I lived in Thiruvananthapuram from 2005 to ’07 and also spent significant time in the city during the 2018 floods. This December, I found myself back in the city, accompanied by an entourage of 14 family members! As expected, I revisited some of its main attractions.
The most shocking development was the overwhelming rush of devotees at the Padmanabhaswamy Temple. Years ago, when I used to visit, I often wondered why such a magnificent temple didn’t attract larger crowds. Darshan was quick, and one could stroll peacefully through its hallways. Now, perhaps due to its “World’s Richest Temple” tag, the throngs of devotees were staggering. It took us nearly three hours to reach the sanctum. I’m not sure I’d be ready to brave this again anytime soon.
The next temple I visited was, thankfully, as I remembered it. The Attukal Devi Temple, famous for the Attukal Pongala – the world’s largest gathering of women – is also associated with the legend of Kannagi. However, the temple displayed some poorly printed versions of the Kannagi legend. Is this really the best we can do to honor the 2,000-year-old Silappatikaram.
I also sampled the Poovar backwaters. These cruises are best enjoyed for about an hour; beyond that, the mind-numbing beauty of the landscape can feel slightly monotonous. That said, I did get to see a proper lagoon and some mangroves. The tourists were a diverse group – honeymooning couples from Odisha, families from Delhi and Rajasthan, a few foreigners and, of course, locals like us. According to the boat driver, the entire operation was managed by the Panchayat – a claim I found somewhat dubious.
I managed to visit two museums. The Kuthiramalika Palace Museum, built by Swati Tirunal, has been significantly spruced up. If memory serves, the earlier guided tours weren’t as detailed as they are now. The second was the newly inaugurated Palm-leaf Manuscripts Museum, a unique treasure trove of ancient texts on palm leaves. These manuscripts provide fascinating insights into the administrative, socio-cultural, and economic history of Travancore. The guide was exceptional – his encyclopedic knowledge and passion for microhistories were something to experience.
The visit will also be memorable for another reason – It was during this trip that MT and Manmohan Singh passed away.
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