Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland. It is characterized by its undulating terrain of low coastal hills with wide, clean roads and busy commercial alleys. India's Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi had referred and designated this lovely beach side city built on hills as the "Ever Green City of India".

With almost 7,45,000 inhabitants at the 2001 census, the city itself is the largest and most populous city in Kerala, the wider urban agglomeration has a population of about 1 million.

The city is the State Capital and houses several Central and State Government offices, organizations and companies. Apart from being the political nerve center of Kerala, it is also a major academic hub and is home to several premier educational institutions including the Kerala University, and to many science and technology institutions, the most prominent being the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). The city also has the first Information technology park of its kind and first Biotechnology Center, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) of its kind in India. Situated near Kazhakoottam, Technopark is home to many of the world's leading technology companies.

Climate

The city has a tropical climate and therefore does not experience distinct seasons. The mean maximum temperature 34 °C and the mean minimum temperature is 21 °C. The humidity is high and rises to about 90% during the monsoon season.

Thiruvananthapuram is the first city along the path of the south-west monsoons and gets its first showers in early June. The city gets heavy rainfall of around 1700 mm per year. The city also gets rain from the receding north-east monsoons which hit the city by October. The dry season sets in by December. December, January and February are the coldest months while March, April and May are the hottest. The winter temperature comes down to about 15 °C and summer temperatures can sometimes go as high as 37 °C.

Attukal Bhagavathy Temple

The Attukal Bhagavathy temple, one of the ancient temples of South India, is popularly regarded as the Sabarimala of the Women, as women form the major portion of devotees. The Pongala Mahotsavam is the most important festival.

Janardhana Swamy temple

The Janardhana Swamy temple at Varkala is situated on a very steep hill. This famous temple, which is believed to be almost 2,000 years old, is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The temple is a very good specimen of traditional South-Indian architecture.

Sivagiri Mutt

The Sivagiri Sarada Mutt was planned and designed by Sree Narayana Guru (1856 - 1928), a spiritual leader, renowned philosopher and social reformer of Kerala. Presently, the Sivagiri Mutt is the samadhi (memorial/ final resting place).

Palayam Juma Masjid

The Palayam Mosque is the most important mosque in Thiruvananthapuram. Situated at Palayam, the mosque has a temple and a Christian church as its neighbours, establishing the communal harmony of Keralites.

Beemapalli

Beemapalli, 5 km south-west of Thiruvananthapuram, is an important Muslim pilgrim centre. The Beemappalli Dargah Shareef is dedicated to Beema Beevi, a pious Muslim lady believed to have possessed divine powers.

Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple

Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple was built by Maharaja Marthanda Varma (1729-1758) in 1733 AD. It is one of the most impressive landmarks of Thiruvananthapuram city. The temple has an imposing seven tier gopuram.

Vettukad Church

The 'Madre De Deus' Church popularly known as the Vettukad Church attracts thousands of devotees from all religions. The annual celebration here is the 'Feast of Christ, The King' (Christuraja Perunnal).

How to Reach

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