Varkala
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Varkala is a coastal town in the state of Kerala [1], India. It is 51 km north of Thiruvananthapuram city.
Varkala is the only place in southern Kerala where one can find cliffs just adjacent to the Arabian sea. These sedimentary and laterite cliffs are a unique geological feature in the otherwise flat Kerala coast, and is known among geologists as Varkala Formation. There are numerous water spouts and spas on the sides of the cliffs.
A famous beach resort, Varkala is also famous for its 2,000 year old Janardanaswamy temple, which is an important Vaishnavaite shrine in India and is referred to as Dakshin Kashi (Benares of the south). The temple is located close to the Papanasam beach is considered to have holy waters which wash away sins, and is also an important Ayurveda treatment centre. The temple has an ancient bell removed from a shipwreck, donated by the captain of the Dutch vessel which sank near Varkala without causing any casualties.
Another major landmark in Varkala is the Sivagiri Mutt, established by the great social reformer Sree Narayana Guru. The hill-top mausoleum of Sree Narayana Guru, also located there, is one of the most famous buildings in Kerala. The adjacent hills house the East-West University of Brahmavidya and Sree Narayana Gurukulam, both organizations belong the late Nataraja Guru, a split-away disciple of Sree Narayana Guru and his famous disciples Muni Narayana Prasad and Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati.
The District Ayurvedic Hospital is also located in Varkala, which is now almost completely been renovated.
Another important feature of Varkala is the now dilapidated Varkala Tunnel, through which passes the TS Canal, which was an all-important waterway during pre-independence times.
The town has excellent telecommunication facilities, round-the-clock power, an average-rated water supply system, firestation, several post offices and police station. The town boasts a government-run hospital in addition to nearly 10 private hospitals and some dental clinics. Several elementary and senior-secondary schools, both government-run and private are also functioning. In addition to an Arts and Science college named after Sree Narayana Guru, there are several private professional institutions offering courses like nursing and teaching. A dental college is under construction.
Almost all consumer goods are available in the town. Varkala has several shopping complexes, and 4 not-so-good moviehouses. Over 10 banks have branches in Varkala, most of them have ATMs too.
Varkala has a railway station, with most trains having halts. The station has computerized railway reservation facility, and it is the second most-important railhead in the district of Thiruvanthapuram, after the Thiruvananthapuram Central Station. Varkala is an important hub for neighbouring places like Attingal, Kadakkavur, Edava, Kallambalam and Kappil.
Vehicles registered with a Varkala address always have the number beginning with KL-16. The direct-dialing code for Varkala is +470. The postal index number (PIN) code for the main post office in Varkala is 695141.
People of Varkala are generally employed in service sector. A very good portion of them are working outside India, mainly in the Middle East region. Varkala also has a very sizeable number of expatriates in the United Kingdom.
[edit] Demographics
- Population (2001): 42,273
- Sex Ratio: (females per 1,000 males): 1,034
- Literacy: 87.78% (85.02% male, 89.1% female)
[edit] Famous personalities
- Varkala Radhakrishnan - Noted lawyer-turned-politician belonging to Communist Party of India (Marxist), and MP. He currently represents Chirayinkil constituency which includes Varkala, in the Indian Parliament, having won the 2004 elections by a huge margin. Formerly, he represented Varkala in the Kerala state Assembly several times and was the Assembly Speaker also.
- Joshi (director) - Noted movie director. Joshi has done 60 films till date, starting from Tiger Salim (1978). Nearly sixty per cent of his films were successful in box office, thus making him among the most bankable directors in Malayalam cinema today.
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