Thiruvananthapuram

FACTS & FIGURES OF THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
Language    Malayalam and English
Best time to visit    September-May
STD Code    0471

LOCATION OF THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
Thiruvananthapuram (official name Thiruvananthapuram), lying on the southwest coast of India, is the capital of the state of Kerala. The city extends from latitude 8°29' N to longitude 76°59' E. The place is well connected to most of the other major cities of India through rail, road, and air networks.

Since it is close to the sea, the climate of Thiruvananthapuram is tropical. This also gives Thiruvananthapuram very pleasant weather around the year. The average maximum temperature can go up to 36.2°C in the summer months and to a minimum of 18.0°C in the winter. Monsoon comes to Thiruvananthapuram in May and remains there until November.


HISTORY
Trivandrum, according to the legends, boasts of being associated with King Solomon whose ships landed at a port called Ophir. Traders have been coming to these parts as far back as 190 ADS for spices, sandalwood, and ivory.

The city derives its name from the deity at the Sree Anantha Padmanabhaswamy Temple, one of the major landmarks of the place. The name of the city is derived from the words Thiru-Anantha-Puram, meaning the town of Anantha. Although no records of the antiquity of the temple really exist, the temple nevertheless is believed to be several thousand years old.
Thiruvananthapuram shot into prominence in the 18th century when the capital was shifted here from Padmanabhapuram, a little down south. The erstwhile kings of the then Travancore State, taking on the title of Padmanabha Das (servant of the Lord), had dedicated themselves completely to the service of the Lord residing in the temple here. By the terms of this dedication, the deity owns the kingdom while the king is the mere executor of the trust. After independence, Trivandrum was designated as the capital of Kerala.
TOURISTS ATTRACTIONS
A must on every Trivandrum tourist itinerary, the Padmanabhaswamy temple with its gopuram (tower) soaring majestically upwards, is believed to be one of the 108 shrines sacred to the Vaishnav Ites in India. Within its hallowed precincts, the main pavilion impresses with its 400 beautifully carved pillars of granite. The 100-foot-high gopuram comprises seven stories with each center. The stone basement of the tower is covered with elaborate sculptures and the masonry above is replete with ornamental works of figures from the Puranas and other ancient scriptures. Tapering towards the top, it bears the statue of Garuda, the vehicle of Lord Vishnu. Inside the temple, the main shrine is well-guarded with several massive doors, and darshan (audience) can be had through the three-door openings into the sanctum sanctorum.
Besides this magnificent temple, Thiruvananthapuram offers a great deal more. There is the Observatory to start with, established over a hundred years ago. Several kings have also built their palaces in and around the city, each more impressive than the other. Despite a few attempts at modernity, the city retains its discreet, old-world charm.
One can visit the Museum with its profusion of gables and turrets. A repository of fine works of art, the chief attraction here is the 250-year-old temple car made for Lord Vishnu, artistically designed and ornamented. Besides this, objects carved out of wood, models of temples, antique jewelry, etc., make the museum worth a visit.

Lying within the museum compound, Sri Chitra Art Gallery proves to be an ideal place for art lovers. The piece de resistance is the large section devoted to the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, an Indian painter of distinction in the history of the country's modern art. Besides him, the Indian section also contains works of Rabindranath Tagore, Jamimi Roy, and K. K. Hebar, miniatures from the Rajput and Mughal schools of painting, and the famous Tanjore paintings encrusted with semi-precious stones. The gallery's collection also includes paintings from Indonesia, China, and Japan.
Then, of course, a trip to Thiruvananthapuram is incomplete without a boat ride on its enchanting backwaters. These waterways teem with life. It is not surprising, since there are more miles of waterways in the state-approximately 1,900 km to 1,000 km of rail. The landscape is dotted with picturesque palms and thatched huts. One can be seduced by the panorama of beautiful landscapes, beaches and waterways, coconut palms, and, of course, beautiful, friendly people.