Find Out What Makes Kumarakom's Hidden Gems So Special
1. Pathiramanal Island
Hidden on Vembanad Lake, Pathiramanal Island is loved by nature lovers. Only accessible by boat, this empty island serves as a home to about 90 different kinds of birds during their winter migration periods making it a bird watcher's paradise. Lazy boat games from Kumarakom to Pathiramanal brings out Kerala's prolific avian life against beautiful backgrounds.
2. Vaikom Mahadeva Temple
Not far away from Kumarakom stands Vaikom Mahadeva Temple, one of the oldest and most highly regarded Shiva shrines in Kollam district. The temple has great historical and mythological importance drawing devotees from all parts of the country and beyond its borders till today. Visitors will find themselves caught up in the Ashtami festival that takes place each year with much excitement and joy thus ushering them into the vibrant culture of Kerala.
3. Aruvikkuzhi Waterfall
Aruvikkuzhi Waterfall is a hidden jewel surrounded by greenery that offers an escape from busy city life just outside Kumarakom city center . This waterfall flows through rubber plantations and dense forests near Kumarakom creating a serene picnic spot for people seeking tranquility. At St Mary's church nearby tourists can enjoy views of waterfalls while they rest on the observation deck.
4. Kumarakom Beach
Although lesser known than other beaches in Kerala, Kumarakom Beach is a quiet stretch of golden sand lined by coconut trees swaying in the breeze. Apart from offering beautiful views of the backwaters and distant Western Ghats, this secluded beach is ideal for a leisurely walk or a picnic in solitude. Alternatively, people can engage in water activities such as kayaking and windsurfing while others simply relax and enjoy the beauty of nature.
5. Kumarakom Craft Museum
To see Kerala's rich artistic tradition, visit Kumarakom Craft Museum. Situated in a small village, it showcases several traditional handicrafts which include intricately carved wooden statues, vibrant handloom garments and delicate ceramics. Local artisans who work there share their experiences with visitors who can buy authentic souvenirs.
6. Kottayam
The historical town of Kottayam is located just a few kilometers away from Kumarakom with its two magnificent Shiva temples- Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple and Thirunakkara Mahadeva Temple. They are architectural wonders showcasing superb wood carvings, mural paintings, gigantic gopurams etc. Traditional music, dance and rituals take place at both temples during annual festivals which attract people who love culture.
Final Thoughts
This hidden treasure trove of a place is to give one an insight into what Kumarakom really stands for in terms of its cultural heritage, natural beauty, and spiritual essence; hence, it's a perfect alternative destination to anyone who loves traveling outside the normal tourist paths.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
4 days ago
- Economic Times
Krishna Janmashtami 2025: Check Delhi's most famous temples for midnight aarti and celebrations
Synopsis Delhi is gearing up for a grand Janmashtami 2025, with temples across the city preparing for elaborate celebrations. ISKCON temples in East of Kailash and Dwarka will host grand aartis and cultural programs, while Birla Mandir in Connaught Place will be adorned with lights and devotional music. iStock As Janmashtami 2025 arrives, Delhi is all set to celebrate the festival with devotion and grandeur. The city comes alive with beautifully decorated temples, devotional songs, cultural programs, and the famous midnight aartis dedicated to Lord Janmashtami at a temple can be truly delightful. Here are some of the most popular Krishna temples in Delhi to visit this year: One of the most popular spots in Delhi for Janmashtami, the ISKCON Temple in East of Kailash is renowned for its grand midnight aarti and cultural programs. Devotees flock here to enjoy colourful bhajans and vivid depictions of Lord Krishna's childhood branch of ISKCON in Dwarka hosts a three-day Janmashtami festival featuring devotional music, dance performances, and bhajan evenings, attracting visitors from across the known as the Laxmi Narayan Temple, Birla Mandir is a visual spectacle during Janmashtami. Adorned with flowers and lights, the temple resonates with devotional music and prayers. The midnight celebrations marking Krishna's birth attract huge crowds. As one of India's largest temple complexes, Chhatarpur Temple offers a grand Janmashtami experience. The sprawling complex hosts elaborate rituals, cultural performances, and beautifully decorated displays depicting Krishna's those seeking a more intimate celebration, Shri Radha Krishna Mandir in Krishna Nagar provides a warm and lively atmosphere. With its charming decorations and devotional ambiance, it's ideal for family for its intricate architecture and tranquil setting, Shri Krishna Mandir in Malviya Nagar draws devotees looking for a spiritually enriching Janmashtami. The temple is decorated with flowers and rangolis, and the evening aarti offers a serene a Shiva temple, Gauri Shankar Temple in Old Delhi also celebrates Krishna Janmashtami with special prayers. The bustling streets of Chandni Chowk add a unique charm to the festive celebrations.
Indian Express
12-08-2025
- Indian Express
From Bihar, an example: A Kanwar Yatra that empowers women, and doesn't threaten
Written by Hugo Ribadeau Dumas Three days ago, when I told acquaintances I had just completed the Kanwar Yatra, I was met with the choicest terms of revulsion: 'disturbing,' 'gross,' 'terrifying.' Recently, in The Indian Express, researcher Saahil Shokeen tried to explain this knee-jerk reaction of the 'sanitised upper-class' when it comes to this specific pilgrimage. He argued that the yatra has become a platform of visibility for the marginalised, provoking 'discomfort in the Savarna imagination,' unable to process 'subaltern bodies asserting and occupying public spaces.' This view requires serious nuance. Indeed, the quest for assertion need not devolve into crushing others — be it women, people of other faiths, or anyone else on the way. Sadly, this is a path many Kanwariyas have taken in recent years, which no doubt explains the outrage I encountered when I mentioned joining the march. I invite both those worried by the recent evolution of the pilgrimage and those who cheer Kanwariyas' impunity to look to Bihar, where I witnessed a Kanwar Yatra of a different kind — liberating and cathartic, yet neither aggressive nor exclusionary. When people say 'Kanwariyas,' they usually mean the pilgrims who carry water from the Ganga in Haridwar to pour it over Shiva lingams across Uttarakhand, UP, Haryana, and Rajasthan. Their thunderous passage through Delhi NCR makes them the most visible to both the media and the elite. But there are, in fact, many distinct versions of the Kanwar Yatra across India. In Bihar, it takes the form of Bol Bam (literally, 'Say Bam,' a chant to Shiva), in which devotees collect sacred Ganga jal from Sultanganj and carry it on foot to the revered Baidyanath temple in Deoghar, Jharkhand. Bol Bam enjoys an immense following across eastern India. This is the yatra I recently completed. Not for research or spirituality, but out of friendship. For 14 years, I have visited the same family in Majhgain, a village on the pilgrimage route. Last year, half-joking, I told Auntie I'd walk with her once I finish my PhD. I never expected her to take me seriously. But, three weeks ago, when she told me she was ready to leave, I felt a rush of tenderness. I would never have gone if not for her. Most Kanwariyas marching from Haridwar are young men. As The Indian Express reported, women's presence is often an 'afterthought'. In other words, far from flipping power dynamics, the yatra tends to grant even more space to those who already dominate public life — men. If you add to that mob spirit, a sense of impunity, and heavy cannabis use, cities become dramatically more menacing to women when pilgrims sweep through. Bihar's Bol Bam offers a very different gender equation. Though men are more numerous, women are everywhere. Old, middle-aged, young; some with male relatives, some without. Along the route, I saw very few spaces monopolised by men. Without an overwhelming male presence, the energy is different. Women, particularly, can lower their guards, like the girls I saw dancing with abandon to devotional beats. At night, under the large tents, there was no need for segregation: Stranger men and women rested side by side. Even men seemed freer, with gestures usually taboo — like spouses holding hands becoming commonplace. Bol Bam is not at all easy for women. Poor sanitation makes the journey daunting, and some groups of men still display macho attitudes. Yet, it illustrates a point long made by feminist scholars: When women are present in numbers, they reshape the space around them. Bol Bam also feels far less anxiogenic than the other Kanwar Yatra for another key reason – it does not carry undertones of aggression and hostility. While hurling communal slogans or blasting music with violent lyrics has become part of the Kanwariya folklore in some parts of the country, I saw none of this in Bihar. Along the march, I did not hear a single note of Hindutva pop, nor did I see a trace of jingoism. Every chant was for Shiva — 'Bol Bam ka nara hai, Baba ek sahara hai' — never against another community. The collective performance of piety was not meant to shock, hurt or provoke. I do not wish to romanticise Bihar as a radical exception. In step with the national trend, the state government last year announced that Sultanganj Railway Station would be renamed after the Hindu shrine Ajgaibinath Dham. Still, the contrast in mood between the two yatras raises questions. Is it the more balanced gender composition? A legacy of Bihar's anti-communal politics? Or simply the fact that Bol Bam is predominantly rural, its route winding through rice fields and forests, away from ill-intended onlookers and rabble-rousers? The Kanwariyas I met have my deepest empathy. Walking over 100 kilometres barefoot is harrowing, yet many readily spend their rare days off in tapasya (self-imposed hardship), hoping to win Shiva's blessings — whether to secure a job, end family discords, or fill any other gap in their lives. I also saw how much self-esteem the yatra confers. Strangers offer sherbet, massage your feet, and rush to serve you. Walking, chanting, and suffering in unison stirs something profound. Returning to ordinary life after that feels like a brutal comedown. But it is difficult to celebrate empowerment if it comes at the cost of others, especially women and other marginalised groups. Precisely, Bihar's Bol Bam shows the Kanwar Yatra can effectively uplift without breeding fear or division. The writer is a Doctor in Geography based in New Delhi. He works on urbanisation, small cities, and the transformation of friendship
Time of India
07-08-2025
- Time of India
India's oldest temple is in Bihar where prayers are being offered since 2000 years
CREDIT: Nestled amid Bihar's Kaimur district, on top of a lone hill covered by jungle, stands the Maa Mundeshwari Devi Temple, claimed to be India's oldest functional temple as per Bihar Government's tourism website. Dating back to 108 CE, the temple has witnessed centuries of invasions, natural deterioration, and dynastic transitions. Yet, no spark of belief ever diminished here. Even when time eroded its form and covered its stones with moss, ceremonies were still conducted. For pilgrims and villagers, it's more than a temple; it's a living, breathing example that never ceased. The Goddess and the four-faced Shiva statue CREDIT: Differing from the majority of temples where a single deity is the focus, Mundeshwari worships both Goddess Durga (Mundeshwari) and Lord Shiva, who is worshipped here in his uncommon Chaturmukha (four-faced) lingam incarnation. This coexistence of Shakti and Shiva worship in one shrine is an icon of harmony and divine feminine and masculine power in perfect equilibrium. The goddess is seated on a lotus, serene yet powerful, whereas Shiva's lingam is oriented in four directions, blessing the world. A shape that goes beyond tradition Step inside the temple, and feel the divine power of the temple. That's because this shrine has an octagonal shape, a shape that is not common in Hindu architecture. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Man Saves Pennies For 45 Years, Then Realizes What They're Worth Undo The majority of temples are based on square or circular designs, conforming to ancient Vastu principles. But of the eight sides here, each is representative of a broader cosmology, perhaps the preserve of tantric practices or trials of early temple design. Constructed in Nagara architecture, the temple boasts meticulously carved pillars, lattice windows, and carvings of river deities, dwarapalas, and star beings-all worn smooth by centuries but expressive to the core. The famous bloodless goat sacrifice One of the most compelling ceremonies at Mundeshwari is its goat sacrifice without bloodshed. That's right, read it again!. Each year, goats are taken to the temple in time for special festivals. But rather than being slaughtered, they are ritually offered to the goddess. The priest recites sacred mantras, makes offerings of rice and flowers, and the goat is lightly touched on the head with a ritual knife. Strangely, many of the goats will reportedly swoon or temporarily lose consciousness, only to recover moments later. Locals believe this is the goddess accepting the offering without bloodshed, a rare form of sacrifice that blends devotion with compassion. Living through time immemorial Despite its age, the Mundeshwari temple has never fallen into complete ruin. Even during British surveys in the 19th century, it was found standing—weathered, yes, but alive with prayer. Although sections of the original shikhara (spire) were lost with time, every effort was made to retain its structure in the form of flat stone roofing. The latest conservation efforts have served to sustain its sacred shape, but actual preservation has always been in the hands of people who never stopped praying here. Villagers for centuries have ascended the 600-foot hill, bearing offerings and prayers, so the goddess is never left alone.
