Vellayani
Encyclopedia
Location
Vellayani can be reached easily from Thiruvananthapuram Central Bus Station at ThampanoorThampanoor
Thampanoor is a major commercial area of the Thiruvananthapuram city in Kerala state, South India. The major railway station of the state, Trivandrum Central, Railway Mail Service , Central Bus Station, the head office of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation and many movie theatres and...
(9 km) and from City Bus Depot at East Fort
East fort
The East Fort is located at the heart of the CBD of Thiruvananthapuram city, the capital city of Kerala- a South Indian state.-History:East Fort got its name from the eastern entrance to the fort built by the Kings of Travancore. The old city was all inside the fort on four sides with the Sri...
. It is well connected by state road transport and private buses. Nearest airport is Thiruvananthapuram International Airport
Thiruvananthapuram International Airport
-Cargo:-Facilities:The newly built Terminal 3 has three additional jetways and parking bays to accommodate 8 aircraft. The terminal is built opposite to the current terminal across the runway and is closer to the city side.The terminal, constructed by the AAI and designed by the UK firm,...
.
Tourism
Vellayani is on the banks of Vellayani LakeVellayani Lake
Vellayani Lake, or Vellayani Kayal as known in local language, is the largest fresh water lake in Thiruvananthapuram district, of Kerala, India.-Location:...
, the only fresh water lake in Thiruvananthapuram district
Thiruvananthapuram district
Thiruvananthapuram District is the southernmost district of the Indian state of Kerala. It came into existence in the year 1957. The headquarters is the city of Thiruvananthapuram which is also the capital city of Kerala....
. It is a very picturesque place. Backwater tourism is catching up in the area. Illegal sand mining, pollution and land reclamation are taking its toll on the lake.
A 700 year old temple, dedicated to Goddess Kali is another attraction at Vellayani. The temple is renowned for celebrating the longest (50 days) non-pilgrimage festival of South India. This festival held once in three years is known as the ‘Kaliyoottu Mahotsavam’ – which literally means ‘the festival of feeding the Devi’.
Trivia
College of Agriculture affiliated to the Kerala Agricultural UniversityKerala Agricultural University
Kerala Agricultural University is the primary and the principal instrumentality of the Kerala state in providing human resources, and skills and technology, required for the sustainable development of its agriculture, defined broadly encompassing all production activities based on land and water,...
is situated here; it is one of the main agricultural colleges of Kerala.