Thiruvananthapuram Tour

Fact Files : Thiruvananthapuram District : Thiruvananthapuram Location : Coastal region of India Known As : God's Own Country Best Time To Visit : September to May To See : Kovalam Beach, Padmanabha Swamy Temple, Kuthiramalika Palace Museum, The Napier Museum, Sree Chitbra Art Gallery. Famous Festivals : Attukal Pongala, Vetta and Arattu, Nishagandhi Dance Festival, The Great elephant Race. Most Famous For : Kovalam Beach, Padmanabha Swamy Temple. Don't Miss : Kalarippayattu - the Martial Art Tradition of Kerala Must Experience : The most famous Ayur Clinic, Ayur Heath Centre and Ayurveda College. These Centres provide succour to your Body. Getting Around : Thiruvallam - 10 kms, Kovalam - 13 km, Nedumangad - 20 km, Aruvikkara Dam - 16 kms, Kanyakumari - Cape Comorin. To Shop : East Fort Compound – Mundus, Gold Jewellery, Brass Lamps, Kairali Handicrafts near Statue Junction – Straw Bags, Mats. Getting There : Air - Trivendrum Airport linked by Flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Cochin, Madras. Rail - Trivandrum Central Railway Station. Kerala Express connects daily to Delhi. Netravati Express goes to Mumbai. Road - NH - 47 to Thiruvananthapuram via Alleppey and Kollam. Trivendrum. 55 km north of the former capital of Travancore, 87 km short of the southern extremity of the Indian mainland. Inside Tip : Learn the Martial Art form Kalarippayattu and savour the flavour of Keralite Cuisine on Banana Leaf. Important Distances : 218 km south of Kochi, Palakkad - 356 km, Thrissur - 289 km, Alleppey - 147 km, Kollam - 63 km. Where to Eat : Kalavara – Kerala Thali, Chinene and North Indian Dishes, Azad Restaurant – Malabari Biryani, Amritha Hotel – typical Keralite dishes. Staying Options : Mascot Hotel, The South Park, The Muthoot Plaza, Saj Luciya.

About Thiruvananthapuram
Irrefutably, if you are planning to visit the southern coast of India, you should leave your footprints on the land that portraits a modest ambiance and shies away from the lolling monicker that visitors often struggle to pronounce. More popularly known as Trivandrum, the gateway to Kerala stretches along the pristine banks of Arabian Sea with its shimmering backwaters reaching deep into the verdant countryside - a spacious layout where the old and modern are surrounded by gently swaying coconut palms and majestic, gabled, pagoda-roofed traditional buildings. Camouflaged in a small town cloak, Thiruvananthapuram has no skyscrapers aiming for the clouds or tourist wows - save the mediocre spires on temple heads - no fast cars racing down glitzy lanes, no night clubs where you can bang your head to rock. Yet this undulating terrain of seven low coastal hills has a distinctive scent of power sprayed in its clean streets. It is here you can see how political influence speeds up the wheels of time, chucking the old frame into hands of modernity. Nevertheless, the palaces of the Travancore rulers, gracious 'tharavads' and bunglows that dot the capital, lend distinction to the city, for they haven't resigned to the onslaught of progress. Today, Thiruvananthapuram shines as a radiant jewel, nature's favoured child and God's own domain.

Days of Raj
Thiru-v-anantha-puram is a three sylable onyma means the abode of the snake god Shri Anantha, the thousand-headed, divine serpent on which Lord Vishnu reclines. The city was once a part of the erstwhile kingdom of Travancore under the reign of Raja Marthanda Varma, who had his capital at Padmanabhapuram (now in Tamil nadu) in 1729. After Marthanda Varma, it remained the capital of Travancore and after independence, became the capital of State of Travancore-Cochin. Later in 1956, when Kerala state was formed, Thiruvananthapuram with its narrow winding lanes and busy commercial alleys, once again became the capital of Kerala.

Hunt The Exclusive Charms of Thiruvananthapuram

Allure In The Divinity of The Padmanabha Swamy Temple
If you wonder why such a tongue twister had the pleasure of being the name of the capital of God's own country, you will find the answer lies in a linguistic evolution tempered with history, logic and, sometimes, simply gratitude. And this is how, Syaanandoori changed to Syaanandoorapuram and Ananthakaatu to Ananthapuram, before finally glad to get a easy name as Thiruvananthapuram. All these names are a tribute to the presiding deity 'Padmanabha Swamy', whose temple has shone like a 'gem of purest ray' in the heart of this old city. Wander around the 324 pillared corridor and you will be overwhelmed to see how this seven storeyed work of architecture impeccably blends both Kerala and the Dravidian styles of art. Throw a glance at the innumerable stone carvings, ancient inscriptions and colourful murals embellishing the walls of this grand structure. For a visitor, the question is usually how to capture the beauty of the idol in one single glance. Mind it, it is not an easy task to behold the details from three separate doors. From one you can see the Lord's feet, from another the lotus, and from the third, the face. Buy an 'archana' (a plate with flowers, sweets and incense sticks) to get on the platform in front and have a close look of the golden idol. You can also, if you don't mind the bats, climb up into the 'gopuram' for a bird's eye view of the city.

Visit The Temple of The Sacred Serpent
Visit the Padmanabha Swamy Temple, located in the heart of this old city - an impeccable blend of Kerala and the Dravidian styles of art. Wander around the 324 pillared corridor and you can't resist to be amazed to see exquisitely carved pillars and soaring gopuram of this elegant seven storeyed work of architecture.

Kathakali - Dancing To The Rhythms of Religion
Experience the mesmerising ambiance of a Kathakali dance concert, a centuries-old classical art form, usually staged at night in the temple premises. Brightly coloured costumes and petrifying facial make-up give the artistes a superhuman appearance, and the beholder a memory to relish throughout the lifetime.

The Sprawled Secrets In The Capital
The Methan Mani clock atop the Old Fort Palace, at a stone's throw from the temple, operated by a complex system of pulleys is a must see for every visitor. Spend a romantic evening watching the sunset, sitting on the small granite 'mandapa' nestling on the banks of the Karamana river. Trivandrum is famous for its rigour in training children. The city is peppered with signs and boards of hundreds of tuition centres swelling all over the terrain: Our Tutorial, Your Tutorial, Victory Tutorial. But amidst these pads of learning, opposite the Secretariat, you can see a huge black man in a turban, resting on a pedestal, lost in thought. This is the famous statue of Diwan Madhav Rao, an exceptionally talented administrator of yore. If you are lost in Trivandrum, tell the ubiquitous auto-rickshaw driver "The Statue" and he will put you right back on the map.

Spare some time to visit the etherally beautiful Napier Museum, a paradise for antique lovers. Built in the 19th century, the museum displays a wide array of archaeological and historic artifacts, plastic casts, bronze idols, ancient ornaments, a temple chariot and ivory carvings. Look at the tall, slender towers, gabled roofs and stained glass windows, which somehow give the impresson that the entire structure is gossamer light and might be carried away by a gush of wind at any moment. There is a fairy tale quality embossed in its walls - a mystique that the martinet years hae failed to unravel - and has to be seen to understand.

If you happen to be in Thiruvananthapuram on weekends, spend your evening at the Shanghumugham Beach, said to be the best place to catch the play of light and shade. Only two things make hundreds of inland and foreign tourists respond to its virgin appeal; its proximity to the town and its mindblowing scene of the sun slowly bleeding in intricate colours to death. And the stars come out one by one over the sea, as if someone is switching on the lamps from the far reaches of the infinite darkness.