Kerala, with the presiding deity even being crowned as Emperor of Travancore in 18th century and the rulers the state in the name of the deity. The royal crown of Travancore is preserved inside the temple; though getting a glimpse of it is rare.
EAST FORT
East Fort is an old fort around Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple today, most of its fortifications have been dismantled except the eastern side, thus the fort has got its current name –East Fort. The Fort Gate directly open before Sree Padmanabha Temple of East Fort gate in the evenings is a major
KUTHIRAMALIKA PALACE
Also known as Puthen Palace, this was constructed by famous musician king-Swati Thirnal. The palace features several relics and antiques belonging to Maharaja Swati Thirunal. The key feature is its grand facade designed in form of horses, hence the name stuck. The annual Swati Thirunal Music Festival is held on the palace lawns.
THE KERALA GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT
It is the one of the most recognisable icons of the city Built as Huzur Kacheri (‘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 the Romans, Dutch and English. The old legislature assembly Hall inside the complex(Asia’s first native legislature assembly) is a renowned 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
Napier Museum is the big building in the park, to the north of Museum Road named after former Madras governor, Lord Napier (Francis Napier, 10th Lord Napier and 1st Baron Ettirck), is a beautiful building. This masterpiece was designed by Madras Government’s architect Robert Chisholm in Indo-Saracenic style. This museum displays rare archaeological and historical artifacts including bronze idols,ceramics, an impressive carved wooden cart, Buddhist statues from various parts of the county and some neighboring places, ivory carvings, chests, Balinese shadow puppets, various old coins and Hindu puja items.
SREE CHITHRA ART GALLERY
It is an art gallery located in the Museum compound and displays a rare collection of Indian paintings. The main famous Kerala painter Raja Ravi Varma and other famous painters like Jamini Roy and Nicholas Roerich. Also featured are miniature paintings from around the world, Kerala mural paintings and Tanjore miniature paintings.
THE ZOOLOGICAL PARK
This is the first zoo in India that opened in 1843. Situated in the Museum Compound, this area is a rich botanical garden there is a wide variety of animals, plants and brids. It has a separate reptile park and butterfly garden. The park is closed on Mondays, on other days, it is open from 10 am -05 pm.
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. It’s famous for its classical Kerala architecture with ornate teak work, a unique Kerala styled dome, exquisitely designed interiors and a vast expanse of greenery around it. Photo shoots before this structure is a favourite is activity among tourists.
KANAKA KUNNU PALACE
Kanaka Kunnu Palace (‘Golden Hill Palace’ in Malayalam) is a cultural hotspot of the town. The large palace and its sprawling gardens were once the banquet palace for visiting state guests of Travancore. Today it’s famous for its galleries and the grand lawns as open air auditoriums for regular concerts and evening dance programmes.
KERALA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY MUSEUM
Near Priyadarshini Planetarium, it is one of the largest science museums, featuring a timeline of electronic and technologies in area of electronics and technology. There are several galleries on several kinds of engineering. It has a very good collection of many electronic equipments and a good 3D theatre with regular shows.
KOWDIAR PALACE
It is a super-imposing structure, located in Kowdiar. This is the current official residence of Travancore Maharajas and the Royal Family and is off-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 a ver y popular king.
KOVALAM BEACH
Kovalam beach, situated 17km from the city, is a world famous beach, noted for being one of the finest. There are two large beaches that are highly safe for swimming. A visit to Kovalam is a must when in Trivandrum. However, the beach becomes too crowded during the end of the year, when foreign tourists flock in mass.
SHANGHUMUKHAM BEACH
This city beach is 8km outside the city. Adjacent to the airport. Local people flock there to watch the sunset. It’s a well maintained and safe beach. There is an indoor recreation club nearby. Matsyakanyaka, a gigantic sculpture of a mermaid by Kanai Kunjiraman, arouses mixed reactions. A small garden and a star-fish shaped restaurant operates within. There is also a peaceful temple nearby.
VELI TOURIST VILLAGE
A spot where lake blends onto the beach, almost as if it were teasing the sea. Activities include boating, horse riding on the beach, a floating bridge, a shallow pond where you can feed the fish and beautifully maintained gardens. It is very famous tourists, especially those interested in water adventure sports.
THE PADMANABHAPURAM PALACE
It is the old headquarters of the Travancore royal family, and is one of the most attractive palaces, which no tourist can afford to miss. The palace is recorded as the World’s largest of Records. It is entirely made of teak and rosewood and has 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 durbar hall made out of rosewood and glass. The Palace houses numerous rare antiques, including a 600 year old spice bed,a rare bed made out of special wood treated in various spices, to rejuvenate the kings, as well as sandalwood pillars. The clock tower is one of the oldest in South Asia that still functions. It is 65 km from Trivandrum City and is in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. However, the palace and fort is still maintained by Kerala Government. The royal sword of the Travancore Maharajas is preserved here, which is taken to Trivandrum as a grand procession during Arattu festivals of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple.
PEEPARA WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary constitutes the catchments of the Peppara Dam on the Karamana River. The Peppara Dam was commissioned in 1983 to augment the drinking water supply to the city and suburban areas. Considering the ecological significance of the area. It was declared a sanctuary in 1983.
POOVAR
Poovar is a small coastal village in Trivandrum. This village is almost at the southern tip of the city and there is only one last village Pozhiyoor which marks the end of Kerala. This village has a beautiful beach which attracts tourists.
NEYYAR DAM
Neyyar dam is a gravity dam on the Neyyar River located on the foot of the Western Ghats about 30 km from Trivandrum. It was established in 1958 and is a popular picnic spot.
VIZHINJAM
Kovalam beach is just 3 km from Vizhinjam. The areas in and around Vizhinjam are known for its Ayurvedic treatment centres and internationally acclaimed beach resorts. Vizhinjam is a natural port. which is located close to the international ship route.
PONMUDI
Ponmudi (the Golden Peak) is a hill station. It is located 61 km north east of Trivandrum at an altitude of 1100 m. it is a part of the Western Ghats mountain range that runs parallel to the Arabian Sea. Ponmudi is blessed with scenic splendour and natural beauty. Ponmudi has a carpet of thick tropical forest that rolls down to the foot of the hill range.