24 attractions in Varkala (back)

Anchuthengu Fort (also known as Anjengo Fort) was established by the British East India Company (EIC) in 1696 after the Queen of Attingal gave permission in 1694 to do so. Located near the town of Anchuthengu, the fort served as the first signalling station for ships arriving from England.The fort was the East India Company's first permanent post on the Malabar Coast. The EIC commenced construction in January 1696. In June 1696 pirates destroyed the Bengal Pilot Service's sloop Gingali at Anjengo. In 1697 locals attacked the fort, which was not complete, but the English prevailed.The EIC completed the fort in 1699. The fort was square, with four bastions, each of which mounted eight guns. The walls between the bastions had seven or eight guns. In addition, there was a battery of some 20 guns facing the sea. The fort had a garrison of 400 Europeans and 70-80 topasses.Of more importance than the attack was the rebellion at Attingal on 15 April 1721. Local notables, who objected to the EIC's policy of providing the Queen with gifts but ignoring them, attacked a 140-man EIC expedition bringing gifts to the Queen from Anjengo fort, some 10 miles away. After massacring the expedition the locals attacked the fort, which withstood their efforts. The EIC sent a relief force from Thalassery that ended the siege. The fort played an important role in the Anglo-Mysore War. During the Anglo-Mysore wars the EIC stored ammunition at the fort. In 1748 the Bombay Dockyard built the snow Luconia for the Anjengo Pilot Service. In 1802 Anjengo, a ship of 260 tons (bm) was built at Anjengo, the first vessel of that large a size. The owner, John Tady Dyne, was one of the last EIC residents at Anjengo. This revolt is the first War for Independence in India and also the first defeat of East India Company in a foreign land.

The Punalur Suspension Bridge, located in Punalur is the oldest motorable Bridge in Kerala, which was built by Travancore Government and is now a historical attraction. The bridge has a length of 400 feet (120 m). The suspension bridge was built to prevent wild animals from crossing into the town from the forest area of old Kattupathanapuram.

The Napier Museum is an art and natural history museum situated in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India.

The Padmanabhaswamy temple is a Hindu temple located in Thiruvananthapuram, state capital of Kerala, India. The name of the city of Thiruvananthapuram in Malayalam translates to "The City of Lord Ananta", referring to the deity of the Padmanabhaswamy temple. The temple is built in an intricate fusion of the Chera style and the Dravidian style of architecture, featuring high walls, and a 16th-century gopura. While the Ananthapura temple in Kumble is considered the original seat of the deity ("Moolasthanam"), architecturally to some extent, the temple is a replica of the Adikesava Perumal temple in Thiruvattar.The principal deity Padmanabhaswamy (Vishnu) is enshrined in the "Anantha Shayana" posture, the eternal yogic sleep on the serpent Adi Shesha. Padmanabhaswamy is the tutelary deity of the royal family of Travancore. The titular Maharaja of Travancore, Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma, is the trustee of the temple.

Kanakakkunnu Palace is situated in Thiruvananthapuram near the Napier museum, India. Kanakakkunnu Palace is the India's first digital garden, created by Akhilesh S. V. Nair and A. Gangaprasad, University of Kerala, Department of Botany.Today the palace and its sprawling grounds are the venue for many cultural meets and programmes. An all India Dance Festival (October to March) is organised by the Department of Tourism every year. During this period the classical Indian Dance performances are conducted every day. There are several tourists streaming from many foreign countries every year.

The Thiruvananthapuram Zoo (also known as Trivandrum Zoo) is located in the city of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala, India. It occupies 55 acres (22 ha) of woodland, lakes, and lawns.