Pandalam is famous for its ancient castles and also for its holiness. It is famous because it is believed to be the home of Lord Ayyapa of Sabarimala. Pandalam was the capital of the ancient Travancore kingdom. It was established around 903 AD. The world famous pilgrim town of central Travancore, site of the Pandalam Palace, Golden casket (the sacred ornaments of Lord Ayyappa) are here.
Mannadi
Mannadi is situated 13 km from Adoor. This is where Veluthampi Dalawa, the renowned freedom fighter of Travancore, spent his last days. The ancient Bhagavathy temple here has some exquisite stone sculptures. The annual festival is held in February/March. The Kerala Institute of Folklore and Folk Arts functions here.
Perunthenaruvi Waterfalls
The spectacular waterfalls is in the river Pamba. It pludge down into a ravine from a rocky height of 60 - 100 ft. It is accessible by bus from Kollam, about 10 km.
Aranmula
Venue of the annual boat race on the Pamba river; the place is also famous for its metal mirrors (Aranmula kannadi).
Kallooppara
St. Mary's church at Kallooppara stands in close proximity to the Bhagavathi temple, which is an admirable example of communal harmony. There are two granite slabs inside the church with some inscriptions in Pali language.
Kaviyoor
Famous for the Kaviyoor Mahadeva temple and the Rock cut cave temple.
Konni
Hill town, Konni is famous for timber trade and wild elephant training centre (elephant cage). Elephants trapped from the forest area are also tamed here. This is a charming town with lush meadows and hills stands on the bank of river Achakovil. It is surrounded by clove and pepper plantations.
Maramon
The river-bed of the Pampa here witnesses the annual Maramon convention, the largest Christian gathering in Asia.
Manjinikkara
A bishop who came in early 1900s from Antioch to settle a dispute between two Christian congrgations later died and was buried here. Thousands of followers assemble on foot every year from various parts of the country during second week of February to commemorate the events and pay their respects.
Sabarimala
Sabarimala is one of the most prominent pilgrim centers in India. Abode of Lord Ayyappa, which receives about 10 million pilgrims every year. It is 72 km away from Pathanamthitta. Every year millions of devotees from all over India visit the shrine of Lord Ayyappa here. The temple is located in the interior of the mountain ranges of the Western Ghats and is difficult to get to except on foot. The pilgrimage season starts in November and ends in mid January. Situated not far from the Sabarimala temple, there is a shrine in the name of Vavar, a Muslim of great courage, who was thought to be a close associate of Lord Ayyappa. It is an unusual feature of the pilgrimage to Sabarimala that the Hindu pilgrims offer worship at this shrine of Vavar also during their pilgrimage, indicating the communal harmony that prevailed Kerala for ages.
Thiruvalla
Sreevallabha temple here is one of the important pilgrim centers of Vaishanavites all over India. A granite pillar carved out of single piece with an image of Garuda on its top stands in front of the temple. The pillar, which serves as a flagstaff, is 60 ft high.
