Travel » The Golden Temple

Thiruvananthapuram exudes a quiet charm, and Kovalam, a certain flamboyance. Both lure visitors in search of a quiet getaway.

Thiruvananthapuram, capital of the much-touted "God’s Own Country" is not exactly a paradise. In the 40-odd years since Ms Mitchison’s visit, the cityscape itself has changed drastically. Most of the old buildings have been pulled down and concrete monstrosities erected in their place. The population has increased manyfold, and the number of vehicles on the roads is alarmingly high. The paddy fields have mostly been transformed into housing colonies, the schools and colleges over-run by student-politicians with scant regard for academic pursuits. Yet, for all that, this city still retains some of that magic which impressed Ms Mitchison, and many others like her.

Small, green and clean—that is how tourist guides describe Thiruvananthapuram, or "The City of the Sacred Serpent." (Anantha is another name of Sesh Naag, the serpent bed on which Lord Vishnu reclines.) The deity’s magnificent Sreepadmanabhaswamy Temple is still one of the city’s main attractions. A small structure to begin with, legend has it that the temple was built around an idol accidentally discovered in the scrub jungle. In 1750, Maharaja Marthanda Varma shifted his capital from Padmanabhapuram to this city. The ample was rebuilt in its present form in 1773, blending the Dravidian and traditional Kerala styles of architecture. It is a fact not commonly known that this idol is not made of stone or metal, but of a crushed and blended mixture of 1,008 ingredients, mostly herbs. And it has been made from the inside out, that is to say, complete with a skeletal system and a network of arteries and nerves, muscles and so on, in keeping with the Ayurvedic system of medicine. Early in the morning, when the lamps are lit, the temple with its imposing gopuram shimmers in the Padmatheertham tank facing it.

The main road originates, for all practical purposes, at the beautiful Public Park. It contains the Napier Museum, the Natural History Museum, the zoo and reptile house, the Sree Chithra Art Gallery and a small children’s park.

The Napier Museum, housed in an interesting building, is a city landmark. The conspicuous, redbrick structure is described in official guide books as Indo-Saracenic, but the sloping roofs and ornately carved gables give the impression of a blend of the colonial and traditional Kerala styles. The museum, when first opened in 1857, was, apparently, not a success with the local people. So, the botanical gardens and the zoo were added in order to attract visitors. It has a fine collection of bronzes, stone sculpture (some dating back to the eighth century), Southeast Asian and Ceylonese masks, Javanese shadow puppets, Kathakali figures, and a very old temple car.

The zoo is situated in the botanical garden which has a large number of tropical trees. This green lung is a bird watchers’ paradise early in the morning and in the evening. However, the presence of so many trees makes this area particularly vulnerable to human greed. "From time to time," said Kunhikrishnan, a teacher of biology and a noted environmentalist, "plans are mooted by each succeeding ministry to shift the zoo to a ‘better’ location somewhere far away. It is obvious that the greed for timber is behind such solicitude. So far, timely protests have preserved this area more or less intact. But I am not optimistic about its future."

The zoo itself is worth a visit. At one end, there is a lake surrounded by trees and accommodating a small island. Besides a good collection of animals and birds, the zoo offers a lovely walk over undulating lawns and down narrow, winding pathways. The animal enclosures are, however, depressing, and the animal do not seem wel cared for. Most of the enclosures date back to the nineteenth century, and some of them, especially where the monkeys are housed, have beautiful fresco work on the walls.

The more modern Natural History Museum will interest children with its exhibits of fossils, skeletons of animals, insect specimens, stuffed birds, wildlife and so on. The Science and Technology Museum, with an excellent planetarium, is a 15-minute walk from outside the Public Park compound.

Yet another museum, recently opened and known only to a very few, should not be missed. The Kuthira Malika (Horse Palace) Museum near the Sreepadmanabhaswamy Temple, belongs to the Travancore royal family. So called because of the over 100 wooden equine figures carved just below its roof, the-palace was built in the nineteenth century by Maharaja Swathi Thirunal, one of the most famous rulers of Travancore. A great patron of music and the arts, part of this huge palace complex, where he lived and in which he died, was turned into a museum a couple of years ago.

Just a stone’s throw from the Sreepadmanabhaswamy Temple, an inconspicuous board on a small gate reads Puthen Malika Palace Museum (another name for the Horse Palace). You buy a ticket and walk along a small winding pathway, and suddenly the large, imposing palace complex bursts into view. This is one of the finest examples of traditional Travancore and South Kerala styles of architecture. The polished floors, exquisitewoodwork and simple elegance of every detail literally takes one’s breath away. No less interesting are the exhibits themselves. But the museum is still being developed and has a long way to go. In many of the rooms, for instance, the lighting is inadequate. The collection includes portraits of former kings, most of them painted by Portuguese artists, various types of weaponry, artifacts and gifts received by generations of Maharajas, huge mirrors of Belgian glass, marble, metal and stone idols and musical instruments actually used by Maharaja Swathi Thirunal. Looking at the ivory throne made out of the tusks of 22 elephants, I could not help thinking how wonderful the tusks would have looked on 22 live elephants. The gifts include a priceless throne made of Bohemian crystal. But there’s also an unsightly metal plaque, awarded by the Rotary Club of Trivandrum!