Place :- Trivandrum
Time of Arrival :- Friday night
Time of Departure:- Saturday 11.00 am
Hotel Booked:- Trivandrum
(Friday 12.00 to Saturday 11.00)
How to Reach: Thiruvananthapuram/ Trivandrum is the capital city of the Kerala. Thiruvananthapuram means "City of Lord Anantha" (the serpent on which Lord Padmanabha/Vishnu reclines). The city is well connected with the major cities in India by Indian Rail. A long distance bus station is located next door to the railway station. Buses ply to all major towns and villages in the state
Place to Visit:
Roughly 17 km from Trivandrum, Take local bus to reach.
Start by 2.00pm after taken lunch on Friday. Keep a set of extra cloth before moving from hotel
First go to Light House of Light House Beach to see a panoramic view of Kovalam.
After that spend sometime in the Kovalam/Hawa beach.Kovalam means a grove of coconut trees and true to its name the village offers an endless sight of coconut trees.Kovalam has 3 major beaches in its 17 km coastline. The southernmost, known as the Lighthouse Beach is the most popular of the three. Many hotels, restaurants, lodges and shops are located here. It is frequented by outsiders who stay and enjoy Kovalam. The Northern most crescent, (with the different names Main Beach/Leela Beach/Samudra Beach) - is crowded on weekends, is very popular with the locals, day-travelers, and passing-by tourist buses. During the week it's quiet. Hawa Beach in between is among one of the beaches in India where topless sunbathing is tolerated and well appreciated by the locals. The tourism department provides a vigilant life guard service on both Lighthouse and Hawa beach. The Kovalam beach sand is partially black in colour due to the presence of Ilmenite and Monazite and this colouration is off-putting for some visitors and also causes the dry sand to heat up particularly fiercely, so you might want to consider bringing some footwear if you don't want to walk in the sea.
Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple
Start early in morning around 6.00am
Dress code for men is just Kerala Mundu (White Dhothi) with the body uncovered waist-up and for Ladies Saree/Salwar Kammej with chunri
Try to see inside the main arena of the temple, the diety in 3 stages - Hand, Navel (with the Lotus carrying Brahma) and Feet
You can check the timing of temple at http://spst.in/ (3.30am to 12.00 noon) (5.00pm to 7.30pm)
The temple has many structures inside, like musical pillars, golden mandap, 500 pillared corridor famous for its sculptures and large collection of temple mural paintings. The temple has a large clear pond called Padmatheertham, which is also landmark. The deity is Maha Vishnu in a rare reclining posture, called as "ananthasayanam" or the lord's sleep. The temple has a huge role in history of Kerala, with the presiding deity even being crowned as Emperor of Travancore in 18th century and all the rulers ruling the state in the name of the deity. The royal crown of Travancore, is preserved inside the temple, though seeing it is a rare. The temple does not use any lighting generated by an electrical source and has no light bulbs or tube-lights. The only lighting is either natural or from oil lamps, which is quite minimal. The use of electronic items is prohibited in the temple. This temple is open only for Hindus, and even the Hindus admitted inside have to follow rigorous dress code and customs. Dress code for men is just Kerala Mundu (White Dhothi) with the body uncovered waist-up. Dhotis are available for one-time rental or for sale from nearby shops. Women are required to wear an Indian Sari or Kerala Mundu (The idea is that your legs must not be visible separately). Entrants would also be asked to store their bags, umbrellas, etc., at a nearby counter. This temple belongs to the Travancore Royal Family and is guarded by the Palace Guards of Travancore. Beware of presence of large number of professional touts at the entrance of temple, who attempt to forcibly sell puja plates with flowers, incense, oil lamps to first timers and tourists. Inside the main arena of the temple, you can view the diety in 3 stages - Hand, Navel (with the Lotus carrying Brahma) and Feet. The garbhagriha or the sanctum sanctorum of Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple is located on a stone slab and the main idol, which is about 18 ft long, can be viewed through three different doors. The head and chest are seen through the first door; while the hands can be sighted through the second door and the feet through the third door. The marvelous idol of Sree Padmanabhaswamy is seen reclined on the mighty five hooded serpent Anantha. The supreme God is in conscious cosmic slumber with the head positioned to the south and the feet to the north. Anantha (or the endless) spreads its hoods above the head of the Idol. The three coils represent the three characteristics of mankind Sattva, Rajas and Tamas and its five hoods indicate the Panchendriyas(five senses) or the five elements(Panchabhootas). From the navel of the Lord emerges a lotus on which Lord Brahma, the Creator, is seated. Just below the stretched right arm of the Lord is the Shiva Linga of the Destroyer. Brahma, Vishnu(Padmanabha) and Shiva represent the ‘Srushti, Stithi and Samharam’
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Best Time to Visit:- Throughout the year but try not to visit during summer season ( because of too much hot)
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Next:- Take a Kerala Express at 11.15 am and reach to Thrissur at 5.07pm. Take a local bus to reach to Guruvayur by 7.00pm
Place: - Guruvayur
Time of Arrival :- Saturday 7.00 pm
Time of Departure:- Sunday 11.00 am
Hotel Booked: - Guruvayur near Temple
(Saturday 12.00 to Sunday 11.00)
How to Reach: Cochin is nearest airport. Thrissur Railway Station is nearest station connected with all major cities. There are frequent bus services from Thrissur which is situtated around 30 km away. Frequent buses and shared taxis are frequently available for Guruvayur
Place to Visit:
Guruvayur Temple
Get up early in the morning and go for temple by 4.00 am
The mythology says the Lord Krishna used to worship an idol of Lord Vishnu at his palace in legendary Dwarka island. However Krishna knew that, soon after his death, his palace island would wash into seas. He instructed the Deva Guru (Heavenly Saint) Brihaspati and Vayu Deva (Wind God) to take his favourite idol, once Dwarka gets submerged and place it in some other place, where devotees can worship. As instructed by Lord, Guru and Vayu took away the idol, when Dwarka was sinking and was hunting a place to the idol. Soon they would a sacred place where they wished to place the idol. However a Shiva temple existed in that area, making it difficult to place the idol nearby. Soon on Guru's invocation, Lord Shiva appeared and agreed to move his temple from the sacred place, to install the divine idol. As Guru and Vayu placed the idol and erected a temple in its honour, the place came to known as Guruvayur. Here, Lord Krishna is in Balakrishna form.
There is a large Shiva temple at Mammiyur, within a kilometer from the main temple, where the original Shiva temple was relocated.
Some points to be remember before entering the temple
· Non-Hindus are not allowed even inside the perimeter of the temple complex.
· The temple advises children under 2 years not to enter the inner layer of the temple, though their entry is not prohibited. This advice is maintained, because in the event small children urinate inside the temple, the parents will be liable to pay fines for purification rites.
· The dress code is extremely rigid inside the temple. Men are not allowed to wear shirts, baniyan or vests and must remain topless while inside the complex. They have to wear strictly Kerala Mundu (only white/saffron) and are free to wear a shawl to cover the upper body
· Covering the head is strictly prohibited inside temple for both gents and ladies. Children under 12 are allowed to wear trousers.
· Unlike other South Indian temples, there is no special queue system to bypass. All devotees must stand in one single large queue. There are no special darshan tickets, payments or out-of-way procedures to skip the queue. A possible exception to this rule is for senior citizens above 60 with ill health or disabilities and VIPs who may have security concerns or protocol laws.
· Temple Timing: 3 am to 12 am and 4.30pm to 9.00pm
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Next: - Take Sabri Express at 12.45pm and reach Coimbatore by 5.00 pm. Airport is 1 hr from station. Keeping into view, take a flight for destination (Night Flight).
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