Anantha Padmanabha Swamy temple at Tiruvananthapuram

About:

The AnanthaPadmanabha Swamy temple is one of the renowned Vedic shrines in India. It is located at Tiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala in India. It is on the name of this temple that this city got its name.

What makes this temple special?

The temple tower is the primary attraction. Shining in gold color and slightly larger than those from Tamilnadu and Andhra architecture, the tower looks fabulous. The temple has four entrances called nadas in four directions.

East nada through which usually entrance is made into this temple. On both sides of this road, shopping options are found in plenty.

The hugely vast corridor of this temple contains hundreds of granite stone pillars which show case marvelous architecture and takes one's soul into a trance. One has to enter this holy shrine only in traditional attire as mentioned by the temple authorities. Provisions are also made to provide traditional clothes to tourists who don't know this rule. Even the police and other security personnel who perform their duties inside the temple are seen only in traditional dress. As one steps into this temple, the peaceful corridors, the soft sea sand beneath the feet and the traditional Kerala style temple architecture draws their whole attention. This temple has vast assets in the form of Gold making it the richest temple in the world.

The holy idol of Padmanabha swamy is very huge in a lying position and one cannot see it all at once. Three looks are needed to view the entire idol. The view of the deity has a captivating power that cannot be expressed in words.

After the darshan, a small lump made of sandal and rose water is given to devotees which is to be applied on foreheads. It draws away heat from the  body and keeps it cool. The aravana prasadam , (the holy food as an offering of the to the God) is available at the exit entrance. It is made of jaggery, Kerala rice, milk, ghee and other condiments. It tastes amazing and leaves you wanting for more.

Another attraction of this temple is the temple tank which is considered very holy and adds lovely look to the temple.

Shopping:

Books on Kerala tradition and culture, temples of India and tourist places in Kerala and India etc are available inside the temple. Various items which showcase Kerala tradition and culture, items made of wood and coir, traditional dresses and sarees are available on either sides of east nada road.

P.S: Why I've written about this temple?

Because I got the luckiest opportunity to visit this temple twice with my family. I learnt the true and inner meaning of my life after visiting this temple.

Spice Garden at Munnar- Teaching you the Origin of Spices

Betel nuts are born from this tall tree

Nut meg tree

Figs growing in bunches at their tree base

Cocoa plant

Red and juicy strawberries

My husband showing to my son the Touch me not plant

Cardamom growing at the base of the stem

Do you know that coffee grows like this?

Tender and green cloves

It's not betel, look at the pepper growing!!

Pure and fresh white hibiscus, looking like an innocent baby

Pink hibiscus

Yellow feast to our eyes!!

Red and blushing..looks like a king!!

Kanya Kumari-the last bit of Indian rock

A beach always looks amazing and refreshing because of the beauty of the sea water, the rising and falling waves, the lovely breeze and the sand beneath our feet. Any soul is bound to fall in love with such a beauty. Now, imagine the scenic beauty of a beach formed at the meeting point of three seas!! That's what makes Kanya Kumari (located in the state of Tamilnadu, India) a hot spot for tourists. Three different seas, the Bay of Bengal, the Indian ocean and the Arabian sea, meet here making this beach a unique and amazing beauty. This town is very well connected with major cities in south India. The nearest airport is Trivandrum at just 90km away.

Three different colors of water, three different colors of sand and the lovely rocks on the beach offer an entirely different kind of relaxing experience. This unique geographical location at the southern most tip of India offers a nature lover the mind blowing views of both the sunrise and sunset over the sea water. Hundreds of tourists who visit this place daily make sure that they don't miss these scenic views.  Bathing in the holy water here which is formed due to meeting point of three seas is believed to purify oneself. People taking their holy bath here is a common sight here.

This is a place which almost never sleeps. Even at the night most tourists are often sighted shopping or relaxing at the beach. The special steaming Tamilnadu idlis,which melt in your mouth instantly can be enjoyed at the beach any time. Shoppers find many items made of sea shells at reasonable prices at various stalls along their way to the beach.The beach looks so colorful and lively that it lifts one's mood instantly.

Playing in the water with my son and collecting sea shells are the two most things I had done extensively on this beach. We almost spent two full days on the beach right from dawn to the dusk and even at nights for a long time. This was the most lovely experience among all the trips I went on till now and I had taken a promise from my darling that we visit this beauty one more time in the nearing future.

Though my lens was not enough to cover the beauty of this place, here's my attempt !!

The nearest railway junction to Kanya Kumari is Nagercoil. This town is famous for the Nagaraja temple.

Kanya kumari railway station

The view tower at the beach to get a better view of the beauty of the three seas

An image from Gandhi Memorial. This building is built in memorial of Mahatma Gandhi such that sun's rays fall directly on his tomb on Oct 2nd as a mark of  respect

2004 devastating Tsunami memorial at the beach

The famous Tiruvalluvar statue, standing tall in the sea water

Vivekananda rock memorial. One has to reach this on a small ferry before sunset.

The waves and rocks at Muttom beach

My son and me at sunrise

Watching sun rise at the tip of Indian sub continent!!

Three colors of sea water can be seen clearly from the circular fort nearby the beach

Must visit Tirapurappu water falls on the way to Kanya Kumari from Trivandrum. An amazingly enjoyable experience bathing here!!

Ponmudi-The Golden Peak

On the way to Ponmudi two dams, and water falls also occur but one must visit them only before sunset. Because later there won't be any admissions inside. Bathing in the waterfalls is also not permitted due to safety concerns. One more highest peak in the Western Ghats of India, Agastyakoodam, is also nearby. But it is open to visitors only for a few days in a year.

A house in traditional Kerala style en route Ponmudi from Trivandrum

As you travel across Kerala, what you see are predominantly coconut trees !!

Meenmutty bridge

Entrance for Meenmutty waterfalls. We missed this beautiful waterfalls because we reached it after sunset

Dense forests on both sides of road en route Ponmudi

Board showing 15th hairpin bend. There are in total 22 hairpin curves enough to thrill you!!

Echo point rock - Climb this rock and you will touch the sky!!

View of other peaks from the top most peak at Ponmudi

If you stand on the top of the highest peak, roads and other people look very tiny and like play toys!!

This was the peak I was talking about..Trekking this peak is really enjoyable.

View of mountains on all directions

View of the road while trekking the peak

Overall View of the echo point rock (shown above in close up)

Beautiful sunset amidst the hills

Mother nature at sunset among the hills

View of the valley at sunset. You feel like sitting there and watching it for hours together!!

Refreshment center amidst the beautiful hills. One should never miss sipping a cup of hot tea in that cool breeze here!!