Kovalam - Local Attractions
Kovalam Light House
The Kovalam light house is a major attraction in Kovalam. The Lighthouse is located in a small hilltop along the beach side. It is 30 meter high and is a visual treat from the beach. Parking facility is now available in the Light House premises. The Light House facilitates an elivator to take you to the top. You can enjoy the birds eye view of the Kovalam beaches from the viewing platform atop of the light house. You can take tickets for light house visit there itself. The light house will be opened from 10:00am till 5:00pm.
The new addition to Kovalam light house is the fantastic musical fountain show. The show begins at 7:00pm every day. The ticket to the musical fountain show will be available on spot from 6:30pm onwards. This is the second light house in Kerala with musical fountain entertainment. The first being the Kannur light house.
Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple.
The Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple is veritably the heart of Thiruvananthapuram, an oasis of peace and quiet ensconced in high walls with elaborate gateways opening out on all four sides. Regarded as one of the 108 Great Vishnu temples, it is supposed to be of pre-Chrisitian era origin and was renovated to the present state of grandeur by the Maharaja Sri Anizham Tirunal Marthanda Varma in the eighteenth century.
This temple is now the richest temple in the world and is amazing with its stone carvings. The history of the temple dates back 5000 years! Thats how old the original shrine is Amazing!
Kuthiramalika Palace:
The palace gets its name from the 122 horses that are carved into the wooden wall brackets that support the southern roof. The official name of the palace is Puthen Malika (New Mansion). The palace forms part of a vast complex of royal buildings in the vicinity of Padmanabhaswamy Temple. The building was left unoccupied for more than a century, following the demise of Swathi Thirunal in 1846. A portion of Kuthira Malika has been converted to a Palace Museum that houses some of the assets owned by the Travancore Royal Family.
The collection includes Kathakali mannequins, Belgian mirrors, crystal chandeliers, paintings, armaments, musical instruments, traditional furniture and other artifacts. On the right side of the mannequins are the ivory cradles of various sizes. The palace has on display two royal thrones, one made of ivory and the other of Bohemian crystal with the Tranvancore emblem 'conch' adorning the top of the backrest. The palace has a large collection of idols and sculptures made from white marble.
Napier Museum:
The museum was established in 1855 is an architectural masterpiece. Napier Museum is a landmark in the city with its unique ornamentation and architectural style with gothic roof and minarets. The Indo-Saracenic structure also boasts a natural air conditioning system. The museum houses a rare collection of archaeological and historic artifacts, bronze idols, ancient ornaments, a temple chariot and ivory carvings. It also contains the Sri Chitra Art Gallery, which contains works from Raja Ravi Varma and Nicholas Roerich, as well as examples of Mughal and Tanjore art.