Thiruvananthapuram, was the old name for Trivandrum, is the capital city of Kerala. The name splits into "Tiru", "Anantha""puram" meaning "the town of Lord ANANTHA", according to the history and most of the kings were called as "Padmanabha-Dasa" or the "servants of LORD Ananthapadmanabha", and ruled the state for many years.
According to the old history this was the place for trading items like spices, sandalwood and ivory. Later years led to an improvement in political and social changes in the city.
In 1963 the Indian's space rocket was established from Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) located in the border of the city.
The city is famous for art and culture. During that period the kings worked towards the improvement of art and culture. The most famous artisit in the kingdom is Swathi Tirunal who composed the music in both Karnataka and Hindustan and one more painter called Raja Ravi Varma with his unique paintings using naturally available materials. Chitra Art gallery is full of his paintings.
City has many traditional festivals like Navaratri, held at Sri Padmanabha Swamy Temple, which has the chola style of architecture. There is a separate place for the dancers to exhibit their talent.
Museum has a unique collection of items with many artifacts and musical instruments like veena, violin etc.
Architecture in the city is marvelous with the different style of buildings. There is octagon shaped architecture for some of the beautiful residential and public buildings with low-cost techniques using local materials.
Shopping
Antiques: There are a many Antique dealers in Thiruvananthapuram, the two famous shops among them are Natesan's(main shop on M G Road, branch at ITDC Ashok Hotel in Kovalam) and the other one is Gift Corner (M G Road). They sell unique bronzes and decorative items.
Handicrafts: they sell old artistic tradition, brass and "bell-metal" lamps and other decorative objects. You will also find horn products, wooden toys and lacquerware, and exotic masks used for dramas.
Transportation
Air Transportation:
The famous airport in Kerala is Trivandrum; this is used by the people who mostly travel to and fro the gulf region, as the Kerala attracts many tourists this airport operates large in number.
Currently, 8 International Airlines are operating from Trivandrum Airport namely: Air India, Gulf Air, Indian Airlines Ltd, Kuwait Airways, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Silk Air, and Sri Lankan Airlines.
Railways Transportation:
Totally there are 6 railways station in the city which connects many cities and states. Thiruvananthapuram Pettah, Kochuveli railway station, Veli and Kazhakoottam railway stations are located towards north direction and Nemom railway station is located south direction from the central station.
Kochuveli railway station is developed to ease congestion on central station and it act as satellite station to Thiruvananthapuram Central.
Places to see
- Kovalam Beach: This beach has grabed the visitors attention to the fullest with its great look. The beach is surrounded by many coconut trees. It has a gentle waves tounching your feet. It is located 16km away from the Trivandrum.
- Churches: Thre are numerous chruches in the city built according to their tradition.
- Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple: This temple has the unique architecture only for Hindu's with traditional clothings to both men and women.
