Lonely Planet Ranks Varkala Beach Among World’s Best

COCHIN, (IANS)- In an endorsement of Kerala’s lively beach tourism, the stunning seaside getaway of Papanasham Beach in Thiruvananthapuram has been featured among the 100 best beaches in the world by Lonely Planet.

A favorite tourist destination due to its silvery stretches of sand and the serene ambience, Papanasham Beach, also known as Varkala Beach and about 40 km from the state capital on the Arabian Sea, has been featured in Lonely Planet’s “Best Beaches: 100 of the World’s Most Incredible Beaches” guide book.

Fringed by coconut palms, blessed with an unending stretch of blue waters, and endowed with an idyllic serenity, the beach has earned the reputation of a traveler’s paradise and rejuvenation point dotted with spas with therapeutic effect gushing out from the surrounding laterite cliff.

Besides being a tourist hotspot, Papanasham Beach is also a revered pilgrim site. The belief is that a ritualistic dip in the waters here washes away all the sins (papa) and hence, its name.

The ashes collected from the cremation grounds are immersed at the sea here, in the belief that it will wash away the sins of the deceased and the soul will achieve moksha (eternal salvation).

Another highlight of the beach is that it is the only place in southern Kerala where cliffs are found adjacent to the Arabian Sea. This has been recorded as a geological monument by the Geological Survey of India.