Bela Church

The Madhur Sree Madanantheshwara-Siddhivinayaka temple on the Madhuvahini river — a Shiva temple better known for its beloved “Bodajja” Ganapathi and a Tipu Sultan sword-mark on its well.

Kerala’s only lake temple, near Kumbla, the moolasthanam of Ananthapadmanabha — and home by tradition to Babiya, the temple’s resident vegetarian crocodile.

The Nellikunnu Muhyaddin Juma Masjid, a Sunni Friday mosque and dargah near the Kasaragod town beach that houses the tomb of Saint Thangal Uppapa; a local pilgrimage centre whose annual Nercha draws large crowds.

The Malik Ibn Dinar Juma Masjid in Thalankara, Kasaragod — by tradition among the oldest mosques in India, linked to the earliest arrival of Islam on the Malabar coast.

A 17th-century hilltop fort above the Chandragiri river built by the Keladi Nayakas, with sweeping views of the river mouth and the Arabian Sea — good at sunset.

Kerala’s largest fort (~40 acres), a keyhole-shaped laterite bastion jutting into the Arabian Sea, built around 1650 by the Keladi Nayakas; its observation tower once mounted cannons.

The beach stretch below Bekal Fort, with a landscaped park — famously the setting of the song “Uyire” from the film Bombay.

A tranquil spiritual retreat at Kanhangad founded in 1931 by Swami Ramdas (Papa) and Mother Krishnabai, set in quiet wooded grounds; open to visitors of every faith under its motto of “universal love and service”.

The surviving laterite fort at Hosdurg in Kanhangad is associated with the Ikkeri Nayakas and recognised by its rounded bastion and broad ramp; Nithyananda Ashram is a separate neighbouring institution.

The hillside cave complex at Hosdurg where Bhagawan Nityananda cut meditation chambers by hand out of a single mass of laterite — 43 by the ashram’s own account — with the Nithyananda Temple built above them in 1963. Mobile phones are prohibited in the caves.

Kanhangad Beach is the Hosdurg coastal frontage of Kanhangad in Kasaragod district, with a broad sandy shore and an established fish-landing setting. It is a beach visit from Kanhangad town, distinct from Hosdurg Fort, the town’s ashrams and the separately named beaches at Ajanur, Ozhinhavalappu and Thaikadappuram. Use the named beach approach rather than a generic Kanhangad map result. The shore’s working character is central to the visit: leave boats, nets and landing passages clear while enjoying the sea-facing sand.

The cultural capital of Kasaragod — a Theyyam and folk-arts town on the Nileshwaram backwaters, with kovilakams, kavus and a lively ritual-arts season.