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 If Kerala calls itself God's own
country, it is not without good reason. Crisscrossed by umpteen waterways, kept ever cool
by hordes of coconut palms that sway in silent majesty and blessed with an undulating
terrain that is green round the year, this 560 km long southern State is a tourist
paradise. At the widest Kerala is a mere 120 km from the sea to the mountains. Gracing one
side of Kerala is a lofty mountain range. And the other side is guarded by the Arabian
Sea. By air Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city is linked with over 30 convenient
domestic and international destinations that include Colombo, Maldives and the Middle
East. Similarly it is well connected with a large number of domestic destinations by road
and rail. The legend about
Kerala: The ancient lore has it that Lord Vishnu, slayed 21 evil warriors
in his incarnation as Parashurama. After the ferocious battle he prayed to the Gods for a
secluded place to perform his penance. The Gods deigned to give him the land he chose. On
hearing this, Parashuram threw his axe into the sea in a wide arc and commanded the water
to retreat. The land that rose from the sea became Kerala, spread over an area of 2192 sq.
km.
The people of
Kerala: The state has the distinction of having achieved cent percent
literacy. Some of the most distinguished writers, cartoonists, poets and artists and other
luminaries on the national scene hail from the state.
Places to visit in
Thirvananthapuram:
Padmanabha
Swamy Temple: This is a temple for Lord Vishnu and is
located inside the East Fort. The temple is a blend of the Kerala and
Dravidian styles of architecture. It is known for its mural paintings
and stone carvings. The temple has a strict dress code of dhoti for men
and saree and blouse for women.
The Napier
Museum: The Indo-Saracenic-structure dating back to the 19th century,
boasts of a natural air conditioning system, houses a rare collection of archaeological
and historic artefacts, bronze idols, ancient ornaments, a temple chariot and ivory
carvings.
Padmanabhapuram
palace: The seat of the erstwhile rulers of Travancore, this splendid
palce is situated at Thuckalai, on the way to Kanyakumari. This well-preserved wooden
palace is a glorious testimony to the traditional Kerala School of architecture.
Peppara
Wildlife Sanctuary: This sanctuary is spread over 53 sq. km on the Western
Ghats, is accessible from Vithurai, which is on the way to Ponmudi.
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 Kuthirmalika palace
Museum: Built by Maharaja Swathi Thirrunal -the king of
Travancore, who
was a great poet, musician, social reformer and statesman, this rare collection has
specimens of workmanship in the traditional Travancore style of architecture as also wood
carvings, paintings and various priceless artifacts.Sri Chithra Art Gallery: Located near the Napier
Museum, this art gallery displays select paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, Svetlova and
Nicholas Roerich besides exquisite works from the Rajput, Mughal and Tanjore schools of
art in India. Notably, the collection includes works from China Japan, Tibet and Bali.
The Zoological
Park: Kanakakunnu Palace, Science and Technology Museum, Priyadarshini
planetarium, Biotechnology Museum, Chacha Nehru children's Museum, and Observatory are the
other attractions of the city.
Kovalam Beach:
This internationally renowned beach resort has been a favourite haunt of tourists since
the 1930s Kovalam consists of three adjacent crescent beaches. The southern most, known as
the Lighthouse Beach, is the most popular of all.
Located around the
city are the following places of interest: Shanghumukham Beach, Veli Tourist Village, Akkulam
Tourist village, Thiruvallam, Aruvikkara Dam, Vizhinjam Rocks Cut Cave, Koyikkal Palace,
Nedumangad, Folklore Museum, Numismatics Museum, Sri Mahdeva Temple, Kazhakuttom and
Neyyar Dam
Varkala:
This is a seasideresort and spa and an important Hindu center of pilgrimage. The final
resting place of the great social reformer, Sri Narayana Guru, is near
Varkala, atop a
hill called Sivagiri. High cliffs with mineral springs rise majestically from the
coastline. The 200-year-old Janardhan Swamy Temple and the Nature care Centre are the two
main attractions here.
 Agasthyakoodam:
Part of the Sahyadri range of mountains, Agasthyakoodam is the second higest peak in
Kerala, at a height of 1890 meters above sea level. Teeming with wild life, the forests of
Agasthyakoodam abound in rare medicinal herbal plants, and brilliantly hued orchids.God's own country teems with all the wonders of flora and fauna that
only equatorial rainforests can offer the city-weary traveller. Try it and get hooked
forever.
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