METRO mart Volume 4 Issue 4 October 2014
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T H I R U VA N A N T H A P U R A M
THE ICONIC CITY OF THE SOUTH INDIA
Thiruvananthapuram It has a stunning shoreline, the backwaters that are shimmering ĞŵĞƌĂůĚ ŝŶ ƚŽŶĞ͕ ƚŚĞ Śŝůů ƐƚĂƟŽŶƐ ĂŶĚ ǁŝůĚůŝĨĞ ƚŚĂƚ ŝƐ ĞdžŽƟĐ ƚŽ ŚĞĂƌƚ͕ ƚŚĞ ǁĂƚĞƌĨĂůůƐ ĂŶĚ ƉůĂŶƚĂƟŽŶƐ that take you back to the nature’s lap, the monuments, ƚĞŵƉůĞƐ͕ ĨĞƐƟǀĂůƐ ĂŶĚ Ăƌƚ ƚŚĂƚ ĂƌĞ ƚƌĂĚŝƟŽŶĂů ŚĂůůŵĂƌŬƐ ŽĨ the state’s culture, medical ƚŽƵƌŝƐŵ ƚŚĂƚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ƚŚĞ ďĞƐƚ ĂŐĞͲŽůĚ ĂŶĚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ŚĞĂůŝŶŐ ƉƌĂĐƟĐĞƐ͘ /Ĩ ƚŚĞƌĞ ŝƐ ĂŶLJƚŚŝŶŐ ƚŚĂƚ ĐĂŶ ŚŽůĚ LJŽƵƌ ďƌĞĂƚŚ ĞǀĞƌLJ minute of it and yet emerge as Ă ĮĞƐƚĂ ƚŽ LJŽƵƌ ĞLJĞƐ ďĞLJŽŶĚ ůŝŵŝƚƐ ĂŶĚ ŝŵĂŐŝŶĂƟŽŶ͕ ŝƚ ŝƐ dŚŝƌƵǀĂŶĂŶƚŚĂƉƵƌĂŵ͘
Deepika Dewan
C
olloquially known as Trivandrum, the state capital of Kerala is the academic hub of science and technology. One of the ten
ŐƌĞĞŶĞƐƚ ĐŝƟĞƐ ŽĨ /ŶĚŝĂ͕ dƌŝǀĂŶĚƌƵŵ ŽīĞƌƐ ĂŶ ƵŶĐŚĂůůĞŶŐĞĚ ŵŝdž ŽĨ ƚƌĂĚŝƟŽŶ͕ ŶĂƚƵƌĞ͕ entertainment and leisure that keeps ĚƌĂǁŝŶŐ /ŶĚŝĂŶ ĂŶĚ /ŶƚĞƌŶĂƟŽŶĂů ƚŽƵƌŝƐƚƐ ƟŵĞ ĂŶĚ ĂŐĂŝŶ͘ /ƚ ŝƐ ǁĞůůͲĐŽŶŶĞĐƚĞĚ ďLJ air, road and rail. Here is how, any leisure Žƌ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ƚƌĂǀĞůůĞƌ ǀŝƐŝƟŶŐ ƚŚĞ ůĂŶĚ ŽĨ coconut trees and spices would come back again to taste the undisputed magic of Trivandrum. Ͳ Shri Padmanabhaswamy Temple: As one of the 108 Great Vishnu temples ďĞůŽŶŐŝŶŐ ƚŽ ƉƌĞͲ ŚƌŝƐƟĂŶ ĞƌĂ͕ ƚŚĞ ^Śƌŝ Padmanabhaswamy temple is where peace and grandeur coincide. Renovated to ƚŚĞ ƉƌĞƐĞŶƚ ƐƚĂƚĞ ŽĨ ŵĂŐŶŝĮĐĞŶĐĞ ďLJ ƚŚĞ
DĂŚĂƌĂũĂ ^ƌŝ ŶŝnjŚĂŵ dŝƌƵŶĂů DĂƌƚŚĂŶĚĂ Varma in the 18th century, the customs and ƚƌĂĚŝƟŽŶƐ ƚŚĂƚ ĂƌĞ ĨŽůůŽǁĞĚ ŚĞƌĞ Ăƚ ƉƌĞƐĞŶƚ ƌĞƐĞŵďůĞ ĞǀĞƌLJ ďŝƚ ŽĨ ƌŽLJĂůƚLJ ƉƌĂĐƟĐĞĚ ŝŶ the past. Ͳ Shri Chitra Art Gallery: Established in ϭϵϯϱ͕ ^Śƌŝ ŚŝƚƌĂ ƌƚ 'ĂůůĞƌLJ ŚĂƐ ĂŶ ĞdžĐůƵƐŝǀĞ ĂŶĚ ƌĂƌĞ ĐŽůůĞĐƟŽŶ ŽĨ ŽǀĞƌ ϭϭϬϬ ƉĂŝŶƟŶŐƐ͕ ďŽƚŚ ƚƌĂĚŝƟŽŶĂů ĂŶĚ ĐŽŶƚĞŵƉŽƌĂƌLJ͕ belonging to the Mughal, Rajput, Rajasthani, Bengal and Tanjore schools of art. A ĐŽŶŶŽŝƐƐĞƵƌƐ͛ ĚĞůŝŐŚƚ ŝƚ ŝƐ ǁŝƚŚ ƟŵĞůĞƐƐ works of Raja Ravi Varma, Jamini Roy, Rabindranath Tagore, Nicholas Roerich to ŶĂŵĞ Ă ĨĞǁ͘ /ŶƚĞƌĞƐƟŶŐůLJ͕ ƚŚĞ Ăƌƚ ŐĂůůĞƌLJ ŚĂƐ ĂŶ ŽƌŝĞŶƚĂů ĐŽůůĞĐƟŽŶ ŽĨ :ĂƉĂŶĞƐĞ͕ ŚŝŶĞƐĞ͕ ĂůŝŶĞƐĞ ƉĂŝŶƟŶŐƐ ĂŶĚ ŵŽƐƚ ŽĨ Ăůů ϰϬϬ LJĞĂƌ ŽůĚ dĂŶũŽƌĞ ŵŝŶŝĂƚƵƌĞ ƉĂŝŶƟŶŐƐ͘ Ͳ Padmanabhapuram Palace: A wooden palace belonging to the 16th century, Padmanabhapuram Palace situated in Kanyakumari is a royal splendour in art and architecture. One of the best examples ŽĨ ƚƌĂĚŝƟŽŶĂů <ĞƌĂůĂ ĂƌĐŚŝƚĞĐƚƵƌĞ͕ ƚŚĞ ŽůĚ Palace belonging to the Rajas of Travancore ŚĂƐ ƚŽ ŝƚƐ ĐƌĞĚŝƚ ĂŶƟƋƵĞ ŝŶƚĞƌŝŽƌƐ ǁŝƚŚ intricate rosewood carvings, 17th and 18th century murals, windows that have coloured ŵŝĐĂ͕ ƌŽLJĂů ĐŚĂŝƌƐ ǁŝƚŚ ŚŝŶĞƐĞ ĐĂƌǀŝŶŐƐ͕ Queen Mother’s palace with painted ceilings ůŝŶŐƵŝƐƟĐĂůůLJ ŬŶŽǁŶ ĂƐ ͚dŚĂŝŬŬŽƩĂƌĂŵ͕͛ ƚĞĂŬ
carved and rose wood ceilings with over 90 ĚŝīĞƌĞŶƚ ŇŽƌĂů ĚĞƐŝŐŶƐ͘ Ͳ Kovalam Beach: A beach town by the ƌĂďŝĂŶ ^ĞĂ͕ <ŽǀĂůĂŵ ďLJ ŝƚƐ ǀĞƌLJ ŶĂŵĞ ŽīĞƌƐ ƚŽƵƌŝƐƚƐ ĂŶ ĞŶĚůĞƐƐ ƐŝŐŚƚ ŽĨ ĐŽĐŽŶƵƚ trees making it as one of the most ŝŵƉŽƌƚĂŶƚ ƚŽƵƌŝƐƚ ĚĞƐƟŶĂƟŽŶƐ ŝŶ ^ŽƵƚŚ /ŶĚŝĂ͘ <ŽǀĂůĂŵ ŚĂƐ ƚŚƌĞĞ ƐĞƉĂƌĂƚĞĚ ďĞĂĐŚĞƐ ŝŶ ŝƚƐ ϭϳ Ŭŵ ĐŽĂƐƚůŝŶĞ Ͳ >ŝŐŚƚŚŽƵƐĞ ĞĂĐŚ͕ ^ĂŵƵĚƌĂ ĞĂĐŚ ĂŶĚ ,ĂǁĂŚ ĞĂĐŚ͘ ,ŝŐŚ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ƚŽƵƌŝƐƚ ĂŐĞŶĚĂ͕ ƉĂƌƟĐƵůĂƌůLJ ƵƌŽƉĞĂŶƐ͕ Kovalam Beach has come to be known for its range of Ayurvedic treatments. Ͳ ^ŚĂŶŬƵŵƵŐŚĂŵ ĞĂĐŚ͗ The abundance of white sand coupled with serene