Kerala cliffs, Ayurveda, and the sea below
Varkala's laterite cliffs drop straight into the Arabian Sea, and the clifftop promenade — lined with yoga studios, Ayurveda centres, and seafood shacks — has made it Kerala's most atmospheric beach town. Papanasam Beach at the cliff base is considered holy, fed by a natural freshwater spring, while the 2,000-year-old Janardhana Swami Temple draws pilgrims from across the region. The pace is slow, the sunsets are long, and the whole place hums with a rare mix of backpacker culture and genuine devotion.
Varkala's history is rooted in the Janardhana Swami Temple, one of the few spots in India where Vishnu and Shiva are worshipped together under one roof. The temple's 2,000-year-old inscriptions record donations from rulers of the Chera dynasty, making Varkala one of the oldest continuously inhabited sacred sites in Kerala. The British later established a sanatarium here, drawn by the same clifftop breeze that draws visitors today.