In the month of January, our family took a long spiritual odyssey through South India and we visited some amazing destinations of religious/spiritual importance.
It was a momentous trip for me and helped me make some important decisions on my present & future(more on that later though!!)
We started our journey in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala state.
The city of Thiruvananthpuram is the capital of Kerala state; the city’s history back to 1000 BCE. The city gets its name from the word, Thiru-anantha-puram, meaning the “Abode of Lord Ananta“.The name derives from the deity of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple at the centre of the city. It is the most famous landmark and also the centre of the city around which the whole city has been planned.
We had one full day to spend in this city and here’s how we utilized our 24 hours: –
1. Shree Padmanabhaswamy temple Darshan – Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple gave its name this city also and based on
the temple’s name, the city is also known as Anandapuram (City of Bliss) and Syananduram (Where Bliss is not far off). This temple of
Vishnu reclining on
Anantha remains the iconic landmark of the city. It is estimated that the value of the monumental items and assets of the temple partially revealed are close to
100,000
crore (
US$22 billion), making it the richest temple in the world.It was a long queue even in early morning at the temple, and took us almost 1 hour to see the deity. However, it was all worth the wait. The statue of the lord looked resplendent and we felt a divine grace upon us in the lord’s presence.
2. Breakfast at Indian Coffee House – Indian Coffee House is an iconic restaurant chain in India and in this city, it’s got a quirky building too!!
After our morning darshan , it was time for some food and we headed straight to the ICF housed in red spiral building. It is an experience eating out here, for one thing, the tables are numbered and wind up as one walks up the spiral walkway. The waiters in their colonial uniforms complete with turbans are sight to watch.
3.Padmanabhapuram Palace and Kuthiramalika Palace Museum – Both the Palace and museum are located adjacent to each other, which are in turn located adjacent to Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple.
4. Napier Museum – The Napier Museum built during the colonial India by the Travancore Kings is housing rare bronze and ivory artifacts. The Sree Chitra Art Gallery, Museum of natural History and Trivandrum Zoo are located in the premises of the Napier Museum. So, one can spend a lot of time at this museum.
5. Kovalam Beach – It is one of the most famous beaches in kerala and truly so. One feels a sense of calm watching the waves and feeling wind on the skin.
Walking by the beach and watching the sun set, we felt that there could not have a better end to the day!!!
And so ended (rather started )the spiritual journey in the abode of Lord Anatha!!
I remember that Indian Coffee House building, 'quirky' is the perfect word for it! You look great, nothing can match the elegance and simplicity of a Kerala Saree!
lovely places, looking forward to visit south india!
and ur kerala sari is so pretty!
kisses from spain,
s
Great pics…and, Kovalam-yes, lovely beach..been there once,during a Kerala trip.
Beautiful and nicely written.
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Thanks for the nice tour of Thiruvananthapuram – its my home town ! You look great in the white Kerala sari. The men have to wear dhotis to enter the temple ….
Thanks for the recap of the famous sites in Kerala! I am going to Kerala for a wedding in April and hope that I get to see the temple (I think we will be in another city though!)
xoxo,
Chic 'n Cheap Living
Indian Coffee House..A must visit, I heard about it on 'Highway on my plate' (NDTV Goodtimes)
lovely post…enjoye the snaps!
very well written… wooden palace of padmanabhapuram is my pick among the list…
Wonderful pictures and nice detailed information. Would love to visit this place someday!
Fantastic captures. I had planned a trip to the city 2 years back, but did not materialize.
I loved the city…visited 2years ago…
nice too read about it after a long time…:)
Great pictures. The coffee house building seems to be something which has come up in the recent past. The reclining Vishnu in the famous temple is made of solid Gold. The Padamanabhapuram palace, I understand is located not that close. A big thank you.
thank you for taking us along on your journey- via your photos- and also taking me on a bit of a walk down memory lane- as I have been to the beach shown 🙂
Wow!Beautiful pictures!I don't know why but I can't really relate to the 'spiritual tours'. Yours made for a good read though.And I'm a huge coffee house fan too!The food at coffee house in Kolkata is pretty bad but it's such a nostalgic place,no,you feel like going there over and over,for the bland coffee,the greasy kobiraji cutlets,the noodles with the inedible sauce,the rickety ceiling fan,the grumpy waiters…
wow!
loved all the pics and Indian Coffee House is awesome 🙂
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Sounds perfect! Love the pictures too!
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Good question…
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that was lovely!
Nice pictures and informative post . I'm yet to visit this place.
Thanks for the virtual journey…and great pics.
Why would a museum be called Napier?
What's the story there?