Anandapally
Anandapally is a small village and is situated at a distance of around 10 km from Adoor. An annual festival named Anandappally Maramady is one of the prominent festivals celebrated after the harvesting period. It is a bull race event that starts at noon and continues up to dusk, in the barren waterlogged paddy fields. The oxen and the participants are specially trained for this event.
Parthasarathy Temple
Parthasarathy Temple, one of the ancient temples of the destinations, is situated on the western side of MC Road. The temple is dedicated to Lord Parthasarathy, an incarnation of Lord Krishna, and is one of the oldest Krishna temples in Kerala. Lord Parthasarathy is known as the charioteer of Arjuna during the Kurukshetra war. The ancient shrine is frequently visited during the annual celebrations of Adoor Gajamela, a traditional elephant festival.
The premises of the temple serve as a venue for the Gajamela, which commences on the concluding day of a 10 day annual festival. Celebrated during the first week of February, the main highlight of this festival is the nine costumed elephants. These nine elephants with parasols, take part in a procession that is carried towards the Chennapatti Temple. The temple also celebrates the Ashtami Rohini festival, the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna with great joy and enthusiasm.
Sree Dharma Sastha Temple
(60 km from Hotel Wyte Portico) is a Hindu pilgrimage center located in the Western Ghat mountain ranges of Pathanamthitta District in Kerala. It is the largest annual pilgrimage in India with an estimated 45–50 million devotees visiting every year. Sabarimala is believed to be the place where the Hindu God Ayyappanmeditated after killing the powerful demoness, Mahishi. Ayyappan’s temple is situated here amidst 18 hills. The temple is situated on a hilltop at an altitude of 468m (1535ft) above mean sea level, and is surrounded by mountains and dense forests. Temples exist in each of the hills surrounding Sabarimala. While functional and intact temples exist at many places in the surrounding areas like Nilackal, Kalaketi, and Karimala, remnants of old temples survive to this day on remaining hills.
Pandalam Palace
Pandalam palace is the permanent home for the royal family of Pandalam. It is situated on the banks of river Achankovil. Although most of the original buildings have vanished by flood and fires, a few still remain which could be witnessed in the area among the newly constructed buildings. There are two palace complexes at present. The first one is Valiyakoikkal Temple and the other the Kaipuzha Temple. The Valiya koikkal temple is situated on the left bank of Achenkoil river and the Kaipuzha temple is situated about one kilometer away from the first on the right bank. It is believed that the Pandalam Kingdom was established around 903 AD by the Pandalam royal family who are the descendents of the Pandya kings of Madurai. The royal family of Pandalam belongs to the ‘bhargava gothra’. Territories of the kingdom extended to over 1,000 square miles (2,600 km2) consisting of mountain ranges and forests.
Pandalam Mahadeva Temple
Pandalam Mahadeva Temple is situated on the bank of the river Achenkovil and is counted amongst the 108 Shiva temples built by Sanayasin Khara, a famous Muni. Situated in the Pandalam town in the Pathanamthitta District of Kerala, the temple is known for its natural procession route around the sanctum.
The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and the water of the River Achenkovil touches the feet of the temple, representing the Ganga, which flows from Shiva’s Jata. Idols of Lord Ganesha, Maya-Ekshi Amma, Lord Ayyappa, Nagaraja, Lord Subramanian, Brahma Rakshas and Rakshas are the other idols in the temple.
Aranmula
( 24 km from Hotel Wyte Portico) is about 128 km from Trivandrum, capital city of Kerala, the south western state in India. It is situated on the banks of the river Pampa. Traditions, cultural variations, traditional village life, sceneries are unique for Aranmula. It is a suburb of Kozhencherry in Pathanamthitta District. It is the venue of the annual snake boat race on the Pampa river. Aranmula is also famous for its metal mirrors, known as Aranmula kannadi. The palace at aranmula (Aranmula kottaram) has a history of 200 years.
St. George Orthodox Church
St. George Orthodox Church is located in the Chandanapally village at a distance of around 13 km from the destination. Considered to be one of the biggest churches in South India, the church was constructed in 1810 and is named after St. George, the patron saint of England. The church has gone through many renovations; however the present structure was constructed in 2000 by using Indo-Saracenic sculptures.
The architecture of the church is inspired by the Christian, the Muslim and the Hindu sculptures. The church has Gothic style towers and a roof in the Persian style. The current structure of the church is an exact replica of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The Kalkurish representing the carvings of saints and angels is the main attraction of the building. This site is visited by travellers as well as devotees during the month of May, when the region celebrates a holy festival named Chembuduppu.
Sreenarayanapuram Mahavishnu Temple
Sreenarayanapuram Mahavishnu Temple is a religious spot in Adoor which has great spiritual significance. This temple is located 5 km from the town of Adoor in a small yet scenic village named Manankala. Sreenarayanapuram Mahavishnu Temple is an ancient shrine, the presiding deity of which is Lord Vishnu. The temple attracts devotees from all over Kerala during its festival season. The most celebrated festival of the temple is the Dasavatarachartu festival. This festival lasts for 10 days and is held annually. During the festival a different avatar of Lord Vishnu from Dasavatara is worshiped on every day. Sreenarayanapuram Mahavishnu Temple gathers huge attention from devotees for it is one of the few temples in Kerala that observes the Dasavatarachartu festival. The temple enjoys a calm and serene ambience and a visit to this temple can be spiritually rejuvenating.
Maramon
(28 km from Hotel Wyte portico ) is a small town on the Pampa River, opposite to Kozhencherry town in the state of Kerala, India. It is 12 km from the Pathanamthitta district headquarters, the town of Pathanamthitta. Maramon is famous because of the Maramon Convention, the largest Christian gathering in Asia. Maramon is said to be the birth place of Marthoma Sabha.
The town Maramon is generally recognized as center of Christian culture and influence in India. Maramon is also famous as the birth place of ‘Palakkunnathu’Abraham Malpan (Malpan means teacher), leader of the reformation in the Syrian Church of Malabar in the 19th century. The Mar Thoma Sabha is headed by Most Rev Philipose Mar Chrisostem Marthoma Metropolitan and Most Rev Joseph Marthoma Metropolitan.
St. Mary’s Orthodox Syrian Cathedral
St. Mary’s Orthodox Syrian Cathedral, located at a distance of 15 km from Adoor town, is an ancient place of worship. Situated in the village of Thumpamon, the church is more widely known as Thumpamon Valiyapally. It is believed that this church was the worship center of a group (known as Nazarene Christians) who settled in the region many centuries ago. Though this is the popular belief, there is no written evidence to prove this fact.
According to history, the church was built in 717 AD.A story goes that after returning from Jerusalem, Parumala Kochu Thirumeni gave this church the title of ‘The Little Jerusalem Church’. St. Mary’s Orthodox Syrian Cathedral is the headquarters of Thumpamon Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. This church is one of the oldest churches in Kerala and has contributed to the history and culture of the region.