7 Genuine Reasons to Include Marayoor in Your Kerala Travel Itinerary

 

The beautiful hill station of Munnar is quite popular among tourists holidaying in the diverse state of Kerala. Nonetheless, only very few of them had ventured beyond the state border. Actually, the place and the unique experiences that you could acquire from them will turn out to be even more exciting. One of those splendid valleys situated in this charming route is Marayoor, which is known for its GI tagged products, including the jaggery. The reason pointed here could further enhance your decision of including them in your Kerala travel itinerary. Explained below are the reasons to include Marayoor in your Kerala travel itinerary.

To savour that farm-fresh and GI tagged Jaggeries

This particular place is often known or remembered under the name of this GI tagged product, the Marayoor Sharkara (jaggery). They are a standout from other jaggeries (a sweetened product extensively used in Kerala) for the fact that the former is still prepared in primitive methods. Furthermore, they are known to be one of the sweetest sugars in the world. So, when you visit, do not miss to taste Marayoor Sharkara and take them back home. Quite surprisingly, not any forms of energy-consuming machinery are used for making it. Fresh juices of sugarcane that are grown in the fertile soils of Marayoor and Kanthalloor are the raw material used for its preparation. And once these hot liquids of sugar juices are condensed, they are rolled over into small balls. These jaggeries are used for the preparation of desserts (kheer or prasad) offered from famous temples.

That mesmerizing Thooovanam waterfalls

You will only be required to travel for around 4 km of distance to arrive at these beautiful Thoovanam waterfalls. Once crossing the Alapatty check post, you get to spot the pristine waters of the cascading falls flowing across the jungle paths and irregular large rocks. All of them play a great role in making their splendid tourist destination. As they are situated in the region close to the Chinnar wildlife sanctuary, the plant and animal species inhabiting these forests are quite rich. You could spot many of them during your trek to Thoovanam waterfalls. Due to the heavy gushing of these waters through the stones, at times, it may seem as if milk is flowing instead of water. So even before witness the spectacular sight of the cascading falls, you could pay heed to that soothing sound.

Visiting the world's largest sandalwood forest

The popular sandalwood forest is in synonym to Marayoor. They are spread over to an area of 95 acres of land. In fact, the sandalwood forest that you find here in Marayoor is the world's largest. During some seasons of the year, the leaves of these trees become so thick that, not even the rays of sunlight will be seen to be touching the ground. If you are wishing to take a tour of the forest, you may do so, once hiring a jeep and opting for an off-road drive. Even otherwise, you will be taken through the country roads of Marayoor for this thrilling ride. Apart from sandalwood, you could also spot some rare species of plants and trees that are endemic to this region. Because of this very reason, they had been deemed as a protected space by the Forest Department of Kerala. It is also owned by the department.

You could drop into Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary

Spreading over an area of 90 sq. km of land, the Chinnar wildlife sanctuary is one of those most beautiful locations surrounded by Marayoor. So this World Heritage Site deserves to be included in your Kerala tour packages. The pristine rivers, namely Chinnar and Pambar, flowing across them further enhance their natural beauty to a great extent. This UNESCO recognition is given to this protected space owing to the sumptuous species of flora and fauna that they possess. That long list would comprise of Asian Elephants, Panther, Gaur, Bonnet Macaque, spotted dear, Garra Mallya, Nilgiri Thar, Sambar Deer, crocodile, butterflies, common languor and many more.

Thought-provoking Muniyara or dolmens

Rather than the fact that every tourist who arrives at the spot would climb above them out of great curiosity, nobody has got any ideas on why it was built. Nevertheless, from the facts known about them, it has been found out that these dolmens could belong to the Stone Age. These massive structures are known as 'Muniyara' in the regional language. Set up in the shape of a cuboid, with one of its sides being in the ground, it has got a top portion. Owing to its huge size, it is still unknown, how such a large stone was placed over the others. Such stone structures can be spotted in various spots of Marayoor village.

Easy access to natural oils and other related products

Having said that, the sandalwood forest that you find in Marayoor is the largest of its kind, you could guess the availability of the natural oils produced from them. In fact, the sandalwood procured from the place is of very high quality. So on your visit, you must purchase these natural products such the soap, face creams, fragrant oils, perfumes, hair oils and other precious handicrafts as souvenirs that could be taken back home. Many of these natural products are exported to different countries. Furthermore, the high-quality sandalwood of Marayoor does a GI tag certification. So you could predict the quality of them.

Awe-struck at Kovilakadavu viewpoint

To reach this worthy viewpoint, you will be required to climb up some hectic hill by pushing aside various tall shrubs and other grasses. But the stunning sight that you discern from each of the points was better than the other. From Marayoor village, Kovilakadavu is situated at a distance of 6 km in Kanthallor panchayat. Through a birds eye's view, all the nearby locations can be viewed from this picturesque spot. On the stone structures that you spot at different points of the trail, you could spot some ancient writings inscribed on them. So on analysing them one could conclude that the viewpoint does have some historical significance.