Trivandrum

Our journey started in the capital city of Trivandrum, also known as Thiruvananthapuram. Despite an hour flight delay, the short hour ride still left quite a bit of the day for sightseeing. By the time my auto rickshaw arrived at the hotel (the only one we reserved during the trip), the first rain shower had finished. The cheap $4.50 rooms certainly were nothing to brag about, but for one night we could manage. Setting down my weekender bag, I headed through the narrow alleyway and onto the main Mahatma Gandhi Road.

Anantha Padmanabhaswamy Temple
My first destination was the Anantha Padmanabhaswamy Temple, from which the town has been renamed. Located within a fort encircling the old town, this is the only temple in Kerala with a seven-storied gopura temple tower, the dominant style in the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu. Unlike the bold brilliant colors of the Tamil Nadu Hindu temples, this one seemed to echo Kerala’s more subdued nature – less decorative and with its original cream-colored stone exposed. The temple was closed to non-Hindus, so I admired the outer mythological-sculpted columns and moved onward. Curious to see what kind of shops and sights surrounded the large central tank of water, I walked around the circumference of the old town.

The Staring Begins
Another downpour and hungry stomach made me head into the distinctive Indian Coffee House. Popular with the locals, most of the booths in this spiraling brick structure were occupied. Through the narrow window opening I could peek at the goings-on below and enjoy the refreshing breeze. The girls in the booth just below me alternated between staring and giggling shyly, my red hair and light skin providing a conversation piece.

Walk through MG Road
Satiated with my first of many inexpensive meals, I headed down the spiraling ramp and proceeded to make my way north on the MG Road. Lining the busy road were modern shops, banks, colonial architecture, a college, several churches, and a mosque. Enjoying the mixture of architecture, I paused to take photos of several buildings; a mixture of red brick, pointed entryways, slightly pointed arches, relief animal decorative carvings and a curving roof of a Christian steeple. On flimsy-looking wooden scaffolding I spotted an old man, working on the steeple without any safety protection.

Napier Museum
Finally I reached my northern destination – the Napier Museum. Set in a lush park with labeled trees and flowers, it seemed that many other people were enjoying this setting, some coming to visit the museums, others for the zoo, and still others just for the grounds. A red and black brick Indo-Sacracenic structure completed in 1880, the Napier Museum this splendid building is deservedly a landmark in the city. The sloping triangular rooflines were echoed in its minarets, entryway, windows, and more. The splendid red, black and white geographic designs covered the entire façade, warmed with the afternoon light and contrasted against the darkening sky. The warm afternoon light reflected against the colored decorative glass of the Bow windows. Wood decorative elements were contained throughout, a contrast with the dominant cement building material in Chennai. Inside was a rare collection of archaeological and historic artifacts, bronze Hindu idols, a huge temple chariot, and ivory carvings. Unfortunately photography was not allowed inside, so I had to be satisfied with simply enjoying the colorfully painted expansive ceilings with my eyes.

Keeping just ahead of the rain, I arrived back at the hotel room and waited for my colleagues to arrive a short time later. After a light dinner and walking/shopping along the main road, we went back to the hotel to make plans for the next days, “helped” by the advice of well-meaning, but drunk hotel manager and friends.

My Trivandrum Flickr photos

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