Located at the South Western tip of India, Thiruvananthapuram (earlier known as Trivandrum) is the capital city of Kerala. The name Thiruvananthapuram derived from the words 'Tiru Ananta Puram', i.e. the abode of the sacred serpent Ananta.It is the most gorgeous seaside city built on seven hills. Thiruvananthapuram basically an ancient city dating back to 1000 B.C. In 1750, it became the capital of Raja of Travancore. It is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the West and Tamil Nadu on the East.
The clean white sandy beaches of Thiruvananthapuram with its azure water will arouse a temptation to hold this beautiful world of peace. People often think that theses famous beaches must be like Goa beach, as it they attract millions of tourists every year. The most interesting part is that beaches are made for the people of all ages specially the age group that covers middle to old age. You can say that Thiruvananthapuram or Trivandrum is like the combo offer, which includes the combination of beauty and intelligence, the exotic and the heavenly touch, the Ayurvedic massages and pleasure and beaches and lagoons.
Now let’s explore the major places of attraction in Thiruvananthapuram.
Now let’s explore the major places of attraction in Thiruvananthapuram.
This place is famous for its famous beach Kovalam Beach. Situated about 16 kms away from Thiruvananthapuram this internationally renowned Beach Resort is a picture perfect tropical beach with its warm exotic touch of freshness and peace. Kovalam basically was a hippy idyll and gradually converted to one of the marvelous tourist destination with the initiative of Maharaja of Travancore.The word "Kovalam" means a orchard of coconut trees and one can realize this by stepping in to this land of extra ordinary scenic beauty. The white sent beach with the touch of these coconut trees is looks like a diamond peace, glazing in a furtive manner under the sun to catch the tourists’ attention. It is the combination of three crescent shaped beaches like the southernmost Lighthouse Beach, the Northern most crescent and Hawa Beach. The Lighthouse Beach is the most popular of the three - it has hotels, restaurants, decent lodges on the seashore itself. Kovalam is the main center of Ayurveda spas. At the Scientific School of Yoga and Massage you can enjoy a 1and a 1/2-hour Ayurvedic plus Swedish massage. During snorkeling one can enjoy the marvelous underwater views.
Shree Padhmanabhaswamy temple, a 2000 years old temple of Lord Vishnu, is the blend of the Kerala and Dravidian styles of architecture and sculpture. It is consider as one among the 108 sacred Vishnu Temples in India. Here you can find Lord Vishnu reclines in the posture of 'Ananthashayanam' on the coiled serpent ‘Anantha’. This temple is famous for its Mural paintings and rich stone carvings. It has a large tank beside it where devotees take their ritual bath before perform puja.
Next place of interest is the Kuthiramalika Palace Museum that was built by the King of Travancore Maharaja Swathi Thirunal Balarama Varma. He brought hundreds of efficient sculptors from Tanjore to build this magnificent Palace. This palace attracts the attention of visitors for its rare specimen of workmanship in its roofs. The museum is the preservation center of the paintings and various priceless collections of the royal family.
Another popular museum in Thiruvananthapuram is the Napier Museum. This is the museum of 19th century which as a unique natural air-conditioning system. This is the house of a rare collection of archaeological artifacts which is consists of bronze idols, ancient ornaments, ivory carvings etc. In the architecture of this museum you can see the Chinese and Mughal influences with traditional Kerala styles.
Chitra Art Gallery is a place where the selected paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, Nicholas Roerich and Nicholas Roerich are there. These painting collections also include the different paintings from China, Japan, Tibet and Bali.
Shanghumukham Beach, just 8 km away from the main town this is adjacent to Trivandrum airport. If you are a sunset lover then this place will be the best option for you. The most interesting part is its 35-m long sculpture of mermaid- the matsya kanyaka (local name) and a starfish shaped restaurant.
Situated at 80-18000 meter above sea-level and 32 kms away from the Thiruvananthapuram,Neyyar Dam & Lion Safari Park is situated which is the extension of Kallikad Tiger Reserve and Mudanthura Wild life Sanctuary of Tamilnadu. It is famous for its lake with crystal clear water where boating facility is also there. But the main attraction of this place is its Lion Safari where you will get a view of different animals roaming in the heavy forest. Here one can see the rare species of Nilgiri Tahr and Nilgiri Langur along with other animals like. Elephants, Gaur, Sloth Bear etc.
Next destination is a popular cone shaped peak of the Western Ghats. It is said that this place was the home of sage Agastya Muni. The heavy forest of Agasthyakoodam is the abode of rare medicinal herbs. If you are interested in watching birds then this would be the beat place for you to enjoy. In this place you can see the most rare variety of flower called Neelakurinji, it is a flower which blooms only once in twelve years.
To purify your body and the soul from all the sins, a dip in the holy water of Papanasam Beach will give you the total satisfaction. The name of the beach derived from the word 'Papanashini’ that means the destroyer of all sins. Thousands of tourists come every day to take a dip to the water and to offer a ritual called 'Vavu Bali', it is a ritual that perform to show honour to the departed souls of the family. It is also known as Varkala beach. This is also a resort where you can enjoy the magnificent view of white sandy beach. The 2000 year old Janardana Swamy Temple is another major attraction of the beach.
Veli Tourist Village, it is the point where the most popular Veli Lake meets the Arabian Sea. Located just 8 km from Thiruvananthapuram city, this village is bordered by the Veli lagoon by a narrow sand bar. It is a very popular picnic spot in Kerala. It is a waterfront park with a large inland lake constructed in 18 acre of land with a floating bridge connecting the village to the beach and a floating restaurant. For children it is like a heaven of enjoyment where there is a tiny lake within the park for very little kids. Pedal boats are also available to explore the place silently.
You can visit another wild life sanctuary known as Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary. It is a little away from Thiruvananthapuram i.e. situated at 50 km north-east of the city. Dotted with lots of beautifully maintained hillocks and numerous hills this sanctuary is famous for its rich variety of flora and fauna. A boat ride on the large natural stream of water that running in the sanctuary is like a journey with adventure.About 18 km from the mail city, Koyikkal Palace is situated. It is an ancient palace of 15th century that related to the history of Kerala. Here you can see the two museums and a numismatics (collection of coins) that set up by the Department of Archaeology, Kerala.
You can visit another wild life sanctuary known as Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary. It is a little away from Thiruvananthapuram i.e. situated at 50 km north-east of the city. Dotted with lots of beautifully maintained hillocks and numerous hills this sanctuary is famous for its rich variety of flora and fauna. A boat ride on the large natural stream of water that running in the sanctuary is like a journey with adventure.About 18 km from the mail city, Koyikkal Palace is situated. It is an ancient palace of 15th century that related to the history of Kerala. Here you can see the two museums and a numismatics (collection of coins) that set up by the Department of Archaeology, Kerala.
Now lets check the most interesting thing for every traveler that is, what to buy in Thiruvananthapuram.Kerala is famous for it’s excellent local handicrafts items that include the different statue or the statue of Gods and Goddess made of brassware, terracotta, shell work etc. At every popular tourists spots you can get the exclusive range of local handicraft items. Along with the metal works, the coir products of Kerala are equally famous.The most unique craft item here is items made out of coconut shells. You can buy the world famous wooden "Kathakali" face. Different variety of saris is also available in the market which is famous in India. These saris are the perfect combinations of simplicity and beauty and are recognized by their golden jari borders. Most of the shops are available in M.G Road. Khadi Emporium in M.G Road and Karalkada in Karalkada Junction are some of the well known shops.
You won’t face any kind of problem related to accommodations in Thiruvananthapuram as this place you can take hotels of any range from budget to luxury. For site seeing also lots of private tour operators are there but it is better to take the Govt. tours of KTDC (Kerala Tourism Development Corporation). Now a day’s online bookings for holiday packages or hotels are also available, so one can avail that also from the sites like travelguru.com, yatra.com etc. How to reach:- By Air: Thiruvananthapuram International airport is just 6 km away from the heart of the city. It is well connected with all other major airports like Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai etc. It connects the different places of Middle East along with some other countries.By Rail:- Lots of trains are available from Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station, which connect this place with all the major cities in India like Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Guwahati etc. By Water: Though this service is rare, boats are extensively used to connect many places within the state of Kerala. By Road: The superfine national highway connecting all the towns of Kerala and also the towns of nearby states. KSRTC, Thampanoor bus terminal is the Central Bus Station from where all the Long distance buses depart.
If you are planning to visit this place of God’s own country then the season has already started. The best time to visit this place is during the months of September to February.
