Trivandrum: The City With Rich History, Logic And Simple Gratitude

After relaxing on Kovalam Beach, I moved towards Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram)- the capital city of Kerala. My grandfather used to tell me that Trivandrum is a city that showcases the most vibrant and lively culture of Kerala. Fortunately, my visit synchronized with the 'Flavour Food Festival'. I was welcomed by the aroma of typical south Indian and other various delicacies. A number of hotels, restaurants and food chain outlets from across Kerala participate every year in this week long international festival. I booked a room in Sahyadri Ayurvedic Centre and rushed towards the Kanakakunnu Palace grounds to enjoy the festival. It was the first time, I guess, I was witnessing countless food items at a single place. I had enough of my favourite Chinese snacks, sea-food, south Indian specialties and a few north Indian dishes.

Being located on the south west coast of India, the city offers wonderful beach destinations like Varkala Beach, Shanghumugham Beach etc. for absolute relaxation. I started off with Padmanabhaswamy Temple, at the heart of the city. The temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu, is located inside the East Fort. I would call it a perfect blend of the typical Keralan and the Dravidian styles of art. The innumerable stone carvings, ancient inscriptions and colourful murals (wall paintings) were simply out of the world. I also visited the Methan Mani clock atop the Old Fort Palace, quite close to the Padmanabhaswamy Temple, which is operated by a complex system of pulleys. Being very fond of antiques, I also visited the beautiful Napier Museum. This 19th century Indo-Saracenic museum showcases a wide array of archaeological and historic artifacts, plastic casts, bronze idols, ancient ornaments, a temple chariot and ivory carvings. For me, it was the best attraction of the city. On observing my keen interest in antiques, a guard at the Napier Museum suggested me to visit the Sree Chithra Art Gallery as well.

The gallery is quite famous for its paintings and is located at a close proximity to the museum. I was literally overwhelmed by seeing the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, Svetlova and Nicholas Roerich and exquisite works from the Rajput, Mughal and Tanjore schools of art in India. The gallery showcases a rarest collection of paintings from China, Japan, Tibet and Bali.

It was a hot afternoon. I enjoyed a diet coke at a small cold drink stall near the museum. While asking about the other main attractions of the city from the stall owner, he suggested me to visit the Science and Technology Museum Complex (popular for items related to science, technology and electronics) and the SMSM Handicraft Emporium behind the Secretariat on YMCA road. I also bought a few hand-knitted and exquisitely designed coir handicrafts from the SMSM Handicrafts Emporium. The emporium was full of wonderful objects including table and floor mats, bell-metal vessels, table lamps, jewel boxes etc. The best thing I realized about Trivandrum was that despite of growing at a fast pace as a modern and hi-tech city, it has retained its heritage, culture and customs.

My last halt in the evening was the Shanghumugham Beach, the best place to catch the play of light and shade. While returning to the Sahyadri Ayurvedic Centre, I picked up a few delicate and small artifacts from the market. I also enjoyed the Sirodhara therapy of Ayurveda in my hotel. The masseurs first laid me down and poured the medicated oil over the forehead slowly. They told me it was a natural and effective process for relaxation. People suffering from mental disorders, psychological imbalances, stress, tension, depression and other negative states of the psyche are also provided with the same treatment but with different medicated oil in different ailments. The treatment was highly refreshing. I was ready to move to my next destination, where I could enjoy the best of traditional Kalarippayattu martial art and Kathakali dance performances.