Trip to Jatayu Rock
Jatayu Earth’s Center, Kollam
This is my trip to the fallen eagle Jatayu’s mega sculpture in Kollam, Kerala, India. Jatayu Earth Center or Jatayu Nature Park or Jatayu Rock all are the same place where you can see the World’s Largest Bird Sculpture.
Travelling from Jaipur, I reached Bangalore within 3 hours. From there I took a smaller plane to Trivandrum and reached my destination in under 2 hours. There are direct flights also available from Jaipur (and other major airports) to Trivandrum.
From the Trivandrum airport to Jatayu Natural Earth Park is just about an hour by cab. The lush green scenery of the canopy and the curvy roads made for an excellent ride. This itself was thoroughly soothing.
The occasional backwater views were especially amazing. You must take out some time to stop and soothe your soul with these views in God’s Own Country.
Reaching at the entrance of the Park spread across 65 acres, I could see eager visitors already lining up in excitement. The crowd is generally sparse but might at times be a bit much.
You need to buy the Earth Center Ticket which includes a to and fro ropeway ticket as well. The ascent is nothing less than the feeling of moving slowly towards the 7th cloud. Greenery all around as far as your mortal eyes could see. But, the feeling makes you wonder if this place is indeed for mere mortals.
When you first see the Jatayu sculpture, you are awestruck not just by the magnificence of its size but rather the aura which compels one to remember the ultimate sacrifice of the eagle.
The excerpt from the epic Ramayan goes as follows:
After abducting Janaki (the wife of Sri Rama), the demon king Ravana was running away on his airship Pushpak. Jatayu sprung to action in defense of Janaki and attacked the fearsome demon king on hearing her cries filled with abject misery.
The mere bird facing the infamous bloodstained Chandrahas, the demon king’s giant invincible sword, did not back out. As the fearsome battle elongated, the demon king with the final blow struck and amputated the right wing of the great eagle.
In despair and distraught with failure it fell back to the earth.
Jatayu failed in its mission but kept death at bay long enough to share the distressing information to the Lord. Jatayu was the only being who had got its last rites done by Lord Rama.
I entered the top of the mountain from the left side of the giant eagle sculpture. And, went around the entire place clicking pictures from all the viewpoints. Make sure to not miss the wide expanse of nature’s view from the mountain top. There is no prominent structure in view which makes it a unique sight in its own.
You can also see the information about the initial construction efforts which makes you marvel about the efforts of the workers and engineers who designed and brought this place into being.
Enjoy the spiritual energy at the temple at the mountain top. There is also a footprint in the rock which is believed to be Lord Rama’s. Spend some extra time there as you forget your earthly problems.
This was by far the most relaxing outing I had. Undoubtedly, you should plan this as your next trip. If you wish, you can add backwater kayaking/luxury boat ride to your itinerary for short tip. More on that in my next article on Kerala Tourism.