Jatayu Earth's Center

The Ramayana has Jatayu, a vulture, attempt to stop Ravana carrying off Sita and fall wounded to earth; local tradition places that fall on this rock in Kollam district. A sculpture completed in the 2010s renders the bird lying on the hilltop at around two hundred feet long and a hundred and fifty wide, built in concrete over the rock and described as the largest bird sculpture in the world, with a museum inside its body reached through the wing. A cable car climbs the hill, and the site includes adventure activities, a 6D theatre and viewpoints over the surrounding country.

What you actually see

• The sculpture - a two-hundred-foot bird lying wounded on the hilltop.
• The interior museum - exhibition space inside the sculpture's body.
• The cable car - the lift up the hill from the base.
• The adventure zone - climbing, paintball and rope activities on site.

When to go

October to March; the monsoon closes outdoor activities. Weekends are crowded and cable car queues long. The hilltop is exposed with little shade.

Honest expectations

This is a modern themed attraction, not a heritage site, and priced as one with layered ticketing. The climb on foot is steep if the cable car is skipped. Activities are charged separately.

Nearby

Kollam lies southwest; Thiruvananthapuram is south.