Shankumugham Beach is a beach in

Thiruvananthapuram district Thiruvananthapuram District () is the List of districts of Kerala, southernmost district in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. The district was created in 1949, with its headquarters in the city of Thiruvananth ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

, south

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The beach is on the western side of

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...

and is very close to

Thiruvananthapuram International Airport Thiruvananthapuram International Airport is an international airport that serves Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India. Established in 1932, it is the first airport in the state of Kerala and the fifth international airport of ...

. Shanghumugham beach is considered as the ‘Arattukadavu’ of Sri Ananthapadmanabhan - the presiding deity of the city. Thousands of Hindus perform ‘Bali Tharpanam’ during special occasions. Shankhumugham is the prime location for Ganesh Nimarjan at the time of

Ganesh Chaturthi Ganesh Chaturthi (ISO: ), also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi () or Vinayaka Chavithi () or Vinayagar Chaturthi (), is a Hindu festival celebrating the birthday of Hindu deity Ganesh. The festival is marked with the installation of Ganesha's ''m ...

. On the Arattu day at

, idols of Lord Padmanabhaswamy, Lord Narasimha, and Lord Krishna are taken in procession to the

Laccadive Sea The Laccadive Sea ( ), also known as the Lakshadweep Sea, is a body of water bordering India (including its Lakshadweep islands), the Maldives, and Sri Lanka. It is located to the southwest of Karnataka, to the west of Kerala and to the south of ...

at Shanghumugham beach. His Highness the now-titular Maharaja of Travancore leads the procession with the royal sword in hand while escorted by members of the royal family, armed guards, temple authorities, mounted police, and officers. After the ceremonial bath at Shanghumugham, the idols are taken back in procession, thus marking the conclusion of the festival. The sculpture of Sagarakanyaka, a

mermaid In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are ...

, by

Kanayi Kunhiraman Kanayi Kunhiraman (born 25 July 1937) is an Indian sculptor, best known for his outsize sculptures such as ''Yakshi'' of Malampuzha Dam Gardens, '' Sagarakanyaka'' at Shankumugham Beach and ''Mukkola Perumal'' trinity in Kochi. Taught by K. C. ...

is an added attraction. This giant statue is more than 35 metres long. The 'Jawaharlal Nehru Park of Traffic signs for children' is situated here, which is helpful for the children to understand the traffic rules while playing in the park. The park also provides cycling facilities for small children. The military area of Southern Air Command of the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...

and part of the main airport are situated near Shankumugham Beach.

Coastal erosion and effect on beach

Coastal erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of Wind wave, waves, Ocean current, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts ...

along the

coastline has caused significant reduction in the beach area. A study from 2022 found that the region including the Shankumugham beach observed an erosion of 4.73 meters per year. The Shankumugham-Airport road along the beach was closed due to excessive erosion. Remains of the Shanghumugham airport road after sea erosion

Remains of the Shanghumugham airport road after sea erosion

How to reach

* Nearest city -

- 8 km * Nearest railway station -

Thiruvananthapuram Central Thiruvananthapuram Central (station code: TVC,) is an NSG–2 category railway station in Thiruvananthapuram railway division of Southern Railway zone. It is a major railway station that serves the city of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of ...

and

Kochuveli railway station Thiruvananthapuram North Railway Station (station code: TVCN), formerly Kochuveli railway station (old station code: KCVL), is an NSG–3 category Indian railway station in Thiruvananthapuram railway division of Southern Railway zone. It is ...

* Nearest airport -

* Nearest bus station - Central Bus Station Thiruvananthapuram

Picture gallery

File:Sh-beach1.jpg , Aaratu Mandapam File:Jalakanyaka at Shankumugham beach.JPG , Sagarakanyaka or Jalakanyaka File:High tide warning at Shankumugham beach.JPG, High tide warning at the beach during one of the monsoon days File:Chacha Nehru Traffic Training Park, Thiruvananthapuram.JPG, Chacha Nehru Traffic Training Park File:A sculpture at Shankumugham beach.JPG, A sculpture at the beach

References

External links

A short YouTube Video narrating things to be visited At Shankumugham beach
{{Tourism in Kerala Tourist attractions in Thiruvananthapuram Beaches of Kerala

Coastal erosion and effect on beach

See also

How to reach

Picture gallery

References

External links