ARUVIPPURAM located 24 km from Kollam, attractions numerous devotees to the Shiva temple here during the Shivratri festival. A small waterfallnearby makes it an attractive picnic spot.

KANYAKUMARI Located 87 kms from Trivandrum, Kanyakumari is the southernmost part of the Indian mainland. Here the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea converge. Kanyakumari has great religious importance for the Hindus. The place is devoted to the Goddess Devi Kanya, an incarnation of Parvati, Lord Shiva’s wife. Pilgrims visit the temple and bathe in the holy waters here. Another major tourist attraction here is the Vivekananda Memorial, built about 400 metres offshore. Swami Vivekananda meditated here in 1892 before embarking on a journey to introduce religious reforms throughout the country. The mandapam built in his memory here reflects architectural styles from all over the country.

KOVALAM 16 kms away from Trivandrum lies Kovalam, an internationally renowned beach. The beach has been popular among tourists, especially Europeans, since the 1930s. The beach offers plenty of leisure optionsicluding sunbathing, swimming and herbal body toning massages. Special cultural programmes are also held here. Kovalam was further developed as seaside resort by the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC). The beach complex includes the Ashoka Beach Resort, low-budget cottages, Ayurvedic health centres, shopping zones, and swimming pools.

NEYYAR DAM Located 32 km from Trivandrum, the Neyyar Dam is a popular picnic spot with a lake and a dam. One can enjoy boating in the lake formed by the dam across the Neyyar River. Apart from boating, one can also visit the Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary has animals like elephants, tigers wild buffaloes, wild boar, porcupines and a variety of snakes. A crocodile breeding centre and a lion safari park are also near the dam site.

PADMANABHAPURAM PALACE 64 km from Trivandrum, is a outstanding wooden palace of the 16th century. This old palace belonging to the erstwhile rulers of the State of Travancore (1550 to 1750 AD) is a masterpiece of Kerala’s indigenous style of architecture. With floral patterns of rosewood-ceiling carvings, windows inlaid with coloured mica and floors finished to high polish by a special compound of egg white, crushed shell, coconuts and the juices of the local plants. Some of the items housed here include royal chairs with Chinese carvings, the musical bow in mahogany, the King’s bedroom with a four-poster medicinal bed, secret underground passages, mural paintings, pictures of Lord Krishna, a brass lanterns lit continuously since the 18th century, open-air swimming bath, granite dance hall, Saraswati temple, hanging cage through which eagles tore criminals to death, Belgian mirrors and an outer cyclopean stone wall fitted together without mortar. The palace, though in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, comes under the purview of the Government of Kerala.

PONMUDI an enchanting hill resort 61 km from Trivandrum city, offers excellent opportunities for trekking. A deer park, just 3 km from the resort, is also worth a visit. Golden Valley, on the way to Ponmudi, is popular as an ideal place for bathing in the cool, clear mountain stream splashing down the rocks. One can also find natural springs, flowering trees and orchids quite in abundance here.

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



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