Thiruvananthapuram,The Capital of "God's Own Country"

Thiruvananthapuram also known as Trivandrum, is the capital of Indian state of Kerala. Located 200 km away from Kochi, it is the largest city of the Kerala. Trivandrum is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland. It has also the largest IT Park in Asia in terms of area and also contributes 80% of Kerala's software exports. It also holds most number of schools, colleges in the state.

Welcome to Trivandrum-Trivandrum International Airport

History

Trivandrum was ruled by the Ay Kingdom and was captured by the rulers of Venad in the 10th century. Later in the 17th century Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Verma expanded the kingdom by conquering kingdoms of Kollam,Attingal,Kottayam and many more places. In the battle of Colachel, he defeated the Dutch and later he shifted the capital to Thiruvananthapuram.
Located in the Southwestern tip of India,Trivandrum is bound by the Arabian Sea in the west and Tamil Nadu in the east. This city is home to many ancient temples. A long shoreline with internationally renowned beaches,historic monuments, backwater and a rich cultural heritage make this district a must visit destination for tourists.

Here are the some beautiful places which you must visit in Trivandrum.

Attukal Bhagavathy Temple

The Attukal Bhagavathy Temple is a Hindu religious temple at Attukal,Trivandrum. It is situated near the heart of the city and 2 km away from Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple. Attukal devi is often worshiped in 3 forms such as Maha Saraswati, Maha Laxmi, Mahakali/Durga/Parvathy. Attukal Pongala is the main festival of this temple. It is a 10 days festival which is celebrated on Malayalam month of Kumbham every year.

Attukal Bhagavathy Temple during 'Pongala'

Kovalam Beach

Kovalam is a beach at the coast of the Arabian Sea in Trivandrum. Kovalam has three beaches (Lighthouse Beach, Hawah Beach, Samudra Beach) separated by rocky outcroppings.
You can visit few places like Karamana River, Vellayani Lake, Some rock cut cave teple, Lakes, Art gallery nearby Kovalam Beach.

Sunset at Kovalam Beach

Padmanabhapuram Palace

Padmanabhapuram is the former capital city of the ancient Travancore. This palace is complex inside with an old Granite fortress around 4 km long. Located at the Veli Hill, it is consists of several structures- Mantrasala,Thai Kottaram, Nataksala, Thekee Kottaram, Four storeyed mansion.

Kitchen Utensils preserved in the Heritage Museum in 'Thekkekottaram'

Some of the old articles which are preserved in the Heritage Museum at the 'Thekkekottaram'

Pazhavangadi Ganapathy Temple

It is situated at East Fort in the heart of Trivandrum City. The main deity of this temple is Lord Ganesha. Some of the major festivals celebrated here are Ganesh Jayanti, Vinayaka Chathurthi, Maha Shivaratri and many more.

Poovar Island

Poovar Island is a tropical paradise. Coconut palms, endless golden sand, backwater,heavenly sunset,green vegetation create a magical ambiance around you. You can choose between floating cottages and land cottages for accommodation and also enjoy boat cruise along the palm fringed shores of the backwaters. You can choose the resort online from the website.

The Floating huts at Poovar Island Resort

Shankumugham Beach

Shankumugham Beach is on the western side of Trivandrum and very near to the Trivandrum International Airport. The vast stretch of white sand and the breezy atmosphere away from the crowd in the city, provide a perfect spending time for an ideal evening.
The Skating School here offers the coaching on skating. The sculpture of "Sagarkanya"- Mermaid is an added attraction. Good food can be enjoyed at the Indian Coffee House just across the beach. There is also "Star Fish Restaurant" which provides quality sea food and open air theater with car parking facilities.

Padmanabhaswamy Temple

This temple was built in an intricate fusion of the Kerala Style and Devidian Style architecture. The principal deity is Vishnu.
There are many festivals related to this temple. The major festivals are "The Alpashy" festival during October-November time and the "Panguni" festival in the month of March-April. The festivals culminate with the 'Aarat' (Holy Bath) procession to the Shankugham Beach.
The temple has six hitherto known vaults labeled as A to F,for book keeping purpose by the court. Though there are said to be many more secret vaults hidden there filled with treasure.
Recently, A One Trillion Dollar hidden treasure chamber is discovered here. It is "The Richest Temple" in the world.

Vizhinjam Lighthouse

It is situated near Kovalam Beach, which started functioning on 1972. The tower is cylindrical with height of approximately 35 meters. Red and white marked lighthouse is equipped with metal lamp.

Vizhinjam Lighthouse near Kovalam Beach

Ponmudi Hills

Ponmudi or "The Golden Peak" is a hill station located at 55 km north east from Trivandrum City. Having altitude of 1100 mt., it is a part of Western Ghat mountain range.
Other attractions nearby Ponmudi include Golden Valley are "Peppara Sanctuary","Echo Point" and various trekking points.

Ponmudi Hill

Varkala

Varkala is a coastal town and municipality in Trivandrum district. It is the only place in Kerala, where cliffs are found adjacent to the Arabian Sea. There is a helipad close to the beach. Ayurvedic Massage parlours line the promenade above the beach.

Varkala Beach adjacent with Cliffs

Thiruvananthapuram Zoo

Thiruvananthapuram Zoo is the oldest zoo in India and also in Asia. It occupies almost 55 acres. This zoo is home of 82 species from around the world including Nilgiri Langur, Cape Buffalos, Lion tailed macaque and many more animals,birds and reptiles.

Entrance of the Zoo