Varkala, 41 km from Thiruvananthapuram, is a beach resort which is still in the process of being developed. This pristine beach is especially popular for the spectacular sight of the sun setting into the Arabian Sea. Other places of interest in and around Verkala are the Papanasam Beach, Sivagiri Mutt and the Janardhana Temple.The saint-reformer, who led a quiet but significant social revolution. A champion of the humble and the down trodden, he gave the watchwords : "One people, One Dharma, One God for all men."In 1904, Guru decided to give up his wandering life and settle down in a place to continue his "Sadhana" (spiritual endeavour) he choose Shivagiri, a place near Varkala, which is twenty miles to the north of Thiruvananthapuram. It is also quite close to the sea-coast. After he settled down there in a coconut palm leaf cottage, the Guru's Sadhana also took a new turn. Goddess "Amba" became his deity of worship.Very soon Varkala also became a place of pilgrimage. The Guru started a Samskrita school there. Poor boys and orphans were taken under his care. They were given education. They were also taught some useful art. There was no caste distinction at all. Devotees from distant places like Simhala (Sree Lanka) and Mangalore used to visit the Ashram at Varkala. They saw that the Guru had no attachment to any kind of work. But in spite of it, he got built many temples and founded educational institutions to teach English and Samskrita, during the nine years from 1904 to 1913. At Varkala a temple for Anjengo (Anjaneya) was built.
