Varkala is a coastal and pilgrim town located 51 km north of Thiruvananthapuram. The place is a natural paradise for tourists.It is an attraction for its unlimited potential and infinite charm where tourists enjoy a wide range of pursuits like boat riding, sun bath and ayurveda. 

Varkala is also an important religious place for the Hindus.The Papanasam Beach at Varkala is a quiet, secluded beach known for its white, silvery stretch of sand, mineral springs and rocky cliffs. The final resting place of Sree Narayana Guru, the great social reformer of Kerala, is near Varkala, atop a hill named Sivagiri. High cliffs with mineral springs rising majestically is a scene typical of Varkala.

According to a myth, sage Narada was approached by a group of mendicants who confessed to having sinned. Narada threw his valkkalam (the bark of tree which the mythical sage used to wear) into the air, and the place where it landed was subsequently named Varkala. The mendicants were directed by Narada to offer their prayers in the newly created place by the seashore. The place where they prayed for redemption came to be known as the Papanasham Beach (Papanasham means redemption from sins).