Thiruvananthapuram
Places to Visit Thiruvallam Aruvikkara
Dam Kovalam Beach (16 km - 1/2 hour): This internationally renowned beach resort has been a favourite haunt of tourists since the 1930s. Kovalam consists of three adjacent crescent beaches. The southernmost, known as the Lighthouse Beach, is the most popular. Kovalam offers accommodation options to suit all budgets. Museum
Complex Sree Chithra Art Gallery: Located near the Napier Museum, this art gallery displays 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. The
Zoological Park: 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.
A reptile house with different species of snakes is also located
in the premises. The
Kanakakunnu Palace Science
and Technology Museum Complex Shankhumugham
Beach Chacha
Nehru Children's Museum Observatory Secretariat Kerala
Legislature Complex Veli
Tourist Village Akkulam
Tourist Village Vizhinjam
Rock Cut Cave Koyikkal
Palace, Nedumangad The Folklore Museum set up in 1992 is a treasure house of quaint musical instruments, occupational implements, household utensils, models of folk arts etc. Displayed in the Koyikkal Palace, they focus attention on the cultural background of the State. The Numismatics Museum houses rare and historically valuable coins denoting the trade relations of the State. Sree
Mahadeva Temple Neyyar
Dam Varkala (40 km - 1 1/2 hours): Varkala is a seaside resort and spa. It is also an important Hindu centre of pilgrimage. The final resting place of the great social reformer, Sree Narayana Guru, is near Varkala, atop a hill called Sivagiri. High cliffs with mineral springs rise majestically from the coastline. According to a myth, sage Narada was approached by a group of mendicants who confessed to having sinned. Narada threw his valkkalam (cloth made of the bark of a tree) into the air, and the place where it landed was subsequently named Varkala. The mendicants were directed by Narada to offer their prayers in the newly created place by the seashore. The place where they prayed for redemption, came to be known as the Papanasham Beach ( Papanasham means redemption from sins). The 2000 year old Sree Janardhana Swamy Temple and the Nature Care Centre are the two main attractions here. Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary (50 km from Thiruvananthapuram): This sanctuary spread over 53 sq. km on the Western Ghats, is accessible from Vithurai, which is on the way to Ponmudi. With its rich flora and fauna, Peppara, dotted with hillocks, forests and eucalyptus plantations, is emerging as a great attraction for wildlife enthusiasts. Ponmudi
(61 km - 2 1/2 hours): An idyllic hill resort with narrow, winding
pathways and cool, green, wooded environs, Ponmudi is located 915
metres above sea level. Along with a variety of beautiful mountain
flowers, exotic butterflies, small rivulets, springs and the deer
park nearby, this hill station also has excellent trekking trails.
* Food: KTDC restaurant; the government guesthouse Padmanabhapuram Palace (63 km - 2 1/2 hours. Closed on Mondays): The seat of the erstwhile rulers of Travancore, this splendid palace is situated at Thuckalai, on the way to Kanyakumari. This is a well preserved wooden palace, a glorious testimony to the traditional Kerala school of architecture. The extraordinary murals, exquisite floral carvings and the black glossy granite floor have withstood the test of time. Padmanabha
Swamy Temple Kuthiramalika
(Puthenmalika) Palace Museum Agasthyakoodam:
Part of the Sahyadri range of mountains, Agasthyakoodam is the
second highest peak in Kerala, at a height of 1890 metres above
sea level. Teeming with wildlife, the forests of Agasthyakoodam
abound in rare medicinal herbs and plants and brilliantly hued orchids.
A bird watcher's paradise, this legendary mountain is accessible
by foot from Kotoor, near Neyyar Dam, as also from Bonacaud. The
season from December to April is advocated for trekking, for which
a forest pass has to be obtained from the Wildlife Warden, Forest
Department, PTP Nagar, Thiruvananthapuram. KTDC, Tourist Reception Centre, Thampanoor. Thiruvananthapuram
city (day tour) Thiruvananthapuram
city (half day) Sabarimala
(Sree Ayyappa Temple) Kanyakumari/Cape
Comorin (day tour) Thekkady/Periyar
Wildlife Sanctuary (two days) Munnar
(three days) Ponmudi
(day tour)
|
Earlier
known as Trivandrum is sprawling
over seven hills covered with English government buildings side-by-side
local traditional wooden houses in this seaside capital city. What
does Thiruvananthapuram offer you? True to its composite and cosmopolitan
character, the capital city's attraction's run from museums, art galleries,
temples and zoo's. With a seven stotreyed Gopuram, the Padmanabhaswamy
Temple is the most famous site of the capital city.