Trivandrum (which once bore the proud name of Thiruvananthapuram) is the capital of the South Indian state of Kerala. It is worth coming here just to find out the correct translation of Thiruvananthapuram, which from the Sanskrit Thiru-anantha-puram means “The sacred city of the snake Ananta, on which Vishnu has a habit of reclining, swaying on the waves of the oceans in complete and absolute idleness.”
How to get to Trivandrum
According to cachedhealth, Trivandrum has an international airport serving, among other things, Qatar Airlines, which fly to Moscow via Doha, as well as to neighboring Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
Jet Airways and Indian Airways fly to Trivandrum from Mumbai during the day. Air India flies to Cochin and Indian Airways also flies to Bangalore, Chennai and Delhi. In addition, regular flights to Colombo and Male are made from here.
By train
Train tickets are best booked in advance. Trains to Trivandrum generally follow the coast, via Kollam and Ernakulam to Thrissur and on to Tamil Nadu. From here you can also get to Mangalore in the state of Karnataka by daily Parasuram Express (16 hours) and Malabar Express.
Trains run to Varkala (45 minutes), Kollam (1.5 hours), Ernakulam (4.5 hours), and Alleppey (3 hours). There is also a daily route to Calicut (11 hours) and Kanyakumar (2 hours).
By bus
In Tamil Nadu, State Express Transport Corporation runs buses from the east end of the station to Chennai (17 hours, 8 times a day) and Madurai (7 hours, 9 times a day). Once a day there are flights to Udhagamandalam, also known as Ooty (14 hours) and to Pondicherry (16 hours).
You can get to Kovalam Beach by buses that leave from the south end of the East Fort bus station on MG Road every 15 minutes from 5:40 to 22:00. In addition, once a day at 8:45 there is a bus to Thekkady (8 hours).
Transport
The airport is only 6 km away (from Kovalam beach 15 km), local bus number 14 goes there from the East Fort station. A taxi to the airport costs 210 INR, from Kovalam – about 320 INR.
Auto rickshaws are the most convenient way to get around the city. Standard rates: INR 10 per landing plus INR 5 per km. At night, the price is half as much, it is better to negotiate the fare in advance. You can also take buses on MG Road – very cheap, but invariably crowded.
Weather in Trivandrum
Trivandrum has a tropical climate without pronounced seasons, with a maximum of +34 °C and a minimum of +21 °C. The rainy season, monsoon, here lasts from early May to October. The best time to visit is from November to February.
See also the current weather forecast in Trivandrum for the next few days.
Bars and restaurants
Traditional drinks in Trivandrum are karikk coconut water and sambharam, buttermilk with salt, ginger and green chili. The first can be bought from street vendors, the second is sold at Milma outlets.
Bakery Junction sells not only fresh and delicious bread, but also Sharjah and Tsunami cocktails. Sharjah, however, is so popular that it can be found in all shops in the city. Fans of fun should look into the rooftop restaurant, on the west side of MG Rd, next to Club Purple, northwest of the station.
Entertainment and attractions of Trivandrum
In the capital city of Kerala, Trivandrum, it is worth visiting the Eastern Fort to take a look at the Sri Padmanabaswamy Temple. Persons of non-Hindu religion are not allowed inside, but if you come in the morning, you can see how believers perform ritual ablutions in the pool in front of the temple. And at the same time to see something unimaginable on the corner of the pool: a tiny altar with a red flag, a sickle, a hammer and a bust of Lenin.
To the left of the pool is the entrance to the Putan-Malik Palace, also known as the Palace of a Thousand Laughing Horses. The laughing horses are indeed there: they are carved from rosewood and placed along the entire eaves of this giant labyrinth-like building. Also in Trivandrum it is worth walking to the City Garden – to marvel at the trees and flowers unknown to northern people, and at the same time take a walk around the Museum of Decorative and Applied Arts and the zoo. At the same time, learning the full name of the city – Thiruvananthapuram, that is, “the sacred city of the snake Ananta, on which Vishnu has a habit of reclining, swaying on the waves of the oceans in complete and absolute idleness.”
