Excursions

Kundara is linked with Kollam by rail and road, a distance of 18 kms. Large deposit of china clay discovered here, helped in the establishment of the Government Ceramics factory.

Kulathupuzha is situated on the Thiruvannathapuram - Sencottah road and is 10 kms south of Tenmala railway station. It is an important forest range, well known for its elephants. Reed, an essential raw material for paper manufacture at the nearby Punalur Paper mill, is partly supplied from Kulathupuzha valley.

Kottarakkara is the headquarters of Kottarakkara Taluk. It is linked by rail and road,. It was once the capital of Elayadathu Swarupam, a principality ruled by a branch of the Travancore Royal Family. The internationally famous dance drama-Kathakali had its small beginning in this town and it flourished under the patronage of Raja of Kottarakkara.

Karunagappally is situated 27 kms north of Kollam. It is linked with Kollam by rail and road. There is a mini civil station at Karunagappally. Padanayarkulangara, which forms part of the town, was once the military station at Kayamkulam Rajas. An idol of Buddha, recovered from a local tank here, is now preserved in the Krishnapuram palace the headquarters of Kayamkulam Rajas situated north of Oachira. The town has a temple dedicated to Lord Siva, two old mosques and a mar Thomas Church.

Chavara is situated 14 kms north of Kollam on the Kollam-Allappuzha road. Thousands of tonnes of mineral sand are exported from Chavara to various countries.

Situated 13 kms south of Punalur, Anchal is known for its cattle market held twice a month. The Mudi festival of the Bhagavathy temple here, conducted once every 12 years, attract huge gatherings.

Amritapuri located at 110 kms from capital of Kerala is the worldwide headquarters of The Mata Amritanadamayi Ashram. Amritapuri is the realisation of the ancient Indian ideal "the whole world is one family" (vasudhaiva kutumbakam). By bus or train: Kayamkulam (12 km north of Amritapuri) and Karunagappally (10 km south) are the major cities to reach. By air and taxi: The two closest airports are in Thiruvanantahapuram (110 km south of Amritapuri) and in Kochi (140 km north).

Alumkadavu is located 26 Kms from Kollam City and on the banks of Kollam-Alappuzha National Water Way.

Situated about 80 kms from Punalur is an important pilgrim center. The Sastha temple here, situated amidst dense forest. The idol of Sastha is supposed to have been installed several centuries before the Christian Era. The two important festivals of this temple are Mandala Pooja (December-January) and the festival held at 'Revathi'(January-February). The two notable features of the festival are the Therotam (chariot festival) and Pushpabhishekam (offering of flowers).

Jews came to the Kochi area as early as 700 BC because of trade. A tradition says that many Jews even settled in the area at the time of the ancient Jewish king, King Solomon. These “black Jews‿ and then later “white Jews‿ were so plentiful in the area, that the Hindu Raja granted them a site for their own town right next to Kochi. That town became known as "Jew Town". Even though many Jews locked to Israel, or were converted to Christianity, many Jews are still in the area. A Jewish synagogue is found in Jew Town that is definitely worth the time to explore.