Jatayu Earth’s Center

                                                      

Jatayu Earth Center, also known as Jatayu Nature Park or Jatayu Rock, is a park and tourism center at Chadayamangalam in the Kollam district of Kerala. It stands at an altitude of 350m (1200ft) above the mean sea level. 

Jatayu Nature Park holds the distinction of having the world’s largest bird sculpture, which is of Jatayu.The sculpture measures (200 feet (61 m) long, 150 feet (46 m) wide, 70 feet (21 m) in height and occupies 15,000 square feet (1,400 m2) of floor area). It was sculpted by Rajiv Anchal. This rock-theme nature park was the first Public-private partnership tourism initiative in the state of Kerala under the BOT model. The park is about 38 km (24 mi) away from the city of Kollam and 46 km (29 mi) away from the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram.

The monumental statue of Jatayu resting high up the hill catches your attention even from afar on your way to Chadayamangalam in the Kollam district. Jatayu is a legendary bird from the Indian epic Ramayana. According to the epic, Ravana was attempting to abduct Sita to Lanka 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 Jayatu fell onto the rocks in Chadayamangalam. Rama and Lakshmana 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.

Further, you will certainly get mesmerized with Kollam’s latest tourist attraction, the Jatayu Earth’s Center that hosts the world’s largest bird sculpture. Spanning over 65 acres across four hills, this is the State’s first-ever BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) tourism. You can reach the hilltop using a cable car. A multitude of experiences awaits the traveler in Jatayu Rock. One such is the museum and the 6D theatre inside the sculpture. You can even have a hele-taxi experience from here!