We bet that you are not to find the rare name of ‘Eyal’ in the list of any popular tourist destinations of Kerala. If at all you have heard about them, you might have read it in any history books that you had referred long back. It might be due to the excavated Roman coins datable to the very first centuries of AD or of the Burial Caves discovered from the place. Anyhow, the hamlet could be explored more for its nascent nature and virgin beauty. However, here we are going to discuss some prehistoric sites in and near the small village of Eyal, which is situated in the outskirts of Thrissur district in Kerala.
Ariyannur Stone Umbrellas
Belonging to the Megalithic period, when you come to this rare site of Eyyal, you could find the strangely placed huge stone structures known as Ariyannur Stone Umbrellas. In the regional language, they are better called Kudaikkallu. Moreover, in its visual appearance, you may note that they are going to look like large mushrooms bloomed out of nowhere. When counting the total numbers, they are actually six of them, but two among were severed damaged. No one exactly knows actually when and why were they constructed on such an irregular shape. However, it is believed that the monks who used to come at the site used to store their belongings under its shade, but there is no evidence to prove that. At present, they are under the protected list of historical monuments under the Archaeological Survey of India.
Harikanyaka Temple
A random visit to the ancient temple of Harikanyaka that is located to a few distances from one of the most visited temples of Kerala, Sree Krishna Temple in Guruvayur could say a lot about the intricate temple sculpting techniques followed here in the south of India. Moreover, it is believed that the ancient structures seen here were carved out by the all-time master craftsman of Kerala, Perunthachan. Even if they were built centuries ago, the very charm and the complexities of its unique architecture still remains. So a tour to the shrine will be worth enough to visit even if they are excluded from popular tour packages. The historical Hindu religious centre is dedicated to the deity Mohini, who is the virgin form of Lord Vishnu, as the goddess at the Sri Vasavi Kanyaka Parameswari Temple in Coimbatore.
Burial Cave of Eyal
Situated amid Wadakkancherry and Kunnamkulam, in Cheramangad, the Burial Cave that you get to sight here in Eyyal is double-chambered. Similar to the stone umbrellas of Ariyannur, the Burial caves to are believed to be originated in the Megalithic age that in a laterite boulder. Also, this pre-historic rock-cut cave does constitute a circular chamber, which can be accessed by a single entry. There exists an irregular bench in the chambers with no pillar at the centre. Furthermore, it from this historic site that the Roman coins up to 117 AD from 123 BD, which is of the Republican period were excavated. From the year of 2016, the burial cave is recognised and protected as a historical monument by the Archaeological Survey of India.
Kallaayi Kunnu
A small hilly area is situated in the Akathiyoor Kunnu near Eyyal, is now the region’s favourite spot to spend the evenings along with your family as there are no external noises to disturb you from the tranquillity of this place. Much to the surprise, you could also take your vehicles to the hilltop, so you take little toddlers along with you as there is no point of trekking here at hills also known as Kalasha Mala. If you are lucky enough, you could even catch a glimpse of charming peacock flying and relaxing at the rocks. Even without the presence of the national bird in front of you, the mesmerising view from its summit is going to calm you in the evenings after the historic tour in the momentous village of Eyal.
Kakkad Burial Cave
The burial cave at Kakkad is one among the megalithic caves found in the nearby locations of Eyyal cave. However, they are a more sophisticated one than the latter, as they have got a flight of stairs to reach at its chambers through a narrow pathway. With an opening in a circular shape at its ceilings, it looks different when looked from its exterior. From its outside structure, one could easily realise that they are indoors if dome-shaped. At this cave of height about a typical man, on both sides of its entrance, you could find wide plaster-like projections. Also on the southern and northern sides, there is a rock-cut circular block and single sectoral bench respectively.
How to reach there: From Cochin International Airport, you could reach Eyyal within 2 hours via NH544 covering 74km. Moreover, the nearest railway is the Guruvayur Railway station is at a distance of 13.6 km. However, you need to travel up to 21.4 km to arrive at the major railway station of Thrissur.
Just like the prehistoric sites discovered from the village of Eyal, there are various unknown places in Kerala that are historically very crucial and significant. Like, say, the Kothukkal Cave temple in Kollam, the popular Edakkal Cave of Wayanad and many more. An ardent traveller needs to have that wanderlust to quest for such sites spread across the state. Now whether it is for visiting these lesser-known ancient mysterious places or sightseeing popular tourist destinations, you may get in touch with Lelagoon Holidays, who could fulfil your dreams of visiting these thought-provoking tourist places. Their most popular tour packages would cover the destinations like Wayanad, Athirapally, Munnar, Kochi, Thekkady and Varkala. Moreover, you could avail their travel deals at extremely cheap prices. For the comfort of the tourists wishing to travel to exotic locations in Kerala, their tour packages are made available from all the major cities of the country such as Bangalore, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Delhi Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad.
