Trivandrum, also known as Thiruvananthapuram, is the capital of Kerala and is a sea-side city built on seven hills. It was the capital of the erstwhile Travancore state under the reign of Raja Marthanda Varma and has retained its magical ambience. The city is at its best during the festivals held in the Padmanabhaswamy temple in the month of March-April and also in Sept-Oct.
Local attractions
Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple
This renowned temple is in the heart of the city. Only Hindus are allowed inside the temple. Built in the Dravidian style with a magnificent seven-tiered tower, it is an eye-catching landmark of the city.
Napier Museum
Houses an attractive range of exhibits including ancient musical instruments, bronzes, stone sculptures, ivory carvings etc. A model of the typical Nair joint family dwelling can also be seen here. (Nair is a caste in Kerala)
Sri Chitra Art Gallery
This is attached to the museum. Contains paintings of Ravi Verma, a royal scion of Kerala. There are also several paintings of the Roerichs.
Zoological Gardens
It is acclaimed as one of the best zoos in the country. It has an interesting collection of reptiles. Open from 8 a.m to 6 p.m. Monday is the weekly holiday.
Veli
Noted for its scenic beauty and quiet atmosphere, this is a lake situated at a distance of 3 kms from the airport. There is also provision for boating here.
How to get to Trivandrum:
Indian Airlines has a net work of flights to and from Trivandrum connecting all the major metropolitan cities of India. Air-India also operates Gulf flights to and from Trivandrum. One can travel to Male, Colombo and Lakshadweep Islands on Indian Airlines flights.
Trivandrum is linked by rail to places within Kerala as also Madras, Bangalore, New Delhi, Bombay, Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Mangalore.
By road, long distance buses run between Trivandrum and Madras, Mysore, Mangalore, Nagercoil, Bangalore etc. Video coaches run between these cities but equip yourself with a pair of ear-clogs.
Trivandrum is at a distance of 790 kms from Madras and Kanyakumari is only 87 kms away.
