Jatayu Nature Park
Jatayu Earth’s Center ( Jatayu Nature Park) in Kollam is a new addition to Kerala's tourism map. This site has the world's largest bird sculpture : Jatayu, the mythical bird of Ramayana.
Kollam
This is the largest bird sculpture in the world. Jatayu the mythical bird of Ramayana
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his rock themed nature park is about 38 km (24 mils) away from Kollam at Chadayamangalam on the MC Road. Mythology Chadayamangalam, the place where the Jatayu Nature Park is located , got its name from Jatayu, a mythical bird Jatayu ( Chadaya from Jatayu ; Mangalam means Bless ). In Ramayana - the Hindu Epic - Ravana (king of Lanka) abducted Sita (wife of Lord Rama) while Rama and Sita where in the exile life. While Ravana was on his flight to Lanka with Sita, Jatayu tried to rescue Sita. A fierce fight ensues. Ravana finely chopped off the left wing of Jatayu with his indestructible sword called Chandrahasa ( the sword gifted to him by Lord Shiva). The duo of Rama and his brother Lakshmana, while searching for missing Sita, came across the fatally injured and dying Jatayu. Jatayu tells to whole sequence to Rama. Asked him to head south. It's believed that the injured Jatayu fell on the rock here , hence the name Chadayamangalam ( metamorphosed from Jatayu-mangalam). On the rock you can see a recess , believed to be the beak mark of Jatayu. Also another recess believed to be the Footprint of Rama.
Nearby Attractions
Combine Jatayu Nature Park visit with other attractions in this area. Here is a short list of major attractions in nearby Jatayu Nature Park. Palaruvi Waterfalls ( 55km from Jatayu Nature Park ) Thenmala Ecotourism ( 40km from Jatayu Nature Park )
Kottukal Rock-cut Cave Temple (9km Jatayu Nature Park )
Varkala Beach ( 27km) Aryankavu Ayyappa Temple (54km)
Kulathupuzha Sastha Temple ( 32km) are other major pilgrimage destinations around this area.
[#road] Jatayu Nature Park is at a short distance from the main state highway MC Road. Any bus traveling on the MC Road can drop you at Jatayu Junction. From Thiruvananthapuram or Kottayam side, get on to a bus traveling on the MC road via Chadayamangalam. From Kollam, get on a bus to Chadayamangalam. If direct buses are hard to come by, get on a bus to Ayoor. From Ayoor junction you can take a bus to Chadayamangalam ( every 5 minutes). If you are driving on the NH66 ( old NH47), take the diversion at Parippally. It's s 16km detour from the NH to Chadayamangalam.
Kollam Jn (38km) and Varkala (27km) are nearby railway stations.
Kollam
Jatayu
This is the largest bird sculpture in the world. Jatayu the mythical bird of Ramayana