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Tourist Attractions - Punalur Suspension Bridge
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Meenpidi Para
One of the scenic places located in Kottarakara, Meenpidi Para comes under Kollam Ecotourism project. Why Meenpidi Para is famous, especially among locals is that it is believed that the water flowing through Meenpidi has healing properties. Every year hundreds of tourists throng here to have a herbal bath. This is one of the most beautiful less explored destinations in Kollam district.
The place also offers trekking options.
Meenpidi Para is situated not so far from Kottarakara town and public transportation is available to reach here.
Kottarakkara Sree Mahaganapathi Kshethram
Kottarakara Ganapathy Temple is one of the famous temples in south india with great historical importance. There are many legends about Kottarakara Ganapathy. Actually the main ‘Prathistha'(Idol) is Lord Siva, but Ganapathy is famous here. The exact name of the temple was Kizhakkekara Siva Kshethram. The main deity is none other than Lord Siva himself – Siva facing eastward. In fact Ganapathy is only a minor deity here. But the temple today is famous as a Ganapathy temple rather than a Siva temple.
The legend behind this is that Kizhakkekara temple was the property of two Nampoothiri houses – Akavoor and Oomanpally. Padinjattinkara Siva temple belonged to the royal house of Elayidathu.
The deities of Kottarakkara Sree Mahaganapathy Kshethram are Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati, Lord Ganesha, Lord Murugan, Lord Ayyappan, and Nagaraja. Even though the main deity is Lord Shiva, the main priority is given to his son Lord Ganesha. All deities except Goddess Parvati and Lord Ganesha face east. The main offerings of the temple are Unniyappam Udayasthamanapooja, Mahaganapathi homam and Pushpanjali.
Punalur Suspension Bridge
The Punalur Suspension Bridge, located in Punalur is the oldest motorable Bridge in Kerala, which was built by Travancore Government and is now a historical attraction. The bridge has a length of 400 feet (120 m). The suspension bridge was built to prevent wild animals from crossing into the town from the forest area of old Kattupathanapuram.
The Punalur Suspension Bridge is the first motorable bridge in South India. The suspension bridge crossing the river is the only suspended-deck type in south India. Built in 1877 by Albert Henry across the Kallada River, this huge bridge was suspended by two spans and was used for vehicular movement. Construction took more than six years. It is said that after completion of the bridge people hesitated to walk over the bridge. In order to prove the strength of the bridge the engineer and his family passed under the bridge in a country boat while six elephants were walking over it. Now the bridge is of historical interest and is a major tourist attraction.