Vellayani Lake

Only one freshwater lake in Kerala is bigger than Vellayani Kayal, which lies about 9 km from the central bus station in Thiruvananthapuram and 7 km from Kovalam via Poonkulam Junction. In earlier times cargo boats worked their way along its backwaters as far as Chala. The lake is best known for its lotus blooms, and the surrounding Vellayani-Punchakkari wetlands are a favourite haunt of birdwatchers, with many migratory species, though their numbers have fallen in recent years.

The College of Agriculture, housed in the Lalindloch Palace, overlooks the western shore. Every year the Ayyankali boat race is held on the lake in memory of the social reformer, and once every three years the area hosts the 50-day Kaliyoot festival. The lake has shrunk sharply over the decades, from about 559 hectares in 1973 to 222 hectares in 2019.