MONUMENT VISIT

 As a part of our B.Ed course we got the opportunity to visit 'Aashan smarakam, Sivagiri mutt, Anjuthengu fort, Veli and Kovalam' on 19/03/2021.

Aashan Smarakam:

Located at Thonnakkal, a small village in the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram, Asan Smarakam is built in commemoration of the eminent Malayalam poet, Kumaran Asan.  The memorial holds a collection of the manuscripts of some of Asan’s poems and his awards. Along with the monument, the home in which Asan was born is also protected here. The memorial hosts many cultural events.

Sivagiri mutt:

Sivagiri is a pilgrimage centre in Varkala where the tomb or samadhi of Sree Narayana Guru is situated. The town is also the place where Guru build the Sarada Temple dedicated to Sarada Devi the goddess of knowledge . His tomb attracts thousands of devotees every year during the Sivagiri Pilgrimage days(Sivagiri Theerthadanam), from 30 December to 1 January.The Sivagiri Mutt, built in 1904, is situated at the top of the Sivagiri hill in Varkala. This is also the headquarters of the Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham, an organisation of his disciples and saints, established by the Guru to propagate his concept of "One Caste, One Religion, One God".

Anjuthengu fort:

The fort was the East India Company's first permanent post on the Malabar Coast. In November 1693, John Brabourne was sent by the British East India Company (EIC) to Attingal, where he obtained from Rani Ashure a grant of a site for a fort on the sandy spit of Anchuthengu (then known as Anjengo), together with the monopoly of the pepper trade of Attingal. The EIC commenced construction in January 1696.The fort was completed in 1699, and a flourishing trade in pepper and cotton cloth speedily grew up. The fort served as the first signaling station for ships arriving from Britain.The fort is 256 ft (78.0 m) square, with four bastions, each of which mounted eight 18-pounder guns. The walls between the bastions had seven or eight guns. In addition, there was a battery of some twenty 18&24-pounder guns facing the sea. The fort had a garrison of 400 Europeans and 70-80 topasses. Originally Anjengo was second in importance to the EIC only to Bombay Castle.

Veli:

The Veli Tourist Village which lies where the Veli Lake meets the Arabian Sea provides for unique boating and picnicking opportunities. Visitors can hire pedal boats or paddleboats as per their convenience. One can also roam the gardens and have a nice picnic or choose to employ the boats for the entire duration of the trip. The view and feel of the place is extremely unique, considering it is merely 12 kms from the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram. Children are known to have a lot of fun climbing the sculptures here and the speedboat ride across the waters. A separate Children’s Park and Floating Cafe run by Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) are added incentives to visit this unique village. India's first solar-powered miniature train was launched in Kerala's Veli.

Kovalam:

Kovalam is a small coastal town in the southern Indian state of Kerala, south of Thiruvananthapuram. At the southern end of Lighthouse Beach is a striped lighthouse with a viewing platform. Palm-backed beaches also include Hawa Beach and Samudra Beach. Heading south, Vizhinjam Juma Masjid mosque overlooks the busy fishing harbor. Inland, Sagarika Marine Research Aquarium displays technology used in pearl production.