Varkala

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Varkala Udaya Marthandapuram[1]
Town
Varkala Beach
Nickname:  Pearl of Arabian Sea[1] Goa of Kerala
Varkala Show map of Kerala Varkala Show map of India
Coordinates: 8°44′36″N 76°41′49″E / 8.7432986°N 76.6968401°E / 8.7432986; 76.6968401
Country	India
State	Kerala
District	Thiruvananthapuram
Talukas	Varkala Taluk
Government
• Type	Municipality
• Body	Varkala Municipality
• Chairman	K.M.LAJI
Area
• Total	14.87 km2 (5.74 sq mi)
• Rank	3
Elevation	58 m (190 ft)
Population  (2011)[2]
• Total	40,048
• Rank	3
• Density	2,700/km2 (7,000/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Varkalakkaran, Varkalaite
Languages
• Official	Malayalam, English
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	695141
Telephone code	0470
Vehicle registration	KL-81
Nearest City Airport	Thiruvananthapuram - 39 km
Niyamasabha constituency	Varkala
Website	www.varkalamunicipality.in

Varkala formerly known as Balita is a major coastal municipality situated in the northern suburb of Thiruvananthapuram, capital city of the Indian state Kerala.

In legends and myths related to Kerala, texts like the Kerala Mahatmyam describe the Varkala region as one of the sacred places of Kerala.

Varkala shares many cultural and linguistic similarities with the neighboring Kollam district or Central Travancore rather than the Trivandrum and Attingal region.

Varkala is situated to the 41 km north of Trivandrum city and 27 km south of Kollam city.

Varkala is the only region in southern Kerala where cliffs are found adjacent to the Arabian Sea.^[3] These Cenozoic sedimentary formation cliffs are a unique geological feature on the otherwise flat Kerala coast, and are known among geologists as Varkala Formation. The cliffs have been declared a national geological monument by the Geological Survey of India for their protection, maintenance, promotion, and the enhancement of geotourism. There are numerous water spouts and spas on the sides of these cliffs. In 2015, the Ministry of Mines, the Government of India, and the Geological Survey of India (GSI) declared Varkala Cliffs a geo-heritage site.^[4][5]

Varkala is also known for the 2,000-year-old Janardana Swami Temple, which is an important Vaishnavaite shrine in India and is often referred to as Dakshin Kashi (Benares of the South).^[6] The temple is located close to Papanasam beach, which is an Ayurveda treatment centre. The temple has an ancient bell removed from a shipwreck, donated by the captain of the Dutch vessel which sank near Varkala without causing any casualties.^{[citation needed]}

Another major landmark in Varkala is the Sivagiri Mutt, established by the social reformer Sree Narayana Guru.^{[citation needed]}