How 'Ramayana' is giving Keralam’s giant Jatayu sculpture a tourism boost

For 12 years, a sculptor walked up a massive hill almost every morning and back down every evening. With no road leading to the site, he made the journey on foot, seven days a week, to carve a giant Jatayu out of concrete in a tiny Kerala village. Today, that labour of love draws huge crowds from across the country, and its CEO says the Ramayana film has given it a push no advertising budget could have bought.

The Ranbir Kapoor-Sai Pallavi starrer Ramayana stormed the box office, joining the Rs 1,000-crore club on Friday (November 13), just eight days after its release. The first part hit theatres on November 5, while the sequel is expected to release around Diwali 2028.

Film drives footfall

Call it the ripple effect: Jatayu Earth’s Center in Kerala’s Kollam district is basking in the spotlight too.

“If I do an advertisement across India also, I’ll not get this kind of publicity,” said Deepak Sunil, CEO of Jatayu Earth’s Center. “People have seen the film, and now they want to experience the real thing,” he added.

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Deepak believes the sculpture resonates with people because of the emotion behind the story. In the epic, Jatayu bravely attempts to save Sita, and the film’s depiction of this scene became one of its most talked-about moments, drawing attention for its visualisation.

The sculpture, too, was built around the same emotion. “If you look at the sculpture itself, you can find that emotion. It does resonate,” he said.

‘A good tourist season’

The centre is already a popular destination among North Indian tourists and features in several tour packages. With Christmas and the year-end holidays approaching, he expects a particularly good season.

Following the hype from the film, Deepak believes this could mark the beginning of a boom for the Jatayu Center. ''The tourist season has already begun. From the next season, we are expecting huge numbers. Currently, we clock around 2,500-3,000. On weekends, it goes up to 5,000. We are geared up to handle over 8,000 people every day.''

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Most visitors are from Gujarat, particularly during Diwali, while tourists from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu visit throughout the year, he added. South Indian tourists make up a steady share of visitors during the off-season. Malayalis, however, account for only about 5 per cent of the footfall.

“We feel it’s next door, so we can visit some other day. We are less excited to see our backyard?” he said, suggesting this could explain why fewer Malayalis visit the centre. Tourists from North India, on the other hand, are always excited about Kerala, just as Malayalis dream of visiting Kashmir.

Visitors guidelines

There are no restrictions on shooting for photos and reels. However, no outside food, no plastic, no drones are allowed on the hills. “Anything held at the gate is returned on the way out, and drinking water is free inside,” Deepak highlighted. “Most people spend one to two hours, and there is no time limit yet, though it might come if crowds grow. The site can hold 7,000 to 8,000 people at a time with a floating crowd,'' Deepak said.

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Asked why there hasn’t been a big advertising push, Deepak says the project is only partly finished.

Talking about the plans for the project, Deepak said a theatre and a museum are on the way, with a multi-dimensional re-creation of the 10-minute Jatayu-Ravana fight. “The work has already begun. It’s a totally different ballgame once it’s completed. We will have accommodation facilities as well,” he said.

Who is the sculptor?

So who is the sculptor? It is Rajiv Anchal, a famed Malayalam film director, who directed films like the Mohanlal-starrer Guru. “It is his own brainchild,” Deepak said, adding that many people probably wrote it off as an underrated idea at first.

Kollam on tourist map

Kollam sits in the middle of Kerala’s tourism map, yet most travellers skip it, Deepak said. Tourists go from Munnar to Alappuzha and then straight to Varkala, passing through the district without stopping, including Ashtamudi. “There is so much to be explored.”

He hopes Jatayu changes that. “This could be a defining moment for Kollam,” he said. If handled well, it could shape the district’s future. He expects homes, accommodation and businesses to grow around Chadayamangalam, provided the government and the panchayat keep pace so that locals share the benefits.

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He described the new government under VD Satheesan as “very, very enthusiastic,” pointing to a recent post by the new CM. The tourism minister, who is from Kollam, also wants to put the district on the map.

A cable car takes visitors up to where the management describes as "the world’s largest bird sculpture".

'Big boost for Kerala tourism'

“This is a moment for Kollam tourism, of course, and for Kerala tourism it is a bigger boost,” said Prashanth Vasudev, former deputy director, Kerala Tourism, and a tourism consultant.

“A tourist who comes to Jatayu Earth’s Center will certainly visit other places in the district and elsewhere too, so other destinations benefit equally. Film tourism always brings great mileage, and I hope this will lead to bigger things,'' added Vasudev.