| Trivandrum, the capital
of beautiful Kerala lies in the southwest coast of India.
The city is officially known as Thiruvananthapuram. The
city gets its name from the word, Thiruvananthapuram,
meaning the city of Anantha or the abode of the sacred
Serpent Anantha on which Lord Vishnu, the preserver of
the Hindu trinity, reclines. Trivandrum is a beautiful
seaside city built on seven hills. The city of Trivandrum
has a prominent history. Trade had started in the place
as far back as 190 AD. It was the capital of the erstwhile
Travancore state. After independence, it was made the
capital of Kerala.
Being a coastal city, Trivandrum has a tropical climate.
Although the place encounters sultry climate during
summer, tourists start flocking in from moonsoon onwards.
The temperature becomes very soothing during winters.
Accommodation and Connectivity
Thiruvananthapuram has an international airport. Apart
from the national destinations, the city is also connected
to international destinations like Colombo, Malé,
Singapore and cities of Arabian Gulf. Thiruvananthapuram
is well connected to most other places of India by train.
Being the capital city, road communication to the place
is excellent. Trivandrum also has very good accommodation
facilities to suit all income groups.
Padmanabhaswami Temple
A shrine sacred to the Vaishnavites, the Padmanabhaswami
temple is thronged by devotees from all over the country.
The main attraction of the temple are its 400 beautifully
carved pillars of granite and a 100-feet-high gopuram.
One can enter the sanctum sanctorum through a three-door
opening. Many palaces also adorn the landscape of the
place.
The Observatory and Museum
The observatory of Trivandrum also attracts many tourists.
The Museum at Trivandrum may be regarded as a rich repository
of our ancient culture and heritage. Tourists make a
great rush to see the ancient temple models and jewellery
kept here.
Sri Chitra Art Gallery
Lovers of art can go straight to Sri Chitra Art Gallery
which displays the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, the
Indian painter whose paintwork attracted the attention
of world community towards India. The Indian section
of the gallery also displays the paintings of Rabindranath
Tagore, K. K. Hebar, Jamimi Roy and a few others.
The Backwater Boat Rides
A trip to Thiruvananthapuram is regarded as incomplete
without a boat-ride on its sparkling backwaters.The
backwater banks are dotted with picturesque palm trees
and thatched huts.
Health Tourism - the Resorts and Ayurvedic Centres
Another of Trivandrum's attraction is its famous health
resorts and specialised centres of ayurveda. International
tourists also come in great numbers to avail the famous
ayurvedic treatment here.
Excursion Delights
Veli and Shankhumuggam are two places that are worth
a visit for tourists while in Trivandrum. Veli is a
nice tourist village while the latter has many beautiful
temples and a huge statue of a mermaid. Kovalam beach,
at a distance of 16 km from Trivandrum is considered
one of the finest in the world .
Trivandrum can be summarised as a city that has well
preserved her ancient looks despite improving and modernising
her infrastructure according to the needs of the times.
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