Velankanni SKANDHA TRAVELS , also known as Vailankanni or "Velanganni", is a panchayat town in Nagapattinam district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a small town located on the shores of the Bay of Bengal 350 km south of Chennai (Madras) and 12 km south of Nagapattinam on the Coromandel Coast, in Tamil Nadu, India.
Once a port that traded with Rome and Greece, the tiny commercial center gradually lost its importance to the larger Nagapattinam. The canal built to link that city with Vedaranyam still lies to the west of Vailankanni. The Vellayar, a minor branch of the Cauvery River, runs on the south of the village and flows into the sea.
The site of an important Roman Catholic shrine dedicated to Our lady of Good Health, Vailankanni was one of the worst hit areas in the tsunami that followed the December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.
Tourist Attractions in Velankanni.
Make your Tour to Velankanni memorable by visiting these famous tourist places near Velankanni –
1)Velankanni Church
In Velankanni, the shrine here is dedicated to Our Lady of Health, the Madonna of Velankanni, and is well-known as Sacred Arogya Matha Church. Fully consecrated to Virgin Mary and the Heavenly Mother, this church has an extended Basilica. There is also a shrine of Our Lady of Sorrow, where the sorrowing Mother is portrayed carrying Infant Jesus in her arms. 2)Church Museum
In Velankanni, Situated opposite the Basilica, this museum has diverse exhibits, with biblical incidents depicted on both sidewalls. Also, the precious offerings made by the devotees are displayed as well.
Places around Velankanni
Explore the land of Velankanni, visiting the places around it, while on a Tour to Velankanni –
3) Nagapattinam
In Velankanni,One of the popular harbors of India, Nagapattinam on the Coromandel Coast is home to the Shri Kayahorana Swami Neelayathatchi Amman Temple, Sowriraja Perumal Temple, and Nellukkadai Mariamman Temple. Other places worth a visit here are the mini museum, the lofty lighthouse and the sprawling golden beach. 4) Sri Rangam Temple
In Velankanni, The first Vaishnava temple in South India, this temple, located in Trichy, is the premier amongst the 108 Vaishnava divyadesas.
Fairs & Festivals
5) Arokkaiyamatha festival
In Velankanni,Commencing on 29th of August, this 10-day grand festival commemorating the Feast of Our Lady is celebrated at the Velankanni Church. Pilgrims from different parts of India and even abroad throng to the site, bathe religiously in the sea, and tonsuring their heads walk on their knees or roll up to the shrine as rituals.
Thus by visiting the Velankanni, the above places can be seen thorugh SKANDHA TRAVELS
SKANDHA TRAVELS takes you to the Edappally is a fast-growing suburb of Kochi/Cochin City in Kerala state, southern India. Edappally was the seating place of the Edapally Rajas, the ruler of this place. Edapally Palace also has the famous Edapally Ganapathy Temple. The town is famous for St. George's Church which is quite old and is a pilgrimage centre. Perandoor Temple, Thrickovil Sree Krishna Temple, Puthukkalavattam Mahadeva Temple, Punnakkal Bhagavathy Temple, Ponekkara Bhagavathy Temple are important places of worship. Elamakkara Lourdh Matha church is the other noticed worship place, which has a history over 100 years. Edappally mosque (more than 1000 years old) and many other old buildings are preserved in Edappally.
It is the home town of the famous Malayalam poets Changampuzha Krishna Pillai and Edappally SKANDHA TRAVELS Raghavan Pillai. One of the famous Malayalam poet Mr. Balachandran Chullikkad and his wife Vijayalakshmi, herself a great poetess, are staying here. The first meeting of Samastha Kerala Sahithya Parishath (the organisation of Malayalam writers) was organised here by the then Edappally Raja (Krishna Raja), with the support of different Malayalam writers such as K.P. Karunakara Menon, Changampuzha Krishna Pillai, etc.
Two national highways NH 47 and NH 17 join the bypass jn at Edappally. At Edappally, The National Highway NH-17 begins and continues up to Panvel, Maharashtra, in India. Edapally is also connected by rail, and there is a railway station at Edappally.
One of the best hospitals in Kerala named Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences is situated in Edappally. Edappally was a Panchayath before getting included in Cochin Corporation. This is a place which comes partly under Thripunithura legislative constituency and partly under Ernakulam constituency. The Cochin bypass connects Edappaly with Aroor which is an industrial town near the city of Cochin. Bypass Junction in Edappally is the north end of the Cochin bypass which extends up to Aroor. This entire root is evolving into a major business hub with big-time stores and five-star hotels. Outlets of Mercedes, Hyundai, Maruty, etc. are situated on the road. The world-famous museum of Kerala History and sculpture is also located in Edappally (outside the city limits). Thrikkakkara temple is only 2 kilometers away from Edappally Toll junction.
Changampuzha Smaraka Library and Edappally North Friends' Library are situated in Edappally. Edappally SKANDHA TRAVELS North Friends' Library celebrated Golden Jubilee in 2007 January. Education and Career Guidance Reference Library started as part of its golden jubilee celebration. Special mention has to be made about two places of worship. The Mahaganapathy Temple is one of the most important Ganapathy temples in the state visited by devotees from all over the state. The temple is referred to in the Aithihya Mala of Kottarathil sankunni. Visiting time in the morning is between 5.00 and 7.30 AM. The members of Edappally royal family worship after these hours, since it is their family temple. During the evening time also the temple is kept opened. Ganpathy Homam and Unniyappam are the important offerings. Unniyappam is booked months in advance. Breaking coconut before beginning a project will see that it is completed successfully. The other important place of worship is the St. George Ferone Church of Edappally. The St. George the dragon slayer is the presiding saint. It is under the control of the Syrian Catholic Dioces of Ernakulam. Praying at the shrine on the way on any journey is considered a necessity even by people of other faiths. The offering is simply candles and coins into the bhandaram. A new colossal church is nearing completion. Edappally is now famous for Changampuzha Samskarika Kendram, which organizes various cultural and academic programmes, which include Kathakali, dramas, music, children's programmes, Akshara slokas, various cultural meetings, discussions, etc. A Senior Citizens' Forum is well functioning attached to this Kendram. All these functions are organized at Changampuzha Park, wherein the Office of the Kendram exists.
Another famous institution at Edappally is 'Changampuzha Smaraka Grandhasala', a library established in 1950 as a memorial to the famous Malayalam poet Changampuzha Krishna Pillai, who is the famous son of Edappally (Changampuzha's tomb is situated here, which attracts several lovers of Malayalam language). This library is an outstanding one with a collection of about thirty thousand titles and a reference section (approved as the Kanayannur Taluk Reference Library). This has an Art wing offering training in various types of dance items, music (vocal and instrumental), painting and drawing, etc. About six hundred students undergo training in these. Beside that there is also the M N F Gallery of Paintings and Sculptures.
Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre is situated very near to Edappally.