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TOURIST PLACES & OTHER ATTRACTIONS
Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple:14
Kilometers away from Kovalam at Trivandrum The
imposing seven storied tower makes it the most impressive landmark in the
city. The temple is an excellent example of the dravidian style of architecture. There
are innumerable pillars, intricate carvings, and mural paintings.
Veli Lagoon (Tourist Village): Delightful waterfront
park.An ideal picnic spot where the lake merges with sea. The wadingpool,gardens,exquisite
sculptures, a floating bridge and a wide range of aqua sports facilities.
The
Govt: Art Museum : Formally
known as "Napier Museum" name dafter a former Madras Governer General,
John Napier. It is a gem of architectural exuberance, combining traditional Kerala styles and good doses of Chinese and Mughal
Influences.
Sree Chithra Art Gallary: Has a rich collection of paintings
of Raja Ravi Varma and Roerich.It also has copies of paintings of the
Ajanta,
Rajput,Mughal and Tanjore Schools besides some works from China, Japa,Tibet
and bali.
The Zoo: Is one of the best maintained zoos in
the whole of Asia and has a beautiful sprawling lawns.
Observatory:
The Observatory situated
60m above sea level is located on a hill near the Museum.It
is one of the oldest in India. There is a well laid out garden in
front of the hill, with a beautiful rose collection.
Shanghumugham
Beach: It is popular city beach adjacent to the airport. An indoor
recreation club, children's
traffic training park and a star shaped restaurant are some of the facilities
at the beach.
Science and Technology Museum: Located
near Mascot Hotel, the Museum is of high educative value for students
of science and Technology.
Kowdiar Palace:
The home of the late maharaja
Sree Chithira Thirunal Bala Rama varma and his family is off limits to
visitors but you can have a glimpse from the main gate. If a friendly guard
is on duty, he will let you walk a bit inside the grounds where
you can get a view of the grand old building at the end of its long drive.
Akkulam Boat Club : 9 km away from
the town. It is a popular retreat for the city dwellers. The lake has boating facilities and has largest children's Park in Kerala.
Aruvikkara:16 km north of Thiruvananthapuram and
gifted with lavish scenic beauty is Aruvikkara, with an ancient temple dedicated to Durga on the banks of the river.
Neyyar Dam:29km from Thiruvananthapuram is Neyyar
Dam a picnic spot and dam site. There are facilities for boating at the reservoir. There is a lion safari park and crocodile
farm.
Ponmudi : An ideal hill resort situated just 54km
from Thiruvananthapuram is an enchanting one for tourists. Best accommodation
and restaurant facilities are available here.
Peppara Wild Life Sanctuary: 50km from Thiruvananthapuram,
Peppara is accessible from Vithurai on
Thiruvananthapuram-Ponmudi Road. This sanctuary with its rich fauna and
birds is emerging as a big attraction to wild life enthusiasts.
It is spread over an area of 53 sq.km on the western ghats. This is doted
with large hills and numerous hillocks with forests and eucalyptus
plantations. Elephants, Sambar, Leopard and Lion tailed macaque are commonly
seen.
Agastyakoodam
:
This is a prominent peak in the
Sahyadri ranges and can be approached on foot from Bonacadu
which is 61km away from Thiruvananthapuram.
Padmanabhapuram Palace : This palace was once the
capital of the State of Travancore and is 51km
from the city on the way to Nagarcoil in Tamil Nadu.The palace contains
17th and 18th century murals.
Kuthira Malika : (Palace Museum): Puthen Malika is also
known as Kuthira Malika.This palace was built during the time of H.H Maharaja Swathi Thirunal the king of Travncore
who was also a great poet and musician. This palace has wood carvings in the traditional Travancore
style. The museum presently displays
various painting collections of the royal family.
Thiruvallam : Lord Parasuraman's temple is here
by the river at Thiruvallam, Chithranjali, the State Film
Development Corporation's studio is at Thiruvallam. This is on the
Thiruvananthapuram-Kovalam route,10km from the city.
Vizhinjam :
Lying just 15kms from the state capital ,that is a historic spot, which
was left unnoticed for a long time. The capital of Ay-Vel kings of
the 8th-9th century, the only thing that was withstood time
is a rock temple, as signed to the period of the Cheras because of a strong
influence to the Pallava Pandya architecture. The rock temple is just
a little off the main junction ,and is a protected monument under
the Archeological Survey of India.
Koyikkal Palace : This is at Nedumangadu,18km from
Thiruvananthapuram.This ancient palace built during the 15th century is on the way to the Ponmudi Hill Station and the
Courtallam Water falls. This is built on the traditional nalukettu style.
Onam Celebration : Tourism
week is celebrated during Onam (in August - -September).Streets are illuminated
and main attractions during this period are unique package of traditional
and cultural programmers which are staged in Kanakakunnu Palace and
other landmark points in the city.
Aruvi Waterfalls/Vaiyanthol : Just 60km from Thiruvananthapuram
and 7kms from the Bonecaud estate in the Peppara forest range.This
4 ft cascade is one of the most verdant and unspoiled spots in
Kerala. Road
accessibility is only upto Bonecaud,thereon the Kanni tribesmen accompany
trekkers along the mountain path. Prior permission from the Forest Department
is required before approaching the area.
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