Indian Telescope

                               Anchuthengu  ("Five Coconut Palms"), formerly known as  Anjengo  or  Anjenga , is a coastal town in the Thiruvananthapuram Districtof Kerala.                              The town contains old Portuguese-style churches, a lighthouse, a 100-year-old convent and school, tombs of Dutch and British sailors and soldiers, and the remains of the Anchuthengu Fort. Kaikara village, the birthplace of the famous Malayalam poet Kumaran Asan, is located nearby. Temples in the area are Sree Bala Subrahmanya Swami Kshethram and Parambil Sree Bhadrakali Yogeeshwara Kshethram. Anchuthengu Fort                               The British East India Company (EIC) established  Anchuthengu Fort  or  Anjengo Fort  in 1696 after the Queen of Attingal gave it permission in 1794 to do so. The fort served as the first signalling station for ships arriving from England.                               The fort was the East India Company's first

Munnar              Munnar  is a hill station on the western ghats, a range of mountains situated in the idukki district of the Indian state of kerala. The name Munnar is believed to mean "three rivers",  referring to the town's strategic location at the confluence of the Madhurapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundaly rivers.      Munnar town is in Kannan Devan Hills Village in Devikulam taluk and is the largest panchayath in the Idukki district having an area measuring nearly 557 km².      The nearest major railway stations are at eranakulam and aluva (approximately 140 kilometres (87 mi) by road). The nearest airport is cochin international airport which is 105 kilometres (65 mi) away. Attractions:        This green hill station is surrounded by the country's highest tea gardens. Layers and layers of tea estates, mountain mist, waterfalls and wildlife sanctuaries make Munnar almost surrealistically beautiful. The lofty mountain ranges with misty peaks,

          Neyyar dam  is a gravity dam on the neyyar river in thiruvananthapuram district of kerala, south india, located on the foot of the western ghats about 30 km from thiruvananthapuram  It was established in 1958 and is a popular picnic spot. Lying against the southern low hills of the western ghats, Neyyar Dam has a scenic lake.                   There is a regular Bus Service from the city Thiruvananthapuram and the nearest Railway Station is also Thiruvananthapuram, 32 km from the Neyyar Dam. One can also come via the International Thiruvananthapuram Airport to Neyyar Dam, which is just 38 km away   Tourists can hire a speed boat for Rs 100 to 150 per head to view the surrounding forests.

            KanyaKumari is mainly famous for pilgrimage and tourism. The place is a unique geographical location in india as it is the tip of the peninsula. It is the point of convergence of three seas, The Lakshadweep Sea, Bay of Bengal and The Indian Ocean. It is a holy place for Hindus' as there is the presence of two Shakti Peethas (The holiest shrine of Mother goddess) here, Bhagavathy temple and Shuchindram out of the 51 Shakti Peethas all over South Asia.                    The etymology of the place is from the name of the Bhagavathy temple located here. The place was called Kanyashram of the Baalaambika, the diety of the temple. There are 11 sacred  theertham  in Kanyakumari  and two Shakti Peethas so Kanyakumari is a holy place for Hindus’. The ablution in sea for Pitr Tarpan is done here. This is one of the rare temples in India where Devi (Mother Goddess) is worshipped as a child. The rites and rituals are done in Kerala Namboothiri method, so there will be s

        Thenmala  is a tourist place near Punalur town, Kollam district in Kerala. Thenmala is the first planned eco-tourism destination in India. The Thenmala dam was built across Kallada River. Thenmala is famous for being the shooting location in Malayalam and Tamil movies.                                               Thenmala attracts foreign and domestic tourists with a host of attractions. Boating on the lake, a rope bridge, trekking, mountaineering, biking and a musical fountain. Thenmala is approachable both from Trivandrum and Punalur by road. The waterfall called Palaruvi is a prime attraction nearby. Also nearby is a deer rehabilitation center where visitors can see deer in a forest setting and have a peep into a traditional tree house used by forest dwellers to escape harm from wild animals. Other places near Thenmala are Kulathupuzha, Anchal, Punalur, Kamukumchery and Shenkottah in Tirunelveli district(Tamil Nadu). Themala is 72 km from Thiruvanathapuram an

                              Vagamon  is a hill station located in Kottayam-Idukki border of Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It has a cool climate with the temperature between 10 and 23 °C during a summer midday. It is situated 1,100 meters above sea level. Vagamon also known as the 'Scotland of Asia', was discovered by the British who found the place ideal for tea plantations and they were followed by  Christian missionaries who built their abode of service at Kurisumala in Vagamon.             National Geographic Traveler has listed Vagamon on their directory of the '50 most attractive places to visit in India’. Still untouched by commercialisation, the sleepy town with its scenic valleys, beautiful green meadows, enchanting pine forests, mists, fogs, tea estates, waterfalls with the overall greenery is really striking. The landscape is mostly hilly bald with green meadows.               Vagamon is also home to a large variety of flowers an

                                                                            Thekkady  is the location of the Periyar National Park, which is an important tourist attraction in the Kerala state of India.                   Thekkady  is  Situated in Kerala, close to the Kerala - Tamil Nadu border town - Kumily, it is located about 257 km (160 mi) from Trivandrum, 114 km from Madurai City and Madurai Airport, 185 km from Cochin International Airport and 114 km from Kottayam railway station. The sanctuary is famous for its dense evergreen, semi-evergreen, moist deciduous forests and savanna grass lands. It is home to herds of elephants, sambar, tigers, gaur, lion-tailed Macaques and Nilgiri Langurs.                                The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is spread across 777 km 2  (300 sq mi), of which 360 km 2 (140 sq mi) is thick evergreen forest. The Wild Life Sanctuary was declared a Tiger Reserve in 1978. The splendid artificial lake formed by the Mullaperiyar

                                                                                        Poovar  is a small coastal village in the Trivandrum district of Kerala state, South India. This village is almost at the southern tip of Trivandrum and there is only one last village Pozhiyoor which mark the end of kerala. This village has a beautiful beach which attracts tourists. There are also some good tourist resorts.                 Poovar lies very close to Vizhinjam, a natural harbor. Poovar has an estuary which connects with the sea during high tides. The 56 km Neyyar River passes through Neyyattinkara taluk into the Arabian Sea near Poovar.  Its natural beauty enables it to be a quiet tourist spot.                 Poovar was a trading center of timber, sandalwood, ivory and spices. It is believed that the ships of King Solomon landed here. Poovar has been one of the ancient Muslim settlements along the western coast of India.The Central Mosque here is believed to been b

                                                                     Nelliampathi  is a popular hill station 60 km away from Palakkad in Kerala, a small state in south India. It is surrounded by tea and coffee plantations and has excellent weather conditions. The journey to Nelliampathi itself is an experience. The only route is from Nemmara, from where the first town of Nelliampathi, namely Kaikatty junction, is at a distance of 26 km. At the 9th kilometer is the Pothundi Dam, a small irrigation dam which provides water for the rice fields in the surrounding area. The dam is at the foot of the Nelliampathi hills. From here, the road winds up for the next 17 km, with many hairpin turns on the way. Immediately after Pothundy dam, comes the government forest, where one can see massive teak trees. The road is very narrow and requires a skilled driver behind the wheel. On the way, one can see wild animals like monkey, deer and porcupine. The view of the Pothundy dam from the height is

                                         Kuttanad , the rice bowl of Kerala is all about an agrarian community, striking a chord of harmony with its physical setting. Noted for its farming below sea level (about 4 to 10 feet) the land of Kuttanad possesses a socio-cultural fabric of its own. Four major rivers in Kerala viz. Pampa, Meenachil, Achankovil and Manimala flow into the region.                               Kuttanad can be accessed from places on the National Highway- 47 from  Harippad  to Alappuzha  town in the District of Alappuzha, and from places like  Thiruvalla  and  Changanasserry  on the Main Central (MC) Road going through the District of  Kottayam .                     The most popular route taken to get close and explore  Kuttanad  is the  Alappuzha-Changanasserry  road. This road goes through the heart of  Kuttanad  and gives visitors plenty of options to watch the day-to-day life at  Kuttanad . The best thing for a visitor to  Kuttanad  is that