About Village
Varkala Village Office is one of the basic unit of Thiruvananthapuram District revenue administration in Varkala Taluk. Varkala is a municipality in Thiruvananthapuram district. It is the headquarters of Varkala Taluk.
Demography
According to the census in 2001, Varkala has a population of about 42,273. Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%. The average literacy rate here is 88% and a large number of the people here work abroad especially in Middle East, Singapore, US, UK, France, etc. most of them are working in the service sector.
Geography
Varkala is located 40 kilometres north of Trivandrum and 25km south of port city of Kollam.
Socio-Economic
The city has an average-rated water supply system, fire station, automobile showrooms, several post offices, engineering and degree colleges and a police station. It also has government-run medical facilities in addition to over 10 private hospitals and clinics. A government-run naturopathic hospital is located near the Papanasam cliff. The District Ayurvedic Hospital is located in Varkala.
Ecology
Varkala is the only town in Kerala where cliffs are found adjacent to the Arabian Sea. These Cenozoic sedimentary formation cliffs are a unique geological feature on the otherwise flat Kerala coast, and are known among geologists as Varkala Formation. The cliffs have been declared a national geological monument by the Geological Survey of India for their protection, maintenance, promotion, and the enhancement of geotourism. There are numerous water spouts and spas on the sides of these cliffs. In 2015, the Ministry of Mines, the Government of India, and the Geological Survey of India (GSI) declared Varkala Cliffs a geo-heritage site.
Tourism
Varkala is a well-known tourism and commercial destination. More than 300 resorts and hotels are situated in the municipality. Varkala is also known for the 2,000-year-old Janardana Swami Temple, which is an important Vaishnavaite shrine in India and is often referred to as Dakshin Kashi (Benares of the South). The temple is located close to Papanasam beach. The temple has an ancient bell removed from a shipwreck, donated by the captain of the Dutch vessel which sank near Varkala without causing any casualties. Another major landmark in Varkala is the Sivagiri Mutt, established by the social reformer Sree Narayana Guru.