Holiday in Thiruvananthapuram

About Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram — formerly Trivandrum — is the capital of Kerala, India's most tropical state, and is located on the Malabar coast of the Arabian Sea. The city is named after the mythical serpent god Anantha and offers a fascinating mix of Dravidian temple architecture, Ayurveda tradition, and tropical beaches. The Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple — one of the richest religious sites in the world with an estimated treasure of over 20 billion dollars in its underground chambers — is the spiritual heart of the city. The Dravidian-style temple with its imposing Gopuram (tower) is accessible only to Hindus, but is impressive from the outside. The beaches of Kovalam (15 km) and Varkala (55 km) are among the most beautiful in Kerala: Kovalam with its lighthouse beach and Ayurveda resorts, Varkala with its dramatic red cliffs overlooking the Arabian Sea. Thiruvananthapuram is a center of Ayurveda medicine — the oldest healing tradition in the world, practiced here in authentic clinics and resorts. The Napier Museum in the city center — an architectural gem in Indo-Saracenic style — houses a collection of historical artifacts and a natural history department.