Thiruvananthapuram, also known as Trivandrum, was the
former capital of Travancore and is the State Capital today. This
sprawling beautiful city is built on seven hills, and it is known better for
its famous beach resort - at Kovalam (10 Km away) that is recognized to be
amongst the ten best in the world.
Thiruvananthapuram, "the place of the sacred serpent", takes its
name from the idol of Lord Vishnu in the magnificent Padmanabhaswamy temple as
the reclines on the world - supporting serpent, 'Anantha' or 'Adisesha'.
Today, its splendid past is to be seen in its old buildings, most of them
built in wood in the Kerala Style, with tiled roofs and carved gables, in its
botanical garden and Zoo with its quaint museum, in its wide roads and public
buildings and in its lively intellectual life. Some of Kerala's leading
film makers, poets and writers live here. Trivandrum International
Airport is well connected to Colombo, Maldives, Singapore, Middle east, Gulf
countries and rest of the world good.
Thiruvananthapuram, is situated near to the sea, which makes its climate as
tropical. This also gives Trivandrum a very pleasant weather round the
year. Monsoon comes to Trivandrum in the month of May and remains there
until November.
Access
Air: Being the capital of Kerala state, Trivandrum
international Airport is well connected to other major cities and the
neighboring countries
Rail: The city is connected to other important cities of
India and Kerala by trains.
Road: Regular buses are available for the other important
cities of Kerala and neighbors.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER SELECTS KERALA AS 'ONE OF THE 50 MUST SEE
DESTINATIONS OF LIFETIME'
In a special collector's issue released just before the turn of the
century. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER gifted the tourists of the world
with a priceless treasure - a well researched compilation of the 50
destinations of a lifetime. The only Indian destination that featured in
it was KERALA other than the Taj Mahal in the World Wonders section.
Kerala was celebrated as a 'Paradise Found' - One of the ten in the
world. A perfect description for a land renowned as "God's Own
Country". What adds to the charm of its backwaters, beaches,
Ayurveda health holidays, hill stations, wildlife, festivals, monuments and
vibrant art forms, is its amazing social development indices that are on par
with the developed world.
Places To
See
01
SREEPADMANABHA SWAMY TEMPLE:
Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the temple is a blend of the Kerala and Dravidian
Styles of sculpture and architecture. The temple pond and the traditional
Kerala Style buildings surrounding the temple are the other interesting
attractions.
02.
SHREECHITRA ART GALLERY: (Open 1000 - 1700 hrs
daily except on Mondays and Wednesdays forenoons)
This art gallery display select paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, Svetlova and
Nicholas Roerich and exquisite works from the Rajput, Mughal and Tanjore
schools of art in India. The collection also includes paintings from
China, Japan, Tibet and Bali.
03.
THE ZOOLOGICAL PARK: (Open 1000 - 1700 hrs - closed on
Mondays)
One of the first Zoos in India, it is located in a well-planned
botanical garden. With huge trees like frangipani and jacaranda dotting
the sprawling lawns and wild fowl swimming in the lake, it is like a small
jungle in the heart of the city. It houses some of the rare
wildlife.
04.
NAPIERMUSEUM: (Open 1000 - 1700 hrs daily except
on Mondays and Wednesdays forenoons)
The Indo Saracenic Structure dating back to the 19 century boasts of a
"natural" air-conditioning system, houses a rare collection of
archaeological and historical artifacts, bronze idols, ancient ornaments a
temple chariot and ivory carvings.
05.
SHANGHUMUKHAMBEACH:
Adjacent to Trivandrum Airport this beach is a favourite haunt of sunset
watchers. Day time you can see fishermen trying to pull out long fishing
nets from the sea. The other attraction of this area is the 35 m long
sculpture of mermaid and a restaurant chapped like a starfish.
06.
KOVALAMBEACH:
The Kovalam beach situated 16 km, south of Trivandrum City, is one of the
best beaches in India. It's a must see destination of India. On
account of it's natural location, if affords facilities for safe sea bath.
07.
KUMARAKOM:
The village of Kumarakom is a cluster of little islands on the Vembanad
Lake, and this small water world is part of the Kuttanand region. The
bird sanctuary here, which is spread across 14 acres, is a favourite haunt of
migratory birds and an ornithologist's paradise.
08.
AYURVEDA TREATMENT CENTERS:
Classical therapies especially effective for diseases such as rheumatism,
arthritis, spondylosis etc are made available by various institutions. The
classical therapies are also made use of for devising new treatment modalities
to deal with several ailments of the modern man.
