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EVERGREEN CITY OF INDIA

Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) is the capital city of Kerala in Southern India. The city is shares the same name with its district, Thiruvananthapuram, which is one of the 14 districts of Kerala. Referred to by Mahatma Gandhi as the "Evergreen city of India", the city is characterized by its undulating terrain of low coastal hills and busy commercial alleys. Thiruvananthapuram is built on hills by the sea shore and sandwiched between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea, Thiruvananthapuram is ranked first in the number of foreign tourists visiting Kerala and is a fascinating destination for holidaymakers.

Thiruvananthapuram, with a tradition dating back to 1000BC, lies on a small strip of land with plenty of coconut & palm trees, and it name means "City of Lord Anantha" (the serpent on which Lord Padmanabha/Vishnu reclines) in Sanskrit and Malayalam. It was a trading post for spices, sandalwood and ivory. Thiruvananthapuram is the Largest City in Kerala.The city is the state capital and houses many central and state government offices, organizations and companies. Apart from being the political nerve centre of Kerala, it is also a major academic hub and is home to several educational institutions including the University of Kerala, and to many science and technology institutions, the most prominent being the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Technopark, the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) and the Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research (IISER).

Thiruvananthapuram is one of the oldest cities in India, with periodic references in many Greek and Roman literatures. However the city's position came forefront when the Venad Dynasty came into power of Southern regions, after the Great Partition of Kerala Empire of Cheras in 14th century. Though Venad rulers had their capital at Kollam (70kms north of Thiruvananthapuram), the town was well considered as a major trading center. The rise of new Venad King, Maharaja Marthanada Varma and subsequently formation of Travancore Kingdom in late 17th century proved a turning point for the city. The Raja, after formation of the kingdom by annexing many small states and feudal principalites, dedicated the entire kingdom to Lord Padmanabha, the presiding deity of Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple and crowned as Emperor, making the royal family to rule in the name of the lord. This resulted in making Thiruvananthapuram as the capital of new kingdom and the city started growing around the temple. In 19th century, the entire administration was brought to Thiruvananthapuram city from the Royal headquarters of Sree Padmanabhapuram Fort (50kms from Thiruvananthapuram city), which marked completion of first phase of Thiruvananthapuram city.

Travancore was one of the most powerful Indian Princely state during British Raj, with the kingdom becoming 3rd most richest state among native states. Thiruvananthapuram city, under the royal patronage grew into a major academic, cultural hub of India, with many firsts to its credit. The Maharajas always cared to keep their capital, one of the most greenest cities in India, which resulted in many praises for the capital. As the power and wealth of Travancore Kingdom reached its peak during early 20th century, Thiruvananthapuram became a major prosperous city. With independence of India, the Travancore chose to ascend into India Union. After formation of Kerala state in 1957, it was decided to retain Thiruvananthapuram as the capital city.

Being a capital and administrative city, it remains to be one of the hottest political center in Kerala. The 3rd phase of the development came in early 1990s, when Kerala Government decided to establish Technopark- a large IT Park. The growth of Technopark as the largest Information Technology park in South Asia, made a major impetus for the growth of city. Today the city is on focus of making it as major IT/Bio-Technology hub.

The arterial road of Thiruvananthapuram is the MG Road or the Mahatma Gandhi Road which lies in the north-south direction and connects almost all important attractions in the city.

The city has a tropical climate and therefore does not experience distinct seasons. The mean maximum temperature is 34 °C and the mean minimum temperature is 21 °C. Humidity is high, and rises to about 90% during the monsoon season.

Thiruvananthapuram is the first city along the path of the south-west monsoon and gets its first showers in early June. However, pre-monsoon showers are common in April and May, accounting to about 35 cm on average. Annual rainfall is not very high compared to other districts of Kerala, but it is still a substantial 180 cm. The rainiest months are May, June, July, August, and October, but there are frequent showers in other months too between April and November. For travelers who wish to avoid the rain, the best period to visit is from December to March.

The winter temperature comes down to about 18 °C at some places at high altitudes and summer temperatures can sometimes go as high as 35 °C.

• The festival of Onam which occurs towards the end of August or early September is a good time to soak up the carnival atmosphere. There are usually many cultural programs during the official Onam celebrations lasting 10 days.
• The Monsoon season starts from June every year and is a time of heavy rains in the area. Recently as a result of the campaigning by State Tourism Board, tourists have started coming in to enjoy the Monsoon.

The native language of Kerala is Malayalam, which is a Dravidian language like Tamil and Kannada. Most locals can communicate in Hindi and English owing to a high literacy rate. The people are generally very helpful and friendly.. South Indian languages like Tamil are generally understood, though people may not be too fluent in the language.

Thiruvananthapuram is a historic city, dotted with many historical structures, parks, museums, tourist centers and palaces. Its also famous for its distinctive greenery, present all over, a rare site in any Indian bustling city. Visit the official website of Kerala Tourism

• Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple , the icon of the city. The entire Thiruvanathapuram city was built around this temple. Its an architectural wonder and was nominated from India into last round of 7 Wonders of World. The building style is a mixture of Kerala and Tamil architecture. The temple has many structures inside, like musical pillars, golden mandap, 500 pillared corridor famous for its sculptures and large collection of temple mural paintings. The temple has a large clear pond called Padmatheertham, which is also landmark. The deity is Vishnu in a rare reclining posture, called as Sree Padmanabha. The temple has a huge role in history of Kerala, with the presiding deity even being crowned as Emperor of Travancore in 18th century and all the rulers ruling the state in the name of the deity. The royal crown of Travancore, is preserved inside the temple, though a glimpse of it, is a rare opportunity. The sad part is that, this temple is open only Hindus and others cannot enter inside. Even Hindus have to follow rigorous dress code and customs. This temple belongs to Travancore Royal Family and guarded by Palace Guards of Travancore.

• East Fort, an old fort around Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple. Today most of fortifications have been dismantled, except the Eastern side, thus the fort has got its current name- East Fort. The Fort Gate directly opens before Sree Padmanabha Temple and designed in European style. The illumination of East Fort Gate in evenings, is a major attraction.

• The Kerala Government Secretariat, is the one of the most recognizable icon of the city. Built as Huzur Cutchery (Secretarial Offices in Malayalam) in 1860, to serve as the Royal Durbar Hall of Travancore Kingdom, this building is a super-imposing structure. The building was designed by British Royal Engineers Corps combining Roman-Dutch-English-Kerala architectures, a testimony of Kerala's past influences with Roman, Dutch, English. The old Legislature Assembly Hall inside the complex (Asia's first native legislature assembly)is a good museum with a detailed gallery that depicts the history of Travancore Legislature Assembly. Other areas of this building are not of tourist interest, as they are government offices.

• The Napier Museum Named after a former Madras governor, General John Napier, this museum is a beautiful building in the museum compound. English architect Chrisholm created this building combining English-Saxon-Travancore architectural styles. This museum displays rare archaeological and historical artifacts including bronze idols and ivory carvings.

• Sree Chithra Art Gallery is an art gallery located in the Museum compound and displays a rare collection of mainly Indian paintings. The main attractions are paintings by world famous Kerala painter Raja Ravi Varma and other famous painters Raja raja Varma and Nicholas Roerich. Also featured are miniature paintings from around the world, Kerala mural paintings and Tanjore miniature paintings.

• The Zoological Park is the first zoo in India opened in 1843, as a concept of Palace for wildlife. Situated in the Museum compound, this area is a rich botanical garden. There is a wide variety of animals, plants and birds. It has a separate reptile park and butterfly garden.

• Palace museum East entrance of the the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple. - Has a good collection of many antique items from the Travancore era Kings. Thrones, paintings and many belongings kept in a very good condition housed in an erstwhile royal building.

• Kerala Legislature Assembly Complex The new Legislature Assembly Complex called as Niyamasabha (Law House in Malayalam), is a super imposing modern structure located in heart of the city. Its famous for its classical Kerala architecture with ornate teak works, a unique Kerala styled dome, exquisitely designed interiors and a vast expanse of greenery around it. A photo shoot before this structure is a favourite activity among tourists.

• Legislature Museum adjacent to Legislature assemble, there is a good museum that depicts history of South Asian Legislature assemblies. This building was once the headquarters of Travancore Royal Nair Brigade (Travancore Army). Today its one of the best galleries, that can give you a detailed look into history of South Asian legislature activities and process.

• Kanaka Kunnu Palace (Golden Hill Palace in malayalam) is a cultural hotspot of the town. The large palace and its sprawling gardens was once the banquet palace for visiting State guests of Travancore. Today its a famous for its galleries and the grand lawns serve as open air auditoriums for regular concerts and evening dance programs.

• Priyadarshini Space Planetarium, is one of the largest planetariums of India rated as one of the best horizontal planetariums of the world, with a good collection of astronomical science objects from ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization). It has 2 major shows regarding various secrets of universe. It has a good Sky Theatre, a large conference hall and venue of regular space related programs.

• Kerala Science and Technology Museum, near to Priyadarshini Planetarium, is one of the largest science museum, featuring a timeline of various technologies in area of electronics, technology etc. There are several galleries on Electrical Engineering, Biomedical, Mechanical Engineering, etc. It has a very good collection of many electronic equipments and a good 3D Theatre with regular shows.

• Chachanehru Children's Museum is a good children's museum with a large collection of dolls, masks, paintings etc. A mini aquarium and water play area is set here. Located in Thycuad, in the heart of city, is a good evening spot for families.

• Kuthiramalika Palace, a unique palace designed by Maharaja Swathi Thirunal (a famous musical genius Maharaja of Travancore), this palace is famous for its horse shaped windows and decor. This palace, located near to Padmanabhaswamy temple has some good collections of antiques related to Maharaja Swati Thirunal's times. This palace is venue of famous Swathi Thirunal Music Festival as well as many other musical concerts patronized by Royal family.

• Kowidar Palace, is a super-imposing structure, located in Kowidar. This is the current official residence of Travancore Maharajas and royal family and off-the-limits for public. However a friendly guard may let you inside to have a glimpse of this large architectural wonder built in mixture of Saxon-Travancore styles. The public however can enter into Panchavadi, the resting place of Late H.H Maharaja Chitra Thirunal- the last King of Travancore who was very popular king.

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Beaches and Nature

• Shanghumukham Beach This city beach is 8 km outside the city, adjacent to the airport. Local people flock there to watch the sunset. Its a good well maintained safe beach. There is an indoor recreation club nearby. Matsyakanyaka a gigantic sculpture of a mermaid by Kanai Kunjiraman arouses mixed reaction. A small garden and star-fish shaped restaurant operates there, attracts large crowds. There is also a peaceful temple nearby.

• Veli Tourist Village. A lake blending into the beach, almost as if it were teasing the sea. Boating, Horse Riding on the beach, a floating bridge, a shallow pond where you can feed the fish, beautifully maintained gardens. Very famous among tourists, especially those interested in water adventure sports.

• Kovalam Beach - 17 km from Thiruvananthapuram City, is a world famous beach, noted being one of the finest. There are 2 large beaches and highly safe for swimming. A visit to Kovalam is must for Trivandrum. However the beach becomes too crowded during November-December time, when foreign tourists flock in mass. Beware of local touts and beach-side restaurants/shops which sells items nearly 3 to 4 times more than its normal price. Several massage palours located near to the beach are fake and are illicit sex palours.

There are several attractions, located outside the city limits, popular among tourists. Some of them are,

• The Padmanabhapuram Palace the old headquarters of Travancore Royal family, is one of the most attractive palaces, which no tourist can't afford to miss. The palace is recorded as World's largest Wooden Palace, by Guinness Books of Records. It is entirely made of teak and rosewood and have an exquisite flooring made of granite and a rare ayurvedic mixture with secret extracts to keep the floor cool in summer season and warm during rainy season. It has a grand Dubar Hall made out of rosewood and glass. The Palace houses a numerous rare antiques, including 600 year old spice bed, a rare bed made out of a special wood treated in various spices, to rejuvenate the kings as well as sandal pillars. The clock tower is one of the oldest in South Asia, that is still working. It is 65 km from Trivandrum City and is in theKanniyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. However the palace and fort is still maintained by Kerala Government. The royal sword of Travancore Maharajas is preserved here, which is taken to Trivandrum as a grand procession during Arattu Festivals of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple.
• Attingal Palace the erstwhile head-quarters of Travancore Queens who ruled a small province of Attingal within Travancore. The large palace, also houses one of the family temples of Travancore Royal Family. Much of the palace is off-limits to public, however its durbar hall and public areas are open to public.
• Koyikkal Palace, Nedumangad
• Aruvikkara Dam
• Neyyar Dam
• Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary
• Ponmudi
• SreeMahadeva Temple
• Vizhinjam

• See Trivandrum on foot. Get public transport to Kanaka Kunnu Palace. See this public building on top of a hill, used for cultural programs. Walk down to Napier Museum and Zoo. See the building, walk around the park and visit the zoo if you are interested. Also pay a visit to the Sree Chitra Art Gallery, Natural History museum and the Reptile House. Then walk towards Palayam along the MG road absorbing the roadside buzz of activities and shopping at the roadside shops. Usually there are cultural programs at VJT Hall which may be open to the public. Continue along MG road towards the Secretariat. The area around the secretariat is known locally as Statue, due to a few neglected statues of important figures. There are sometimes political protests or demonstrations along this place. Sample the food from some of the local restaurants. SMS Institute on a side road near Secretariat sells authentic Kerala handicrafts and gift items. Prices start from Rs.25 to a few thousands. Continue along the MG road. There are many local book shops including Paico[5], Modern Book House and Prabhat book store. The Ayurveda college , which teaches the traditional ayurvedic medicine will be on the right side. Opposite this, there is another handicraft store.Walk along the MG road and you will reach the junction with traffic signals known as theOver bridge locally. There are a few movie theatres nearby. The railway station and Bus station are towards the left, about half a mile. If you continue straight, you will eventually reach Pazhavangadi. You will see the remains of a fort (well hidden) on the right side (known as Kottakakam/East fort). The famous Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple is nearby, complete with a temple lake (Padmatheertham). The architecture of the temple is more in line with Tamil temples as compared to other Kerala temples. On the left is Chaalai Bazaar. This is a busy congested road teeming with all kinds of shops.