Trivandrum Excursion : Places nearby Trivandrum - Kerala

Places to visit nearby destination - Trivandrum

Aruvippuram

Aruvippuram is located at about 24 km from the city of Kollam. The major attraction out here is the Shiva temple that attracts a large number of devotees during the Shivratri festival. A small waterfall makes it an attractive picnic spot.

Kanyakumari

Located at a distance of about 87 kilometres from Thiruvananthapuram, Kanyakumari is the southernmost part of the Indian mainland. The place is the meeting point of the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. Kanyakumari has great religious significance for the Hindus. The place is dedicated to the Goddess Devi Kanya, believed to be an incarnation of Parvati, Lord Shiva’s wife. Pilgrims come here to visit the temple and bathe in the waters here, as they are considered sacred.

One of the major tourist attractions at Kanyakumari is the Vivekananda Memorial. The memorial is built about 400 metres offshore. It was here that Swami Vivekananda meditated in 1892 before embarking on a journey to usher in the religious reforms throughout the country. The mandapam built here in his memory reflects the architectural styles from all over the country.

Kovalam

Sixteen kilometres away from Thiruvananthapuram lies Kovalam, an internationally renowned beach. The beach has been a favourite haunt of tourists, especially Europeans, since the 1930s. A visit to the beach provides you with plenty of leisure options. You can go for sunbathing, swimming and herbal body toning massages. Special cultural programmes are also organised here.

Kovalam has been developed as an integrated seaside resort by the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC). The beach complex includes the Ashoka Beach Resort (owned by ITDC), low-budget cottages, Ayurvedic health centres, shopping zones, and swimming pools.

Neyyar Dam

Located at about 32 km from Thiruvananthapuram, the Neyyar Dam is a popular picnic spot with a lake and a dam. You can enjoy boating in the lake that has been formed by the dam across the Neyyar River. Apart from boating, you can also take a trip to the Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary. The wild species in the sanctuary include elephants, wild buffaloes, wild boar, porcupines, tigers and a variety of snakes. There is also a crocodile breeding centre and a lion safari park at the dam site.

Padmanabhapuram Palace

Padmanabhapuram Palace, 64 km from Thiruvananthapuram, is a magnificent wooden palace of the 16th century. This old palace of the erstwhile rulers of the State of Travancore (1550 to 1750 AD) is a fine specimen of Kerala’s indigenous style of architecture. It has rosewood-ceiling carvings in floral patterns, windows laid with jewel-coloured mica and floors finished to high polish with a special compound of crushed shell, coconuts, egg white and the juices of the local plants. Some of the interesting items housed here are the musical bow in mahogany, royal chairs with Chinese carvings, secret underground passages, the King’s bedroom with a four-poster medicinal bed, mural paintings, pictures of Lord Krishna, hanging brass lanterns lit continuously since the 18th century, hanging cage through which eagles tore criminals to death, open-air swimming bath, granite dance hall, Saraswati temple, Belgian mirrors and an outer cyclopean stone wall fitted together without mortar.

The palace, though situated in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, comes under the purview of the Government of Kerala.

Ponmudi

Ponmudi is an enchanting hill resort situated at about 61 km from Thiruvananthapuram city. The resort offers you excellent opportunities for trekking. You can also visit the deer park that is just 3 km from the resort. Golden Valley, which lies on the way to Ponmudi, is an ideal place for bathing in the cool, clear mountain stream that splashes down the rocks. You can also find natural springs, flowering trees and orchids quite in abundance here.

Varkala

Located at 51 km north of Thiruvananthapuram city, Varkala is a calm and quiet hamlet that has several places of tourist interests. There is a tranquil sea resort, rich in mineral water springs, at the Varkala beach. A dip in the waters here is believed to purge the body of impurities and the soul of all sins. Overlooking the beach from the cliffs is Janardhanaswamy Temple, a two-thousand-year old shrine. The Sivagiri Mutt, founded by the great Hindu reformer and philosopher Sri Narayana Guru (1856-1928) is also close by.