Kerala Style Food
Malayattoor is a small beautiful Village. You can experience the typical Kerala cuisine in any small village restaurants here.
During the festival season , many temporary restaurants are set up to cater for thousands of pilgrims and tourists. Many restaurants and cofee houses operate under the supervision of Malayattoor Church and various volunteering organizations, to meet the needs of the pilgrims properly and timely.
Accomadation
Malayattoor has got a couple of good hotels and lodges to host pilgrims and tourists. Rooms are available during non festival season without any advance booking. During January – May, it is advisable to book in advance.
PILGRIM CENTRE
Under the management of St. Thomas church Malayattoor, accommodation is provided with basic amenities..
PARKING AREAS:
During the festival Days parking plots are available near St. Thomas Parish Church and at the foot of Kurisumudy (Adivaram).
Tourist Attractions
Proximity to Kalady, the birth place of Adi sankara. Malayattoor Kurishumudy is about 10 kms away from the birth place of Sankara, the world famous philosopher and founder of the principle of ‘Advaita’
Tourist spots like Mulankuzhi, Bhoothathankettu and Ezhaattumugham,Athirappilly and Kodanadu are famous for their naturai elegance. Just beneath the mountain there is a beautiful lake, which gives peace and solace to the pilgrims Govt. of Kerala, Department of Tourism has targeted wide variety of developments here.
The elephant Kraal (training centre) at Kodanadu.
It is one of the major tourist attraction as it offers a splendid sight of elephants caught from the forest. It is where the taming of wild elephants is done.
Dept. of Tourism’s Nature Study Centre
The Govt. of Kcrala offers ample facilities for the development of Tourism and Nature Study Centre attached to the forest range office Malayattoor. The Tourist Bungalow at the lake is a convenient place.
The trigno-metrical centre of south India:
The British Goveniment found Kurisumudy as a mountain sustainable for this purpose.
Places of Attraction
A bird’s eye view of Kurisumudy at Malayatoor
Undoubtedly it is a beautiful mountain with great spiritual atmosphere. To maintain this spirituality and tranquilithy there are some holy places in Kurisumudy, such as….
Marthoma Mandapam
This is the most attractive building carved in accordance with the blending of Indian archaeological traditions. It is in this Mandapam the precious relic of St. Thomas is preserved for the pilgrims to offer their prayers. It is built at the highest point of the mount. The statue of St.Thomas is placed in point above 20 steps , symbolically representing the twenty years of St. Thomas’s missionary works in South India.
Sannidhi
This is a chapel, which serves as a place of worship on the hill top. It provides enough space for meditation, prayers and Holy Eucharist.this is the place where the holy Eucharist is celibrated.Thousands of people can participate in the Eucharist.
The Ancient Chapel – Struck By The Elephants
This is the most ancient chapel at Kurisuinudi. Until 1968 Kurisumudi had been a thick forest. Those days wild animals used to move around there freely. It is believed that tuskers attacked this ancient chapel but couldnot cause a major damage.The marks of elephant attack on the back wall of the chapel is visible. Recently a new facade was built for the chapel and the part that elephant struck is glassed in.
The Miraculous Water Spring on The Mountain
There is a well near the ancient chapel at the top of the mount. This well is at the spot where St. Thomas is believed to have quenched his thirst, it is again believed that St. Thomas struck on this rock when he was thirsty and instantly fresh water gushed out. Thousands of believeis have been miraculously healed by using this water.
The Golden Cross
As mentioned early, it is believed that St. Thomas on his visit to Kurisumudi knelt on the rock and signed a cross with his finger on the ground, He prayed there for a long time. Later a golden cross appeared on this spot and the people belonging to the hilltribes were said to have been attracted by the splendor of the cross. To satisfy their curiosity they struck the spot with their weapons. To their surprise they saw blood oozing out of the cross. They were amazed by this miraculous occurrence. They reported the incident, to the people living at the foot of the mountain.They ran to the spot.Thus began the historic pilgrimage to Kurisumudi. This is the tradition behind the Golden Cross.
The Foot prints of St. Thomas on the Rock
People flock around the foot print of St. Thomas, inprinted and visible on this rock. There are also marks seen on the rock, which are said to have appeared once the saint knelt on the ground.