Thiruvanathapuram the capital city of kerala has got a very prominent place in the tourism map of kerala as an international tourist destination.The city has got several international tourist spots which inculdes the calm and quite beaches to traditional and historic attractions.The city attracts thousands of domestic as well as international tourists every year.Coming to the history of Thiruvanathapuram the name comes from the idol of God Vishnu 'the place of the sacred serpent'. The major Tourist destinations are

Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple:

Thiruvananthapuram’s most interesting temple is open to Hindus only, and even they must wear a dhoti or sari. Still, it’s worth visiting, even if you’re just passing through town, to see the temple’s seven storey carved gopuram (gateway tower) reflected in the nearby sacred tank.

Constructed in the Dravidian style by the maharaja of Travancore in 1733, the temple is dedicated to Vishnu, who reclines on the sacred serpent, Ananda, which gives Thiruvananthapuram its name. The temple’s image of the reclining Vishnu is over 6m long and is viewed in three sections through three doors. A lotus grows form Vishnu’s navel and Brahma resides in the lotus, symbolizing the new age.

Legends tell of a shrine in Thiruvananthapuram as far back as 3000 years ago but the current temple dates from the reign of Marthanda Varma (1729 – 58) who pledged to have it rebuilt even before he came to office. On becoming raja he set about the task, with the construction said to have taken only seven months in 1733. The mammoth project was said to have been completed so quickly by using 100 elephants and 10 times as many artisans and building workers. The main hall, the Kulashkara Mandapa, containing sculputures and murals, is supported by more than 360 granite pillars.In early November some of the temple’s images, including that of Sri Padmanabha are taken to Shanghumugham Beach for ritual bathing at sunset. The elaborate procession to the Arabian Sea is escorted by members of the Tavancore royal famly as well as armed constabulary. The procession returns at night in a torch lit parade. The festivities surrounding the rituals include all night Kathakali performances.

Contact number : 0471 - 2450233

Puthen Maliga Palace Museum:

The Puthe Maliga  Museum, adjacent to the temple is housed in several wings of the 200 year old palace of the maharajas of the Travancore. Notable mostly for its wonderful Kerlan architecture, the museum also offers a rare glimpse into the formal and private lives of one of India’s most celebrated royal families. It took 5000 workers four years to complete and the maharaja only lived three for one year! Many of the exhibits are items that reflect the spice trade with china and Europe. There are two ornate thrones, one made entirely of Bohemian crystal.It’s open form 8.30 am to 12.30 pm and 3.30 to 5.30 pm daily except Monday; entry is Rs 15 plus Rs 25 for a camera but note that photography is not permitted within the building. The palace hosts a classical music festival from 27 January to 3 February tickets fro the festival can be purchased at the museum.

Contact number : 0471 - 2473952

Visiting Hours (Monday Holiday)

      8:30am      -      1:30pm
      3:30am      -      5:30pm

Entry Fee       -     Rs10/- for Adults & Rs3/- for Children

CVN Kalari Sangham:

In East Fort, near the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple, is a small but remarkable building which is part training centre part temple and part hospital. The CVN Kalari Sangham was built in 1956. Its founders played a significant role in the revival of  Kalarippayattu the traditioinal martial art of Kerala, believed to be the forerunner of all eastern martial arts and integral to the technical development of all other performing arts in Kerala. Training sessions can be viewed for free between 7.00 and 8.30 am daily except Sunday. Ayurvedic treatment for ailments (especially soft tissue injuries) is available form 9.30 am to 12.30 pm and 4.30 to 6.30 pm Monday  to Saturday and 9.30 am to 12.30 pm on Sunday.

Contact number : 0471 - 2474182

The Kanakakunnu Palace:

The Kanakakunnu Palace,situated near the Napier Museum in Thiruvananthapuram, is one of the last vestiges of the colonial era. Kanakakunnu Palace is a testimony to grand times and the resort of kings. This palace was constructed during the reign of His Highness Sree Moolam Thirunal. Swati Tirunal, one of the most popular rulers, of the erstwhile princely state of Travancore, modified the palace and constructed tennis courts in the palace premises. He once used it as a summer retreat. This stunning piece of architectural excellence was used by the Travancore royal family to entertain their guests in the earlier days. The interiors are decorated with large crystal chandeliers and exquisite pieces of royal furniture.
The Palace situates on the crest of a small hill surrounded will meadows and grooves. The Palace is a perfect example for the artistic quality of the people of Thiruvananthapuram.

The Kanakakunnu Palace was constructed in the reign of the Travancore King, Hiss Highness Sree Moolam Tirunal (1885-19240). The Palace was the main venue for Royal banquets. Later Hiss Highness Sree Chithira Tirunal modified the Palace and constructed tennis courts in the palace premises.This stunning piece of architectural excellence was used by the Travancore royal family to entertain their guests in the earlier days.

Veli Tourist Village:

This well designed park contains fine sculputures by the artist Kanai Kunchuraman.

The sculptures portray a distinctive sense of balace and harmony sometimes combined with the erotic. The aritist has played a significant role in the evolution of kealan sculpture by removing it from its traditional architectural environment and placing it in shores of veli Lagoon 8 km west of the city centre. It’s open from 10 am to 6 pm daily. For the less pensive there are boats for hire as well. . Hardly 3kms from the airport, the youth hostel at Veli provides inexpensive dormitory type accommodation.

Contact number : 0471 - 2500785

Entrance        :    8am to 7pm

Entry Fee       :    Rs 5/- for Adults

Boating time  :    10am to 6pm

Rate               :    Rs25/- for normal boating
                            Rs250/- for speed boating

Shanghumugham Beach:

At this beach 8 km west of the city, criminals were allegedly once tossed to caged tigers while crowds gathered on surrounding balconies to watch the gruesome spectacle. The stmosphere has changed a bit since. Today it’s a plesant place to walk and watch fishermen bring in their catch. A large sculpture of a mermaid by Kanai Kunjuraman stands by the roadside. During temple festivals the beach is the site of the bathing rituals of the temple idols

Other Attractions:

The zoo and a collection of museums are in a park in the north of the city.

Housed in a whimsical decaying Keralan style building dating from 1880, the Napier Museum has an eclectic display of bronzes, historical and contemporary ornaments, temple carts, ivory carvings and life size figures of Kathakali dancers, resplendent in full costume.

The Natural History Museum has a basic ethnographic collection as well as an interesting replica of a tharawad a traditional wooden residence of the Nair warrior caste.

The sri Chitra Art Gallery has paintings of the Rajput, Mughal and Tanjore schools as well as works afrom China, Tibet Japan and Bali. There are also many modern Indian Paintings, including works by Raja Ravi Varma and Svetoslav and Nicholas Roerich.

The museums are open from 10 am to 5 pm Tuesday to Sunday. A single rs 5 entry ticket convers all the museums and is obtainable from the Natural History Museum.

The Zoological Gardens are among the best designed in Asia and are set among woodland, lakes and well maintained lawns. However, some of the animal enclosures are miserable. The zoo is open from 9 am to  5.15 pm Tuesday to Saturday. Entry is Rs   and there’s and additional Rs   charge for a camera or Rs   for a video camera.

The Science and Technology Museum and Planetarium, about 100m west of the Mascot Hotel, cater mostly to high school science students. The museum is oopen from 10 am to 5 pm daily and entry is Rs   . The planetarium has 40 minute shows in English at noon daily Rs.   Except Monday, when its closed.

The Zoo:

The Trivandrum Zoo[1]is located in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram city, the capital of Kerala, India. It is one among the well designed in Asia and is set amidst a woodland, lakes and lawns. Thiruvananthapuram Zoo, one of the oldest in the country, was established as an annexe to the Museum (Napier Museum)in 1857 by the erstwhile Maharaja of Travancore in order to attract more visitors[1]. This Zoo was originally set up for recreational purpose only. But with more and more loss of forest and wildlife in the process of human development, the goal of the Zoo changed from recreation to conservation. Today Zoos are seen as the last resort for endangered animals and birds. The Central Zoo Authority established in 1992 under the Ministry of Environment and Forest of India, enforces uniform management code to all the Zoos in the country and provide financial and technical support for the Zoos.

pread over in 55 acres of land located in the heart of the temple city of Thiruvananthapuram, the Zoo offers a rare opportunity for the visitors to experience and enjoy an unparalleled picturesque and panoramic sylvan surroundings besides vivid animal collections. The Zoo has 75 different species of animals not only from India but from abroad also. It also has several species of animals and birds from Ethiopian and Australian Zoo geographic regions. The Lion tailed Macaque, Nilgiri Langur, Indian Rhino, Asiatic Lion, Royal Bengal Tiger, Leopord are prominent among the indigenous endangered fauna. Giraffe, Hippo, Zebra, Cape Buffalo are the guests from African region. It will usher in a new era with the completion of the ongoing modernisation works in the Zoo. Thrilling encounters with the animals out in their open air landscapes can also be experienced.

Ponmudi & The Cardamom Hills:

Ponmudi, a small hill resort just 61 km north-east of Thiruvananthapuram makes for a plesant day trip or overnight excursion. That said there is not a lot to do here other than walk in the lightly wooded hills and valleys, frequent the beer parlour or just enjoy the slight relief from the humid coastal climate. The sad lookingdeer park is hardly an attraction. The journey to Ponmudi through banana, rice, rubber, teak, and finally tea and pepper plantations, provides glimpses of the rugged village life in the hills and along the picturesque banks of the Kalar River.

There are good views here, tough perhaps not as spectacular as those further north in the Ghats. Accommodation in the Government Guesthouse (0471 – 890 230) is arranged by ringing the manager. Rooms and cottages cost from Rs. 250 to Rs. 600 for two people. The KTDC runs the restaurant and beer parlour, as well as a small snack bar near the guesthouse rooms.

The mix of lightly populated hills, carloads of young men from the city and a ber suggests that women travelers should exercise due care, especially on weekends.On the road to Ponmudi you will pass the turn-off to Neyyar Dam and the surrounding Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary has a lion park and a crocodile breeding park. These are popular for picnics and day trips. Boats to view deer and other wildlife on an island in the dam are Rs 10 and Rs 40 (depending on the size of the boat) The Agastya garden Hills Resort (0471 – 273151) is a basic but clean little resort, whose friendly owner runs walks through the wildlife sanctuary. Contact the owner about rates and getting there

Neyyar Dam:

The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Dhanwantari Ashram (0472 – 273093) established in 1978, conducts hatha yoga courses. Costs for a two – week course range from Rs. 3000 to 4000 depending on the type of accommodation. Prices include tuition and all meals. Advance booking is required.

Contact number : 0471 - 2272182

Visiting Time (Monday Holiday)
       9.30am to 4pm

Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary:

It is a small (53 sq km) reserve which is best accessed from Ponmudi and for which you will need your own transport. The sanctuary offers good bird-watching and the possibility of seeing bigger fauna.

Contact number : 0472 - 2892344

Aruvikkara:

Aruvikkara, 16 km north – east of Thiruvananthapuram, can be visited in route to Ponmudi. This is the source of the city’s water supply, and there’s a small temple here dedicated to Parvati . From her inner shrine, via several open doors, she surveys the Karamana

River as it surges across some massive rocks. Just down from the temple, in a calmer section of the river, people feed rice and other delicacies to sacred fish. It’s a nice spot to relax on the rocks, picnic and feed the fish. Boys sell edibles for the fish so you can contribute to the feeding frenzy.

In late February the 10 day women only Pongala Utsavam festival is held here. On the ninth day thousands of women enter the temple and prepare pongala by cooking jaggery, coconut kernels and plantain. At midday the head priest, holding the goddess sword, blesses devotees by sprinkling them with flowers and holy water.

Oriental Research Institute & Manuscripts Library:

At Kariavattom, 15 km north the Thiruvananthapuram the library at the University of Kerala is reputed to hold over 65,000 palm leaf manuscripts, as well as writings on copper plate, birch bark and paper. The collection spans subjects from medicine to philosophy and astrology, and the writings of almost every notable ancient Malayali and Sanskrit writer are held here.

The library was founded by the  Travancore maharajas over a century ago to collect and store valuable manuscripts. It moved to this site in 1982. As well as Keralan palm leaves the library has leaves from other parts of India and countries such as Myanmar, Nepal and Indonesia. It’s an important base for research and scholarshop. The library is open from 10.30 to 4 pm daily except Sunday, Holidays and every second Saturday. Regular buses come here from the municipal bus stand in Thiruvananthapuram.

Contact number : 0471 - 2418421

Working Hours
      10am to 4pm
Holidays
      Second Saturday, Fourth Saturday and Public Holidays

Padmanabhapuram Palace:

This place was once the seat of the rulers of the princely state of Travancore, which included a large part of persent-day Kerala and the western coast of Tamil Nadu.

The place is superbly constructed of local teak and granite, and stands within massive stone walls. The oldest parts of the palce date from AD 1550/ The architecture is exquisite, with rosewood ceilings carved in floral patterns, windows laid with jewel coloured mica, and floors finished to a high polish with a special compound of crushed shells, coconuts, egg white and the juices of local plants.

The 18 th-century murals in the puja room on the upper floors have been beautifully preserved, and  surpass even those at Mattancherry in Kochi. Ask your guide or at the curator’s office for special access. You will have to wait around until any tour groups have left the vicinity and you will probably have to help the guide open the heavy trapdoor entrance.

The place was occupied from 1550 to 1790, when the raja moved to Thiruvananthapuram. Of the 14 rajas that occupied this palace, the 13 th Marthanda Varma, was the place to Vishnu and changed its former name, Kalkulam, to the present mouthful.

Chineses traders sold tea and bought spices here for centuries and their legacy is evident  throughout the palace. There are intricately carved rosewood chairs, screens and ceilings as well as large Chinese pickle jars. With its banqueting halls, audience chamber, women’s quarters, recruiting  courtyard and galleries the palace shouldn’t be missed if you are visiting this part of the country, The palace is open from 9 am to 4.30 Tuesday to Saturday.

Contact number : 04651 - 250255

Koyikkal Palace:

Located 18 kms from Thiruvananthapuram, on the way to the Ponmudi Hill Station and the Kuttalam Waterfalls, this ancient place that dates back to the 15th century is famous In the history of Kerala, as the official residence of Perakom Thavazhi (The maternal lineage), especially of Umayamma Rani of the Venad Royal family. Here, one can see a double storeyed traditional Nalukettu building with slanting gabled roofs, an inner courtyard and two museums of folklore and numismatics set up by the Department of Archaeology. The 'Gajendra Moksham' Mural, which is one of the larges mural paintings in Kerala, is seen on the ground floor of the Palace. A museum with antique sculptures, paintings and bronzes is housed inside the building. The palace is situated 47 kms from Alleppey.

Contact number : 0472 -2812136

Visiting Hours (Monday Holiday)
       9am to 4.30pm
Entry Fees      :  Rs10 for Adults
                           Rs5 for Children upto 12 years

Kowdiar Palace:

The home of the late Maharaja Sree Chitra Thirumal Bal Rama Varma and his family is off limits to visitors but one can have a glimpse, from the main gate. If a friendly guard is on duty he will let you walk a bit inside the grounds where you can get a view of the grand old building at the end of its long drive

Kovalam:

Thirty years ago Kovalam was a hippy idyll a picture perfect tropical beach a traditional Keralan fishing village providing fresh fish, fruit and toddy and about as far from decadent  Western civilization as you could get and still hear Jim, Janis and Jimi. It is no longer the mellow backpackers hag-out catering to budget travelers that it once was. Today this tiny beach is the focus of a multimillion dollar business, ferring thousands fo tourists from Britain and Europe on chartered jumbos for a two-week dose of ozone, UV and a sanitized Indian experience.

The result has been an influx of some getrich-quick merchants, chaotic beachfront development, an uncontrollable avanlanche of garbage, exorbitant price, desperate souvenir sellers and hordes of ogling sightseers. All of which threatens to destroy the ambience that made Kovalam so attractive in the first place.

But while it’s far from paradise, Kovalam retains a certain charm and it is still a popular destination with backpacking travelers craving some rest and recreation on the long haul across the subcontinent. The beaches are generally safe and clean, and the powerful Arabian Sea swells are inviting and invigorating. There’s little local colour left in the village behind the beach, though local fishermen still sail their boats out to sea each night.

Kovalam has an overabundance of palace to stay, ranging from cheap concrete boxes to five star resorts, and there’s an equally wide range of restaurants, many tuned in to the standard Asia travelers menu.

Vizhinjam (Historic and Ancient port):

About 15 kms from Thiruvananthapuram and 2 kms South of Kovalam, this is a historic spot, which was left unnoticed for a long time. It was once, the capital of Ayvel Kings of the 8th and 9th century. The only thing there, that has with stood time, is a rock temple, assigned to the period of the Cheras, because of strong influence of the Pallava Pandya architecture. The rock temple is just a little way off the main junction, and is a protected monument under the Archeological Survey of India. Vizhinjam is also believed to have been an ancient port, long time ago. The Portuguese and the Dutch had commercial establishments here. Vizhinjam is being developed as a modern fishing harbour, with a lighthouse.

Vizhinjam Marine Aquarium:

It is 3 kms from Kovalam. The Marine Aquarium houses the world's rarest and most exotic species of invertebrates and fish.The aquarium which houses a rich treasure of marine wealth has perfected the Image Pearl production technique, by which a mould of any shape made of shell cement is implanted into the pearl oyster. In 2-3 months a pearl in the shape of the mould will be ready.

Contact number : 0471 - 2480224

Visiting Time  :       9am to 6pm

Entry Fees      :       Rs20 for Adults
                                Rs10 for Children

Agasthyakoodam (Famous peak):

About 1869 metres above sea level, Agasthyakoodam is a prominent peak in the Sahyadari ranges of the Western Ghats and can be approached on foot from Bonacadu, which is 61 kms away from Thiruvananthapuram. Tradition says that the great sage, Agasthya, had his abode in this peak. The place is also noted for its abundant Ayurvedic herbs.

Contact number :

      City Office Ph   : 0471 - 2360762
     

Anchuthengu (Historical Place):

Situated 40 kms north of Thiruvananthapuram, along the seacoast Anchuthengu is a place of historic importance. IT was here, that the first settlement of English East India Company was established in 1864 AD. Historically the limits of the area were up to where five coconut palms stood. Anchuthengu Anjengo, was given on lease to the company by the king of Travancore for trade purpose. The remains of the old English fort, which had withstood many a siege, can be seen here even today.

Ganapathy Temple:

Also in East Fort  is the Ganapathy Temple, the largest of several temples dedicated to Ganesh in the city. Its is worth a visit in the early morning before the traffic empletely dominates the senses. The sound of temple bells, the ritual smashing of coconuts and the smell of incense are magical, but all to fleeting as the chaos on MG Road gets into full swing.

Ph:0471 - 2461929

Neyyattinkara (Historical Place):

Neyyattinkara is an ancient town, situated about 20 kms, south east of Thiruvananthapuram. The Sree Krishna Swami Temple, founded by King Marthanda Varma is of historical importance. Within the premises of the temple, there is a historic jack fruit tree, known as Ammachi Plavu, in the hollow of which, Marthanda Varma is believed to have hid himself and escaped death at the hand of enemies.