid Onam festival boat races, usually in early September. These races unlike the more sporting Nehru Trophy race at Alappuzha in August are essentially religious, based on a temple festival. Caparisoned elephants with beaded umbrellas, processions of decorated floats, and highly ornate boats make this a lovely event to witness. Aranmula is also the centre of bell metal mirror crafts.

This place is located 11 km from the Kottayam town at a height of 150 feet, on a hillock. The importance of the place can be gauged from the fact that it is linked inextricably with the Blessed Father Kuriakose Elias Chavara. It also has many first to its credit - it is the seat of very first seminary of the Malabar Church, first Catholic Sanskrit School in Kerala, first printing press in Kerala started by Rev Benjamin Bailey, first Catholic English School and lastly the first daily newspaper in Malayalam.