Tranquil Trivandrum

The seat of power of the erstwhile Tiruvankode or Travancore kingdom, Tiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), is truly an amazing place. Built on seven hills between the Arabian sea and the western ghats, the capital city of God’s own country, clad in its green attire looks stunning and refreshing. For a tourist’s eyes, it is paradise. With lots of places in and around the city vying for attention, a single day would not be sufficient to take in the beauties, the city has to offer.

The Kovalam beach is a big attraction. Situated about 16 kms from the city center, this village attracts tourists from various parts of the world. Lots of tourists stay in the resorts which offer Panchakarma and other Ayurvedic treatments, at Kovalam, rather than in the main city of Trivandrum. The beach here has almost black coloured sand, is crescent shaped and has lots of rocky outcrops. Innumerable coconut palms, line the entire area.

Waves crashing against rocks at the Kovalam beach

Black coloured sand from the Kovalam beach.

Nearer to the city is the white sanded Sankhumugham beach. It is situated very near to the Trivandrum international airport. The open balconied Indian Coffee house here, allows one to savour a beautiful evening watching the unending waves, while enjoying good food and coffee. Not far from Sankhumugham is the Veli lake and tourist village. A lagoon separated from the sea by a thin stretch of sand, the Veli lake can be explored on boats. This lake is a starting point for backwaters which flow inland to form the Akkulam lake inside the city, another tourist spot.

Sankhumukham beach

Veli lake (lagoon)

The temple of Anantha Padmanabhaswamy, probably the richest Hindu temple in the world (after the discovery of underground vaults containing lots of gold), is another attraction. Visitors are allowed to enter the temple only in traditional wear – sarees or lehangas for women/girls and mundus or dhoties for men/boys. Mundus are available for rent outside the temple, for those wearing trousers, salwar kameez or other western outfits. The temple is open only in certain time intervals, throughout the day.  The sanctum sanctorum contains the idol of Lord Padmanabha in a reclining position. Three doors are present in front of the idol. The first door reveals the head part, the second door the torso and the third door, the feet of the idol. The outer walls of the sanctum sanctorum are adorned with mural paintings.

Near the temple is located the ‘Puthen malika palace’ museum. The palace built, in the traditional Kerala architecture, has a number of horses carved in wood, which support the roof. It is therefore also known as ‘Kuthira malika’. Apart from the many assets of the royal family like thrones, armaments and other artefacts, this museum contains the many musical instruments of the great musician-composer king ‘Swathi Tirunal’. Swathi Tirunal Rama varma, who lived for only 33years, was a great scholar well versed in many languages and subjects. “Bhaavayaami raghu raamam” which depicts the entire story of the Ramayana in a single song, well known by M.S.Subbulakshmi’s rendering of it, is a specimen of his genius.

Speaking of museums brings us to the Trivandrum museum complex. The complex houses four or five buildings of which, the Napier museum and the Sri Chitra art gallery are not to be missed. The Napier museum building is in itself a wonderful piece of architecture reflecting Kerala’s unique cultural heritage. It houses many artefacts, of which intricately carved ivory figurines are a must watch. The Sri Chitra art gallery has a great collection of paintings by various famous artists. The original paintings by Raja Ravi varma which include “Damayanthi talking to a swan”, “Mohini – Rukmangada”, “Shakuntala” etc. are a real treat to the eyes. Another set of paintings that needs mentioning is the set by the Russian father son duo – Nicolas Roerich and Svetoslav Roerich. The paintings which are in different hues of blue, make one want to watch them forever. Incidentally Svetoslav Roerich happens to be the spouse of Devika rani Roerich, the first recipient of the Dada saheb Phalke award.

In the museum compound itself, lies the entrance to the Trivandrum zoo. The oldest zoo of Asia, it is home to many species of animals from across the world.  What makes the zoo visit interesting is the variety of flora it offers. Tall trees towering into the sky, lush landscapes make it one of the most beautiful zoos in India.

A description of Trivandrum is by no means complete with just the above. Probably I may have to come back with another post to cover more about it and other places nearby. Anyone visiting Trivandrum would come back from there happy, refreshed and with a yearning to come back there again.