Jatayu Earth's Center, () also known as Jatayu Nature Park is a

National park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

and tourism centre at

Chadayamangalam Chadayamangalam is a village located in Kollam district of Kerala state, India. It is located along the Ithikkara river and the MC road that passes across the major urban locations of Kerala. It acts as centre for Chadayamangalam block pancha ...

Kollam district Kollam district (), (formerly Quilon district) is one of 14 List of districts in Kerala, districts of the state of Kerala, India. The district has a cross-section of Kerala's natural attributes; it is endowed with a long coastline, a major La ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It stands at an altitude of 350m (1200ft) above the mean sea level. To get to the top, there's a cable car and it's the only cable car in

. The honor of being the largest bird sculpture in the world belongs to

Jatayu Jatayu (, ) is a demigod in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'', who has the form of a vulture. He was the younger son of Aruṇa and his wife Shyeni, the brother of Sampati, as well as the nephew of Garuda. He was also an old friend of King Dashara ...

. The sculpture measures long, wide, in height and occupies of floor area). It was sculpted by

Rajiv Anchal Rajiv Anchal (born 20 December 1956) is a film director, screenwriter, and sculptor who works in Malayalam cinema. In 1997, he made ''Guru'', India's official submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. His first English ...

This rock-theme nature park was the first

Public–private partnership A public–private partnership (PPP, 3P, or P3) is a long-term arrangement between a government and private sectors, private sector institutions.Hodge, G. A and Greve, C. (2007), Public–Private Partnerships: An International Performance Revie ...

tourism initiative in the state of

under the BOT model. The park is about away from the city of

Kollam Kollam (;), is an ancient seaport and the List of cities and towns in Kerala, fourth largest city in the Indian state of Kerala. Located on the southern tip of the Malabar Coast of the Arabian Sea, the city is on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake ...

and away from the state capital,

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...

. After completion, it became accessible to visitors on 17 August 2018.

Origins

The park located near the town of

(Jatayumangalam), which was named for

. Jatayu was a demi-god in

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

(a Hindu epic) who had the form of a vulture. According to the epic,

Ravana According to the Mahakavya, Hindu epic, ''Ramayana'', Ravana was a kingJustin W. Henry, ''Ravana's Kingdom: The Ramayana and Sri Lankan History from Below'', Oxford University Press, p.3 of the island of Lanka, in which he is the chief antag ...

was attempting to abduct

Sita Sita (; ), also known as Siya, Jānaki and Maithili, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Sita is the consort of Rama, the avatar of god Vishnu, and is regarded as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi. She is t ...

Lanka Lanka (; ) is the name given in Hindu epics to the island fortress capital of the legendary Rakshasa king Ravana in the epics of the ''Ramayana'' and the ''Mahabharata''. The fortress was situated on a plateau between three mountain peaks kn ...

when Jatayu tried to rescue her. Jatayu fought valiantly with Ravana, but as Jatayu was very old Ravana soon defeated him, clipping his wings, and Jatayu fell onto the rocks in Chadayamangalam.

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

and

Lakshmana Lakshmana (, ), also known as Laxmana, Lakhan, Saumitra, and Ramanuja, is the younger brother of Rama in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is considered as an incarnation of Shesha, the lord of serpents. Lakshmana was married to Urmila, and i ...

while on the search for Sita, chanced upon the stricken and dying Jatayu, who informed them of the battle with Ravana and told them that Ravana had headed South.

The park

The Statue

The statue is a representation of a legend - Ramayana -, and symbolizes the protection of women, and their honour and safety. It was designed and sculpted by

Dimensions

Jatayu Museum

It houses a five-story grand sculpture, a museum, and a multi-dimensional theater that shows an animated film depicting the epic battle between Jatayu and Ravana. In addition to all this, the Jatayu Earth's Center also has a cultural center that showcases traditional art forms, exhibitions, and folk performances.

Adventure Park

The Park, on Adventure rock hill, opened on 5 December 2017.

Cave Resort

Jatayu is said to have taken refuge in a cave after his battle with Ravana. An Ayurvedic and Siddha cave resort is under construction and will offer ayurvedic healing paired with tales of Jatayu.

Dedication

The park opened to visitors on 4 July 2018 and was soft-inaugurated by

Pinarayi Vijayan Pinarayi Vijayan (; born 24 May 1945) is an Indian politician who has served as the List of chief ministers of Kerala, Chief Minister of Kerala since 25 May 2016. A member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), politburo ...

Chief Minister of Kerala The chief minister of Kerala is the chief executive of the Indian state of Kerala. '' De facto'' executive authority rests with the chief minister. Following elections to the Kerala Legislative Assembly, the state's governor usually invites th ...

. The park's first phase was worth and included the adventure zone having radius. On 29 November 2015, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce's Director of stakeholder relations, Majid Al Marri visited the under construction Jatayu Nature Park along with the then

, Mr.

Oommen Chandy Oommen Chandy (31 October 1942 – 18 July 2023) was an Indian lawyer and statesman who served as the 10th chief minister of Kerala, serving from 2004 to 2006 and 2011 to 2016. He served also as the Leader of the Opposition, leader of the opp ...

Access and attributes

Location and access

The park is located on a hilltop in

. No special transportation is required to get into the park. To reach the top, where Jatayu's sculpture is present, visitors can either take the 826 steps walkway up the hill, or take the cable car. An additional paid ticket is required for cable car route. There is a security screening process on the way to the top. Cameras and bags are allowed. Food is not allowed. Water is allowed, but not in a plastic bottle. Free filtered water is available at the top. There are multiple cafes present throughout the route.

Inscriptions and plaques

A plaque outside the museum pays tribute to the fallen Jatayu, in a poem translated by K. Jayakumar, was dedicated by

, the Chief minister of Kerala. Jatayu-Earth-Center-Plaque

"Stand atop this hill for a while in contemplation Here is where Jatayu fell Trying to block with his talons and beak The alien gnome who seized in deceit The priceless pearl of a daughter..."

Gallery

File:Jatayu Para, Kerala, Dec 2013.jpg, Jatayu Nature Park under construction at

File:Jatayu statue.jpg File:Jatayu (1) 05.jpg File:Jatayu Earth’s Center from distance 02.jpg, view from distance

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jatayu Earth's Center Tourist attractions in Kollam district Adventure parks Jatayu Buildings and structures in Kollam 2018 sculptures 2018 establishments in Kerala Buildings and structures completed in 2018 Architecture in India Museums in Kerala Outdoor sculptures in India Places in the Ramayana Sculptures of birds Animal sculptures in India Vultures in art