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THIRUVANTHAPURAM (TRIVANDRUM)
| FACTS & FIGURES |
| Language |
Malayalam and English |
| Best time to visit |
September-May |
| STD Code |
0471 |
TOURISTS ATTRACTIONS IN TRIVANDRUM
 A must
on every Thiruvanthapuram tourist itinerary, the Padmanabhaswami
temple with its gopuram (tower) soaring majestically upwards, is
believed to be one of the 108 shrines sacred to the Vaishnavites
in India. Within its hallowed precincts, the main pavilion impresses
with its 400 beautifully carved pillars of granite. The 100-feet-high
gopuram comprises seven stories with each center. The stone basement
of the tower is covered with elaborate sculptures and the masonry
above is replete with ornamental works of figures from the Puranas
and other ancient scriptures. Tapering towards the top, it bears
the statue of Garuda, the vehicle of Lord Vishnu. Inside the temple,
the main shrine is well guarded with a number of massive doors,
and darshan (audience) can be had through the three-door openings
into the sanctum sanctorum.
Besides this magnificent temple, Thiruvanthapuram offers a great
deal more. There is the Observatory to start with, established over
a hundred years ago. Several kings have also built their palaces
in and around the city, each more impressive than the other. Despite
a few attempts at modernity, the city retains its discreet, old-world
charm.
One can visit the Museum with its profusion of gables and turrets.
A repository of fine works of art, the chief attraction here is
the 250-year-old temple car made for Lord Vishnu, artistically designed
and ornamented. Besides this, objects carved out of wood, models
of temple, antique jewelry, etc., make the museum worth a visit.
Lying within the museum compound, Sri Chitra Art Gallery proves
to be an ideal place for art lovers. The piece de resistance is
the large section devoted to the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, an
Indian painter of distinction in the history of the country's modern
art. Besides him, the Indian section also contains works of Rabindranath
Tagore, Jamimi Roy, K. K. Hebar, miniatures from the Rajput and
Mughal schools of painting and the famous Tanjore paintings encrusted
with semi-precious stones. The gallery's collection also includes
paintings from Indonesia, China, and Japan.
Then, of course, a trip to Thiruvanthapuram is incomplete without
a boat-ride on its enchanting backwaters. These waterways teem with
life. It is not surprising, since there are more miles of waterways
in the state-approximately 1,900 km to the 1,000 km of rail. The
landscape is dotted with picturesque palms and thatched huts. One
can be seduced by the panorama of beautiful landscapes, beaches
and waterways, coconut palms and, of course, beautiful, friendly
people.
PLACES AROUND THIRUVANTHAPURAM
Two nearby places worth visiting while in Thiruvanthapuram are
Veli and Shankhumuggam; the former has been converted into a superb
tourist village while the latter boasts of lovely temples and a
huge statue of a mermaid presently being worked upon by a famous
sculptor.
An absolute must is Kovalam that lies barely 18 km away. The beach
is considered one of the finest in the world and provides ingredients
for an ideal holiday. Besides swimming, there are opportunities
for surfing and water skiing-even an exhilarating catamaran ride
into the sea.
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