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| Places of Interest |
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Angengo | Ponmudi
| Agasthyakoodam
| Govt. Observatory | Aruvi Waterfalls | Neyyar Dam &
Lion Safari Park | Neyyar
Wild Life Sanctuary | Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary
| Kovalam Beach | Sankhumugham Beach | Varkala Beach | Akkulam
Lake | Veli
Tourist Village | Aanchunthenghu Fort | Padmanabhapuram Palace
| Kuthiramalika
(Puthenmalika) Palace Museum | Kanakakkunnu
Palace | Koyikkal Palace | Kaudiar Palace | Napier
Museum | The National
History Museum | Chacha Nehru Children's
Museum | The Science and
Technology Museum | Government
Art Museum | Sree Chithira Art Gallery | Places of Worships | Padmanabha Swamy Temple
| Sree Mahadeva Temple |
Attukal Bhagavathy Temple
| Varkala | Beemapalli
| Churches
| Mosques |
|
| The
National History Museum |
| It
is a small museum with a decent collection of stuffed
animals and dolls wearing traditional costumes |
| Chachu
Nehru Children's Museum |
| The
museum has an amazing variety of dolls, in fact
over 2,000 dolls and some rare stamps. Open from
Mondays to Fridays from 10 am to 5 pm. |
| The Science and Technology Museum |
|
It is situated near Hotel Mascot and exhibits scores
of items highlighting science and technology.
There is also a planetarium here.
Open daily 10 am to 5 pm. Closed on Mondays |
| Government
Art Museum |
Top |
|
Located in a beautifully landscaped 80-acre plot,
the Government Art Museum forms part of a park-like
complex which also houses the Sri Chitra Art Gallery
and the Zoological Park at the heart of the city.
The building is an architectural delight, combining
styles of traditional Kerala architecture with
Chinese and Mughal touches. Its 19th c. British
architect, Chisholm, is said to have stirred in
a touch of Brighton as well! The intriguing blend
of colours - pink and blue, banana yellow and
cherry red - merge with red and white lattice
work and mock friezes to create a unique spectacle,
best viewed on weekends when the entire building
is the focus of several spotlights. |
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Inside the museum are several period collections of
bronze statues, treasures, costumes, masks, ancient
jewellery, musical instruments and models, including
one of the Nair joint family residence, the `tharavad'. |
| Sree Chithira
Art Gallery |
Top |
Next
to the museum, this is in a smaller,
traditional building. It houses the
collections of the Travancore ruling
family, and included an interesting
assortment of turn-of-the-century Bengali
school paintings, Rajasthani and Mughal
miniatures. Tanjore paintings, and a
selection of works by a Russian emigrant,
Svetosku Roerich and by Kerala's favorite
artist son, Raja Ravi Varma. The latter's
works include a number of portraits |
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of maharajahs and their families, British
residents and distinguished individuals, and by
studying their faces one gets a glimpse of a part
of Kerala's history.
This
place is open for visitors from 10:00 am - 5:00
pm and remains closed on Mondays & Wednesday
forenoons. |
Places
of Worships |
| Padmanabha Swamy
Temple |
Top |
Renovated in 1733 AD by the then ruler of Travancore, Raja
Marthanda Varma, this holy shrine attracts thousands
of Hindu devotees. Located inside the east fort,
this fascinating temple is the most important
landmark of Thiruvananthapuram. |
The temple portrays both Kerala and the Dravidian styles
of architecture. It is a grand seven storeyed
structure adorned by innumerable stone carvings,
ancient inscriptions and colourful murals. There
are around 324 pillars in the temple corridor. |
The main Deity in this temple is Lord Padmanabha, who reclines
on Anantha, the thousand-headed serpent. The Idol
is about 5.5 mtrs (18 feet) long and is one of
the largest Vishnu deities in India. The Deity
reclines in a large, dimly lit room. You can see
the Lord through three large doors, one revealing
his feet, another his midsection (with Brahma
on the lotus) and the third his chest and head. |
The deity is taken on a procession everyday at 4 p.m. around
the temple. There are several other deities in
the temple including Sita, Rama, Hanuman, Krishna
and Narasimha. There is a huge temple tank called
Padma Teertham outside the temple. |
Only Hindus are allowed to enter the temple and they too
have to strictly follow the dress code, which
is dhoti for the men and a saree for the women.
The temple remains open from 4:15 am - 5:15 am,
6:45 am - 730 am, 8:30 am - 10:30 am, 11:30 am
- 11:45 am, 5:15 pm - 7:30 pm. |
| Sree Mahadeva
Temple |
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| Situated
in Kazhakuttom, this ancient temple is believed
to date back to the 14th century. |
| Attukal
Bhagavathy Temple |
This
temple is situated 2 kms from Thiruvananthapuram
city. This is one of the ancient temples dedicated
to Goddess Bhagavathy, attracting thousands of
devotees from all over the region. This temple
is famous for 'Pongala Utsavam'. |
| Varkala |
It is an important Hindu centre of pilgrimage. The 2000 year
old Sree Janardhana Swamy Temple and the Nature
Care Centre are the two main attractions here.
The final resting place of the great social reformer,
Sree Narayana Guru, Sivagiri is near Varkala.
Besides this, Varkala is a seaside resort. 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, came to be known
as the Papanasham Beach (Papanasham means redemption
from sins). |
| Beemapalli |
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A shrine dedicated to the memory of Beema Beevi, a pious
muslim lady endowned with extra ordinary powers,
is situated about 5 km south west of Thiruvananthapuram
city. |
| Churches |
St. joseph Church, Palayam Christ Church, Palayam LMS Church,
Palayam Lourdes Church, Near PMG Jn. Pentacostal
Church, Charachira |
| Mosques |
| Jama
Masjid, Palayam Mosque, Thampanoor |
Top |
