The City of Seven Hills

After a busy day in office, on the way back to home, the sweet aroma off filter coffee grabbed my attention to the nearby coffee shop. I decided to have a coffee. Having the fist sip I remember about my old times in the city of seven hills – Trivandrum

My home town.

You may be familiar with other name Trivandrum or Thiruvananthapuram. In olden days it was also know as Travancore. All names are right.

It is situated on the west cost of India, near the extreme south of main land. It is the capital of gods own country Kerala. It is also the birth place of one of the famous painter in the history of Indian art, Raja Ravi Varma Koil Thampuran, in short Raja Ravi Varma. There are certain other places which are close to my heart. Like;

Padmanabhaswamy Temple

The richest temple in India is situated in the centre of the city. The whole city was build around this temple. This is the main center of attraction in the city. The temple is famous for 500 pillars. The idol inside the temple is huge and it is covered with 3 huge doors. Once in every year all the three doors will be open to the public and reclining position of lord Maha Vishnu is a rare sight. People from all over the world come to witness this. There is a standard dress code for men and women for entering the temple. The best time to visit this temple is at the time of Lakshadeepam( means one hundred thousand lights) .it is a 56 days festival, where the temple will be colorfully illuminated with lights.Near to the temple there is a pond which belong to the temple. This pond is connected to the sea . There is a secret passage which connected the pond to the sea. This passage is covered with a golden plate. Many believe that once this plate is removed the entire Kerala will be dipped under the water. Because of sree maha Vishnu reclining position tsunami didn’t hit Trivandrum. In earlier days ,Raja ravi varma frequently visit this temple. Before entering the temple he through gold coins in to the pond. These gold coins are still there in the pond. If you think you can take it..no…It is not open for public.Another interesting fact about this temple is ,there is a WELL inside the temple, where people through coins inside it. If the coin fall directly into the water without touching any edges of the well, your desire will be fulfilled. We can see crystal clear water inside the well.

INDIAN COFFEE HOUSE

Indian coffee house in Trivandrum is famous for its masala dosa . This is the best place in Trivandrum where I get delicious food at reasonable price. This coffee house is run under the supervision of Kerala state government.

Agastya mala

The Thulasi Leaf inside my coffee reminded me about the place where the wind and water is medicinal. “Agasthyakoodam”

This place Lots of rare medicinal plants which are not yet identified. It is a scenic place and a pilgrime center. Trekking in Agasthiyarkoodam is a breath taking experience for me. We can see wild animals like Lion,Bengal tiger,Snakes etc there. Agasthyarkoodam have a garden with green herbs known as “Neelakuruji”. It blooms once in 12 year. Trekking starts from “Bonacaud “.After climbing 24km you will reach on top where you can see a small temple of Agastiyar muni. This will give you a pilgrimage experience. The rocks are really slippery .some point you can’t see the bottom of the rock. It is very dangerous and Breath taking experience one has to experience it.

Not to forget, Shopping in chala bazaar

This is one of the main markets in the city. Day time will be filled with auto rickshaws and motor vehicles. It is just a walking distance from Patbanaba swami temple. It is the best place to check your bargaining skills. Both sides of the streets are filled with Small shops. The city’s main bus stand is situated near to the bazaar.

Festival in Guinness book of world records.

It is the Attukal Pongala which took place in February or march as a part of Attukal Temple in Trivandrum. 

Thousands of devotees from far and near flock to the Temple to bend before the Goddess with awe and reverence to prostrate and redress their affliction and agony. 

According to mythology, Attukal Bhagavathy is supposed to be the divined form of kannaki, the famous heroine of Chilapathikaram, written by Elenkovadikal, the Tamil Poet. 

The story goes that after the destruction of ancient city of Madurai, Kannaki left the city and reached Kerala via Kanyakumari and on the way to Kodungalloor took a sojourn at Attukal. 

Kannaki is supposed to be the incarnation of Parvathy, the consort of Paramasiva .On festival day the whole road will be filled with women of different ages put “Pongala”(Prasad to the goddess ).2.5 million women from all over kerala and outside join together to worship the goddess.It reminds me kumbamela festival in North India.

“Go to as many vacations as you can, because you can earn money at any time but not memories”

Oh I am sorry. I finished my coffee. Would you like to offer me another coffee and know more?

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