Mal: വർക്കല varkkala
‘Line of Rocks’ Town, Kerala
From Mal: vara, ‘line’, ‘furrow’, ‘straight’; and kal, ‘rock’.
Varkala has a unique cliff formation of red sandstone, in contrast to the the rest of coastal Kerala which is flat.
The cliffs are a protected geological monument and date back to the Pliocene era 22 million years ago.
For related place names see Indian Place names and Kerala place names.
Varkala Beach and its red sandstone cliffs Thrillopedia