Last year one of my friend told me about a small town of Kulathupuzha,when he went to kollam Kerala. Last weekend we took two days leaves to go to this beautiful place. In kerala there is lots of places of attraction but this was not so much crowded like other so we decide to go here .The driving distance between Bangalore and Kulathupuzha is 627 km, while the aerial distance from Bangalore to Kulathupuzha is 458 km. It would take 15 hours to reach there by road in car. As my car headlight broken on Friday night, so I don’t know how to go there, than I got car and bike rental service in Bangalore by skyout. I called them and book car for four days.Saturday early morning we start our tour.
Kulathupuzha is a beautiful village located in the Kollam district. The splendid green forests that cover the village win the hearts of all its visitors.
Follow Raja Ram Mohan Roy Rd and Langford Rd to Electronic City Flyover/Hosur Rd in Bommanahalli.Follow NH 48, NH 44 and NH744 to Thiruvananthapuram - Thenmala Rd in Thenmala.It will take 14 hours in driving to reach there and we cover 630 km.We exclude halt in middle for lunch and snacks etc.
Major attractions:
1. Kulathupuzha Shasta Temple:
The Sastha temple in Kulathupuzha is a renowned pilgrimage centre f Hindus. Local folklore says that it as Raja of Pandalam who first built the temple at Kulathupuzha. After several years, a Brahmin from the nearby town Kottarakkara found out its idol and began to worship it as per the customs. The news soon reached the King of Kottarakkara who ordered for building the present temple.
The temple, one of the four main centres of Ayyappa worship in Kollam district, worships Ayyappa as Bala Shastha or as a child. The temple is a fine example of the unique style of ancient Kerala architecture. Its entrance built in the traditional style is especially striking.
The Shasta temple is situated along the banks of beautiful Kallada river. The temple has a peculiar custom. It is considered auspicious to feed the fishes of the river. The way Mahseer fishes(tor khudree) move in crowds and eat the thrown food items at them is a delight to watch. These fishes are really massive in size. Some of the food items that devotees throw into the river include peanuts and puffed rice.
The grand annual festival of the temple conducted during the Vishu day is watched by thousands of devotees. The elegant processions accompanying the festival is a sight worth watching.
2. Kulathupuzha reserve forests
Kulathupuzha forest is a part of southern reserve forests of Kerala. The area under the forests is about 1000 Km2. The forests of the region can be classified as moist deciduous, semi-evergreen and tropical wet categories. There are regions in the forests that have been cleared and used for growing plantations of teak, acacia and eucalyptus. Kulathupuzha forest provide wood for many industries of Kerala. Do make it a point to include Rock wood estate in your tourist plans too. It is popularly known in the colloquial language as ‘Rakoodu’ estate.
3. High tech dairy farm
Another must-see place in Kulathupuzha is its high tech dairy farm. Did you know that this is the first of its kind in the entire country? Launched by KLDB, the farm contains most modern technological machinery to perform all the activities related to dairy farm which include feeding, shed management and even milking.
4. Kattilapara
How can a village shrouded in thick woods and adorned by beautiful water resources not have facilities for adventure related activities? Head onto Kattilapara and enjoy trekking, wild life viewing and other adventure activities that are facilitated by Thenmala Tourism development society.
5. Bharatheepuram oil palm plantations
The oil palm plantations at Bharatheepuram are situated very near to the temple. The farm is about 38 years old and is considered to be a vital agriculture asset of the state.
How to reach:
By rail: the nearest railway station is located within the 10 km radius and is at Thenmala. Also Kollam railway station is at a distance of 64 km.
By air: Book your tickets to Trivandrum International airport which is more than 70 km away.
By road: Kulathupuzha is easily accessible by road. You will have to travel through Palode if starting from Trivandrum.
