Kerala - God's Own Country

Thiruvananthapuram - the capital city of Kerala - the God's Own Country, built on the hills by with Arabian Sea on one side and Western Ghats on the other side.  It was referred to as the "Evergreen City of India" by Mahatma Gandhi himself.  This is a must visit place when in Kerala for any tourist, be it local or from outside India.

How to reach Thiruvananthapuram

By Air:  This is by far the easiest way to reach and can save time if you are planning for a short vacation.  It will take approximately 1 hour 15 minutes by flight.

By Train:  There are daily trains from Bangalore to Thiruvananthapuram and this is another way to reach your destination – takes around 12 to 14 hours by this route.

By Road:  If you are a road junkie, can opt for the road trip though it will be a bit more tiring unless of course you are going with friends.

Staying in Thiruvananthapuram

Now that you have landed at your destination let me take you through different options for stay – from home stays to 5-star hotels.  As you would do usually, you can either go through a travel agency or you can book online as well booking.com, trivago.com.

Also, as per my experience it would be better to plan your trip yourself rather than going through a tour agent until your group is quite big to get any worthwhile discounts.

Also if you are a home stay person, I would suggest you go in for a home stay which will come with complementary with the stay in most places.  Try to search online for the best deals. In case you need any inputs from my side, I would be more than happy to help.

Must see places in Thiruvananthapuram

1.      Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple – One of the richest temples in India, it is known for its architectural wonder, the pillars with the their lamps which when lighted form a straight line if looked from one end.  Also, the deity of Lord Vishnu itself which cannot be put into a single frame due to the huge size – it is the sleeping pose for the Lord called Ananathashayanam.

2.     Pazhavangadi Ganapati Temple

  – know for the amazing powers of the Lord of good tidings – this temple lies a little away from the Padmanabhaswamy Temple.  People flock here to break a coconut to fulfil their wishes.  I too started from here when staying there before starting my new job!

3.     Attukal Bhagavati Temple – 

     The world famous Attukal Pongala is a yearly ritual which is as big as the Kumbh Mela.  You have to be there in February-March each year to experience it.  Once in a lifetime occasion but then once you go, you will feel the urge to go every year for sure!

4.     Kuthiramaalika Palace or the Horse Palace – 

     This is just near to the Padmanabhaswamy Temple and you just walk in from there.  The name comes from 122 wooden horses that will smile at you as you enter the palace.  The palace museum consists of rare artefacts from the golden era of Kerala and this will really amaze you.

5.     The Napier Museum:   

    This is an art and natural history museum with a collection of rare artefacts of the Kingdom of Travancore.  This is purely for the history buffs only and children in your group will find it a bit boring unless they are keen to know the history.

6.     Next, the beaches of course.  When in Kerala how can you miss out on the wonderful beaches.  The world famous Kovalam Beach and the lesser know Shanghumugham Beach which is more of a local entity – though much quieter and cleaner than Kovalam.  You can enjoy lot of activities at Kovalam though nothing of that sort at Shanghumugham Beach.  Kovalam will give you opportunities for surfing, swimming and thrilling boat rides.  Shanghumugham is the quieter beach with no activities though – just a nice walk down the beach or go for a swim.

Food in Thiruvananthapuram

Street food lovers can start with breakfast items such as appam with mutton stew, puttu with kadala, idiyappam with egg curry.  For lunch/dinner you can choose from wide variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarians can go for amazing sea food varieties to choose from.  But then its not limited to local cusine here.  You will find any variety of food you ask for, from continental to Mediterranean to Mexican to Chinese.  Of course, all this will come with a local variation.

In the end, plan your Kerala trip to start from Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala and enjoy the trip of a lifetime.  I will be there to help out in any way possible to make sure that you enjoy your stay in my state of birth – the God’s Own Country, for sure.