Page 633 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - India

KER ALA  631

VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
Practical Information
Thiruvananthapuram district.
708 km (440 miles) SW of Chennai.
* 3,301,427. n Tourist Facilitation
Centre, Museum Rd, (0471) 232
1132; TRC, opp Chaitram Hotel,
(0471) 233 0031. ( Mon–Sat.
_ Chandanakuda (Mar/Apr),
Navaratri (Sep/Oct), Soorya Dance
Festival (Oct), Nishangandhi
Dance Festival (Nov).
Imposing gopura of the Anantha Padmanabhaswamy Temple Transport
k 6 km (4 miles) W of city
seen in Tamil Nadu’s temple E Kuthiramalika Palace centre, then bus or taxi. £ @
architecture. The restrained Museum
ornamentation, however, is Fort area. Tel (0471) 247 3952.
typical of Kerala. A flagstaff Open Tue–Sun. & Extra charges for crystal throne given by the Dutch,
encased in gold stands in the photography. 8 _ Carnatic Music and another carved out of ivory.
huge courtyard. The main Festival (Jan/Feb).
corridor, which runs around This interesting museum (also E CVN Kalari Sangham
four sides of the courtyard, known as Puthen Malika) is East Fort area. Tel (0471) 247 4182.
has 324 columns and two housed in an 18th-century Open Mon–Sat. & 8
rows of granite pillars, each palace, built by Raja Swathi This training centre for
embellished with a woman Thirunal Balarama Varma, a kalaripayattu was established in
bearing a lamp (deepalakshmi). statesman, poet, musician and 1956 to revive Kerala’s martial arts
The hall also has myth ological social reformer. A fine example tradition. Each morning, students
animals, sculpted with rotating of Kerala architecture, this collect at the gymnasium (kalari)
stone balls in their jaws. Rich wooden palace has a sloping to perform a series of exercises
murals adorn the outer walls tiled roof. The wood carvings that will help them develop the
of the inner shrine, where the are particularly noteworthy, necessary combat skills. The centre
6-m (20-ft) long reclining especially the 122 horses lining also has a shrine to the deity of
Vishnu resides, with his head the eaves of the building. On martial arts, Kalari Paradevata,
towards the south and feet display are artifacts from the royal and an Ayurvedic clinic, where
towards the north. collection, including a solid students are given oil massages.
VARKALA PONMUDI,
Thiruvananthapuram Government Arts and Crafts AGASTHYAKOODAM
City Centre (Napier) Museum
MUSE UM RD
1 Government Arts and Crafts CENTRAL RD
MAIN
(Napier) Museum
2 Mahatma Gandhi Road Stadium
M A H AT MA G A N D H I R O A D ( N H 4 7 ) British
3 Anantha Padmanabhaswamy KUNNUKUZHI VAZHUTHACUD
Temple Connemara
Market
4 Kuthiramalika Palace Museum SPENCER BAKERY
5 CVN Kalari Sangham STA T UE RO AD JUNCTION JUNCTION VAZHUTHAC A UD ROAD
Secretariat
Library
THAMPANOOR H O SPITAL R D
VANCHIYUR RD PRESS ROAD THYCAUD
ARISTO RD
Airport MANJALIKULAM SS COIL ROAD
CHETTIKULANGARA RD
6 km (4 miles) Central
Bus Stand
0 metres 500 STATION R OAD THYCAUD
THAKARAPARAMBU RD
0 yards 500 Trivandrum
Central Station
PADMAVILASAM ROAD POWER HOUSE ROAD
Tank
Anantha East Fort CHENTITTA
Padmanabhaswamy Temple Bus Stand
Kuthiramalika CHALAI BAZAAR RO AD
Palace Museum CHALAI
KANYAKUMARI
CVN Kalari
Sangham KOVALAM
For keys to symbols see back flap
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