Payyoli

Payyoli Beach
The Payyoli Beach is probably the most popular attraction of Payyoli. It runs for about 40 kms like a golden carpet laid next to the sea. The waters of this beach are quite shallow, which make them ideal for swimming and other water activites. The coconut and palm trees sway rhythmically as the gentle wing gushes by. The azure waters crash at the golden shoreline and create soft murmurs of peaceful vibrations. Lounging amidst these peaceful surroundings will fully energise and deeply revitalise your mind and your body from within.

The Payyoli Beach is particularly famous for hosting thousands of the endangered Olive Ridley Turtles in December that comes here to lay eggs. During the hatching season, hundreds of tourists gather around the beach to witness innumerous tiny turtles come out of their shells and crawl towards the sea in perfect harmony! They also visit a nature conservation centre called 'Theeram', which was started by the local fisherman as an initiative to save the Olive Ridley Turtles.

Close to the Payyoli Beach is an estuary of the River Moorad which is better known among the tourists as an ornithologist's paradise. It is home to many local and rare species of birds as well as a host to many migratory birds that fly here from the west to escape the cold.

Velliyamkallu
About an hour-long boat ride from Payyoli, Velliyamkallu is a two-acre rock island that plays a very important role in the history of Kerala. The island is filled with deep caverns and wells, and the rocks are strangely shaped, many gifted with natural engravings. Velliyamkallu has witnessed many battles between the Zamorin’s fleet and the Portuguese. The island’s participation in these battles can be evidenced from the many cannon ball hits that have been imprinted on the rocks.

In 1598, the Marakkars used this island as a vantage point and attacked a Portuguese ship killing every man on the crew. When the Portuguese were finally able to take over the area, they pushed the rebels off the Velliyamkallu rocks, thus popularising this island as Balikkallu or Sacrificial Rock.

Trikkottur Perumalpuram Temple
Resting on the banks of the River Akhalapuzha, the Trikkottur Perumalpuram temple is the most famous temple in Payyoli. Devotees come here to seek blessings of the great Lord Shiva, the temple's presiding deity. Its interiors exhibit conventional Kerala style architecture with a beautifully carved Chuttambalam- an outer periphery built around the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.

The exact date of construction of this temple has not been assertively determined, but archaeologists say that it was built during the reign of the Perumal Kings. Evidence divulge that there were about 24 wells and four tanks around the present temple. The Trikkottur Perumalpuram temple also houses the shrines of Lord Ganesh, Lord Krishna, Lord Dakshinamurthy and Lord Ayyappa.