India Travel

Away from the centre Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala

Related Properties from Gurgaon

Thiruvananthapuram The City in Kerala

The historical and spiritual heart of Thiruvananthapuram is in the Fort area at the southern end of MG Road, which encloses the Shri Padmanabhaswamy Vishnu temple. Following MG Road north leads you through the main shopping district, which is busy all day, and especially choked when one of the frequent, but generally orderly, political demonstrations converges on the grail" colonial Secretariat building halfway alone. The whole centre can be explored easily on foot, though you might be glad of a rickshaw ride (Rsl 5-20) back from the museums and parks, close to the top end of the road.

Kottayam and around Practicalities in Kerala

Kottayam's KSRTC bus stand, 500m south of the centre on TB Road (not to be confused with the private stand for local buses on KK Road, aka Shastri Road), is an important stop on routes to and from major towns in south India. Four of the frequent buses to Kumily/Penyar (3-4hr) each day go on to Madurai, in Tamil Nadu (7hr), and there are regular services to Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Ernakulam. The railway station (2km north of the centre) sees a constant flow of traffic between Thiruvananthapuram and points north. Ferries from Alappuzha and elsewhere dock at the weed-clogged jetty,

Around Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala

Although for virtually its entire 550-kilometre length the Keralan coast is lined with sandy beaches, rocky promontories and coconut palms, Kovalam is one of the only places where swimming in the sea is not considered eccentric by locals, and which offers accommodation to suit all budgets. When it gets too hot at sea level, Ponmudi, a bus ride away in the Cardamom hills through forest, spice and tea plantations, makes a refreshing break. Another easy excursion from Thiruvananthapuram is its predecessor as capital of Travancore, Padrnanabhapuram, site of a magniScent palace.

Kollam (Quilon) and around in Kerala

One of the oldest ports of the Malabar coast, KOLLAM (pronounced "Koillam" and previously known as Quilon), 74km northwest of Thiruvananthapuram and 85km south of Alappuzha, was once at the centre of the international spice trade. The sixteenth-century Portuguese writer Duarte Barbossa described it as a" very great city with a right good haven", which was visited by "Moors, Heathen and Christians in great numbers", and stated that "a great store" of pepper was to be found there. In fact, the port flourished from the very earliest times, trading amicably with the Phoenicians, Arabs, Persians, Greeks, Romans and Chinese. Nowadays, Kollam

Padmanabhapuram Practicalities in Kerala

Frequent buses run to Padmanabhapuram from Thiruvananthapurams Thampanoor station; hop on any service heading south towards Nagercoil or Kanniyakumari and get off at Thakkaly (sometimes written Thuckalai). If you're determined to see Padmanabhapuram. Kanniyakumari and Suchindram in one day. leave the city early to arrive when the palace opens at 9am. Note that two express buses leave Thakkaly at 2,30pm and 3.30pm for Thiruvananthapuram. Another way to see Padmanabhapuram is on KTDC's Kanniyakumari tour which starts at Thiruvananthapuram (Tues-Sun 7.30am-9pm; Rs230) and can be picked up at Kovalam where it stops en route. The area around the bus station, being on

Varkalanorthwest in Kerala

Long known to Keralans as a place of pilgrimage, VARKALA, 54km northwest of Thiruvananthapuram and 20km southeast of Kollam, is drawing more and more foreign visitors, who see the beautiful beach and cliffs 1500m beyond the village as a quiet, unspoiled alternative to Kovalam. Centred on a clifftop row of budget guesthouses and palm-thatch cafes, the tourist scene has so far been relatively low-key despite the arrival of the Taj Group's luxury resort and the occasional package tour group. Varkala is developing, albeit slowly, so enjoy it while you can; this tranquil spot could well go the same way as

Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala

Kerala's capital, the coastal city of THIRUVANANTHAPURAM (still widely and more commonly known as Trivandrum), is set on seven low hills, 87km from the southern tip of India. Despite its administrative importance -demonstrated by wide roads, multistorey office blocks and gleaming white colonial buildings — it's a decidedly easy-going city, with an attractive mixture of narrow backstreets, traditional red-tiled gabled houses and acres of palm trees and parks breaking up the bustle of its modern concrete centre. Although it has few monuments as such,Thiruvananthapuram is an ideal first stop in the state, as a window on Keralan culture. The oldest most

Kovalam and around south from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala

The coastal village of KOVALAM may lie just 10km south from Thiruvananthapuram, but as Kerala's most developed beach resort it's becoming ever more distanced from the rest of the state. Each year greater numbers of Western visitors - budget travellers and jet-setters alike - arrive in search of sun, sea and palm-fringed beaches. For many travellers it has become, with Goa and Mamallapuram, the third essential stop on a triangular tour of tropical south Indian "paradises" - or indeed just another leg of the trail along the coasts of South Asia. Europeans have been visiting Kovalam since the 1930s, but not

Thiruvananthapuram Information and tours in Kerala

All the tourist offices at the airport are open during flight times. The Government of India's counter (0471/501498) offers general information regarding Kerala and the adjacent states, while the Government of Kerala has two counters, one at the domestic terminal (0471/501085) and the other at the internacion.il terminal (0471/502298), offering Kerala-specific information including, for example, on backwater cruises. The Government of Kerala also has an office in the main block at the Thampanoor bus stand (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; 0471/327224) which is good for general information and maps and sells tickets for backwater cruises between Kollam and Alappuzha. They have another counter

Travel details for Travel details in Kerala

For details of ferry services on the backwaters - primarily between Alappuzha and Kollam. Trains Kochi/Ernakulam to: Alappuzha (3-5 daily; 1hr 20min): Bangalore (1 daily; 14hr); Chennai (3-5 daily; 12hr45min-14hr40min); Coimbatore (3-4 daily; 4hr 45min-5hr 30min); Delhi (2 daily; 40hr 30min-49tir), Kanniyakumari (2-3 daily; 8hr); Kollam (8-9 daily; 3-4tir|; Kottayam (8-9 daily; 1hr 5min); Kozhikode (6-7.daily; 3hr 20min-6hr 20min); Mumbai (2-3 daily; 28hr 20min 10hr 25min); Palakkad (5-6 daily; 3hr 20mm); Tliiriivananthapuram (9-11 daily; 4hr 20min-5hr): Thrissur (12-14 daily; 1 hr 30min-2hr). Kozhikode to: Kochi (6-7 daily; 4hr 30min-5hr 10min); Mangalore (3-4 daily; 5hr 40min-6hr); Mumbai (2-3 daily; 16hr 20min-23hr); Thiruvananthapuram (4-6

Ponmudi Practicalities in Kerala

Four daily buses run from Thiruvananthapuram to Ponmudi, via Vithura; the first is at 5.30am and the last at 10.15am.There are many more buses back trom Ponmudi to Thiruvanathapuram, starting at 6am until 6.30pm. The nearest tourist office is currently in Thiruvananthapuram, where information on Ponmudi is readily available, although a snazzy new tourist information office should be open in Ponmudi by 2002. The Government Guest House (0472/890230) has 24 rooms, and seven cottages, all with hot water. The simple and inexpensive but delicious meals have to be ordered a couple of hours in advance, otherwise the cold drinks and snacks

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Dhanwantari in Kerala

Located amid the serene hills and tropical forests around Neyyar Dam. 28km east of Thiruvananthapuram, the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Dhanwantari is one of India's leading yoga ashrams. It was founded by Swami Sivananda - dubbed the "Flying Guru" because he used to pilot light aircraft over war-stricken areas of the world scattering flowers and leaflets calling for peace - as a centre for meditation, yoga and traditional Keralan martial arts and medicine. Sivananda was a renowned exponent of Advaitya Vedanta, the philosophy of non-duality, as espoused by the Upamshads and promoted later by Shankara in the eleventh century. Aside from training

Kottayam Accommodation and eating in Kerala

Kottayam has a good choice of mid-range hotels but if you are in search of utter luxury, head out to one of the five-star resorts that nestle on the banks of the nearby Vembanad lake in Kumarakom. You'll be hard pushed to find a decent budget hotel here, apart from the Ambassador. There are basic "meals" restaurants in the centre of Kottayam, such as the Black Stone, close to the bus station on TB Road, and a fairly dingy Indian Coffee House on TB Road, but the best is the vegetarian thali restaurant at Homestead Hotel. For an evening out, die

Ponmudi and Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala

In the tea-growing region of the Cardamom (or Ponmudi) hills, about 60km northeast of Thiruvananthapuram and 77km from Kovalam. at an altitude of 1066m, is the hill station of PONMUDI. It is not a town, or even a village, but merely some accommodation along a ridge, commanding breathtaking views out across the range as far as the sea. The main reason anyone comes up here is that it serves as the only practical base for visits to the 53 square kilometres of forest set aside as Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary, which protects elephants, sambar, lion-tailed macaques, leopard, and assorted birds. Although Peppara

Ernakulam in Kerala

ERNAKULAM presents the modern face of Kerala, with more of a city feel than Thiruvananthapuram, but small enough not to be daunting. Other than the fairly dull Parishath Thamburan Museum (Tues-Sun 9.30am-noon & 3-5.30pm) in Darbar Hall Road, there's little in the way of sights. Along the busy, long, straight Mahatma Gandhi (MG) Road, which more or less divides Ernakulam in half 500m back from the sea, the main activities are shopping, eating and movie-going. Here you can email and phone to your heart's content, and choose from an assortment of great places to eat Keralan food. This area is

Varkalanorthwest Arrival and information in Kerala

Varkala's railway station, 2km east of the village, is served by express and mai trains from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam (hourly; 45min), and most other Keralan towns on the main line. An auto-rickshaw to the beach costs around Rs20-30. Regular buses also run from Thiruvananthapuram's Thampanoo stand, and from Kollam (lhr-2hr 30mm). A few go all the way to the bead" but most stop in the village centre, a five-minute auto-rickshaw ride away. 1 you can't get a direct bus, take any "superfast" or "limited stop" bus along th main highway, NH-47, and change at Kallamballam from where you can ho onto

Aranmula in Kerala

The village of ARANMULA is another appealing day-trip - so long as you start early - from Kottayam, 30km south of the town and 10km beyond Chengannur. Its ancient temple is dedicated to Parthasarathy, which was the name under which Krishna acted as Arjuna's charioteer during the bloody Kurekshetra war recorded in the Mahabharata, and the guise in which he expounded the Bhagavad Gita. Each year towards the end of the Onam festival (Aug/Sept), when a Snakeboat Regatta is celebrated as part of the temple rituals, crowds line the banks of the River Panipa to cheer on the thrusting longboats

Alappuzha Practicalities in Kerala

The shambolic KSRTC bus stand, on the east of town, is served by half-hourly buses to Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakukm; less frequent buses run to Kottayam, Thrissur and Palakkad. The boat jetty is just one minute's walk west from the bus stand. As the backwaters prevent trains from continuing south beyond Alappuzha, only a few major daily services and a handful of passenger trains depart from the railway station, 3km southwest of the jetty. Among these are the Bokaro/Tata Express #8690 at 6am, the Trivandrum-Mumbai CST Express #6332 at 7.20am and the-Alleppey-Chennai Express #6042 at 3pm; all three stop at

Arrival and information in Kerala

The international airport (connected to most major Indian cities, as well as Sn Lanka, the Maldives and the Middle East), with tourist information and foreign exchange facilities, is 6km southwest of town and serviced by an airport bus and bus #14 to and from the City bus stand. Auto-rickshaws will run you into the centre for around Rs40 and there's also a handy prepaid taxi service. If you're heading straight out to Kovalam, you may find that a prepaid taxi is i nost as cheap as an auto-rickshaw. The long-distance KSRTC Thampanoor bus stand (0471/323886) and railway station (0471/329246 or 132)

Kanniyakumari in Central Tamil Nadu

KANNIYAKUMARI, at the southernmost extremity of India, is almost as compelling for Hindus as Rameshwaram. It is significant, not only for its association with a virgin goddess, Kanya Devi, but also as the meeting point of the Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea. Watching the sun rise and set from here is the big attraction, especially on full-moon day in April, when it's possible to see both the setting sun and rising moon on the same horizon. Although Kanniyakumari is in the state of Tamil Nadu, most foreign visitors arrive on day-trips from Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala,