In December 2023, I went to view the world’s largest bird sculpture in the world, which is in Jatayu Earth Center. Yes, It’s in Kerala and near to my home town.

Here are some of the facts I took from Wikipedia about the park:

• It was sculpted by Rajiv Anchal.
• It is a National park and tourism centre at Chadayamangalam in Kollam district of Kerala, India.
• It stands at an altitude of 350m (1200ft) above the mean sea level.
• To get to the top, there’s a cable car and it’s the only cable car in Kerala.
• It 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.
• The statue is a representation of a legend - Ramayana -, and symbolizes the protection of women, and their honour and safety.
• This rock-theme nature park was the first Public–private partnership tourism initiative in the state of Kerala under the BOT model.

If you want, you can read more here.

Okay, let’s start the journey.

It was a solo trip—a one-day visit. I reached the destination in the morning via a KSRTC bus and took an autorickshaw from the bus stop.

The entry point to the park was well maintained. To reach the top, where the Jatayu sculpture stands, visitors can either take an 826-step walkway up the hill or ride the cable car. Both have different ticket rates.

I thought I’d walk up and take the cable car down. So I bought tickets accordingly and started walking. It was actually a long and tiring climb, especially since I was alone—but it was beautiful. You walk through a semi-forest, with a stone-paved path winding uphill. Tall trees line both sides of the walkway, and there are benches along the way to rest.

It took me around 40 minutes to climb all 826 steps and reach the top.

But when I got there, the view was spectacular. The Jatayu was lying on the rock, with one wing cut by Ravana. You can feel the pain in the wings and see the bravery in his eyes.

It’s a masterpiece done in the rocks. I walked around it and got a close look at the gigantic figure. You can see the details in the wings and the head. It’s a beauty to feel.

You can read the poem written by the great Malayalam poet O. N. V. Kurup about Jatayu, and other details of the sculpture are also displayed there.

There’s a small snack shop for light refreshments, and a temple beside the sculpture, which you can visit as well. The sculpture, temple, and surrounding buildings are all made of black stone, which gives a cohesive and striking look to the entire place.

After spending some time there and taking a few photos, I decided to head back down using the cable car.

Seeing the cable cars reminded me of the ones in videos from Switzerland. The cars move slowly, and you have to hop on quickly—but everything is well managed, and I really enjoyed the ride.

In less than 10 minutes, I was at the bottom. I had lunch at the cafeteria, and after the meal, I began my journey home.

One bucket list item: done. Memories: saved.