Trivandrum or Thiruvananthapuram - A marvelous places to visit in Kerala

 Trivandrum  - A marvelous places to visit in Kerala

Also known as Thiruvananthapuram, the seaside capital of Kerala state, Trivandrum is surrounded by numerous hills and hillocks on which stand building and parks. Trivandrum literally means the 'Holy city of Anantha' and is a city of magnificient buildings of ancient and modern Architecture. 

Trivandrum is one of the most beautiful cities of India. Perched on undulating terrain of low coastal hills near the southern edge of the Indian mainland, clean and green Trivandrum, is an ancient city with trading tradition dating back to 1000 BC.

Sightseeing at Trivandrum

Padmanabhaswamy Temple: The temple is located inside the East Fort. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the temple is a blend of the Kerala and Dravidian styles of architecture. It is known for its mural paintings and stone carvings. One among the 108 sacred Vishnu temples in India, the presiding deity in here is Lord Vishnu reclining on Anantha the Serpent. Only Hindus are allowed inside the temple in complete traditional attire. 

Zoological Gardens: Zoological Gardens set in sylvan surroundings and acclaimed as one of the best and second oldest zoos of the country with an interesting collection of reptiles - these are some of the places which you are bound to enjoy during your stay in Trivandrum. The zoo is located in a well-planned botanical garden. With huge trees like frangipani and jacaranda dotting the sprawling lawns and wild fowl swimming in the lake, it is like a small jungle in the heart of the city.

Sankhumugham Beach: Just 8 km from the city, this is a favorite haunt of sunset watchers. The beach is adjacent to the Thiruvananthapuram Airport and Veli Tourist Village. An indoor recreation club, the matsya kanyaka (a gigantic, 35 m long sculpture of a mermaid) and a restaurant shaped like a starfish are some of the attractions here. Chacha Nehru Traffic Training Park here provides opportunity for children to learn the traffic rules. 

The Napier Museum : Built in the 19th century, the Indo - Saracenic structure boasts a "natural" air conditioning system and houses a rare collection of archaeological and historic artifacts, bronze idols, ancient ornaments, a temple chariot

Short information about Thiruvananthapuram District Kerala State

Thiruvananthapuram district  is considered as the most salubrious  segment of Kerala, the  ‘Gods Own Country.  Proximity of the high mountains on the east and the ocean and lakes on the west has  blessed the district with a temperate climate. This gift from nature is augmented   by illustrious human activity in history, culture and social reformation. Historically, the ‘Aye’ kingdom flourished  here and it lost prominence after its defeat in a naval battle with the navy of Rja Raja Chola, near vizhinjam, its capital, in the early centuries of the Christian era.  Later the powerful venad  Kingdom arose here with the decline of the Chera dynasty at Kondungalloor.  Venad left great imprints like the Padamanabhapuram Palace, Padmanabhaswami Temple, Kuthiramalika etc. 

Thiruvananthapuram was the cradle of the great ideas of social revival and renaissance  heralded by great stalwarts like Sree Narayana Guru, Ayyankali, Dr. Palpu et al.  In recent times Thiruvananthapuram has become the springboard of India’s leap in the field of Space Science and   Technology with the headquarters of ISRO here.  Thiruvananthapuram is also a centre of higher learning and scientific research with the establishment IIST, ISER, etc.  Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Biotechnology, Tropical Botanical Garden, Institute of Dravidian Linquistics etc are some of the institutions engaged in important rerearch work.  Thiruvananthapuram city has the first international airport of Kerala, hardly six kilometers from the city  centre  with the state secretariat - a facility few cities within the  country or abroad can boast of. Thiruvananthapuram is the first tourism  hotspot of Kerala with the opening of the internationally famous Kovalam beach resort, followed up later  by the equally fascinating beaches like Varkala – Papanasam, Poovar and Chowara.  Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple, conjectured as the richest temple in the world with enormous  repositories of gold, precious gems and rare artifacts is at the centre of the city like the acropolis in Athens.  The city flaunts  some of the richest monuments the world over, such as the ‘Kuthira Malika ‘   built by the camposer - King, Maharaja Swathi Thirunal and kindred palaces built in the premises of the  Padmanabha Swamy temple as well as the Padmanabhapuram palace in  Kanyakumari district from where the capital of Venad was shifted  to Thiruvananthapuram in 1745 These are built in Kerala’s own ‘Vasthu style’ of architecture.

Thiruvananthapuram is located in the South of the state, bordered by Tirunelveli in the East, Kanyakumari in the South and Kollam district located in the North. The Sri PadmanabhaswamyTemple, one of the famous temples of India is in the heart of the city.  The city is a must on the itinerary of any visitor to the South India.

The district has an area of 2,192 square kilometres (846 sq mi) and a population of 3,307,284 (as per the 2011 census). It is divided into four taluks, Thiruvananthapuram, Chirayinkeezhu, Neyyattinkara and Nedumangadu. The urban bodies in the district are the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Varkala, Neyyattinkara, Attingal and Nedumangad municipalities.

Thiruvananthapuram district is situated between north latitudes 8°17' and 8°54' and east longitudes 76°41' and 77°17'. The southern-most extremity, Kaliyikkavila, is 56 kilometres away from Kanyakumari, the southern most tip of the mainland. The district is 33.75% urbanised.

An overview about God's own Country Kerala

For administrative purposes the State is divided into 14 revenue districts: Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanadu, Kannur and Kasaragod.

On the basis of geographical, historical and cultural similarities, the districts are generally grouped into North Kerala (Kasaragod, Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Malappuram) , Central Kerala (Palakkad, Thrissur, Eranakulam, Idukki) and South Kerala (Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam).The districts have the same name as the important town or city in the district, the exception being Wayanad district.

As on 2012 the 14 districts are further divided into 21 Revenue divisions, 63 Taluks and 1453 Revenue Villages. There are 14 District Panchayats, 152 Block Panchayats, 978 Grama Panchayats, 60 Municipalities, 5 Corporations and 1 Township.

Some of the districts and their towns were renamed in 1990 like Thiruvananthapuram (formerly known as Trivandrum), Kollam (Quilon), Alappuzha (Alleppey), Thrissur (Trichur or Thrishivaperur), Palakkad (Palghat), Kozhikode (Calicut) and Kannur (Cannanore).

A district is governed by a District Collector, who is an officer from Indian Administrative Service (IAS) of Kerala cadre and is appointed by the State Government of Kerala. Functionally the district administration is carried on through the various Departments of the State Government each of which has an office of its own in the district level. The District Collector is the executive leader of the district administration and the District Officers of the various Departments in the district render technical advice to him in the discharge of his duties.

The District Collector is a key functionary of Government having large powers and responsibilities. He/she has a dual role to both as the agent of the Government of the state and also as the representative of the people in the district. He/she is also responsible for the maintenance of the law and order of the district.