Thiruvananthapuram

"The southern most district and the capital of Kerala, God’s own country, one who visits Thiruvananthapuram, visits heaven experiencing the ecstasy of being here."

"Kerala's capital Tiruvanathapuram or Trivandrum which is infinitely easier to say and write was named after the Serpent God Anantha, on whom Lord Vishnu reclines."

"Thiruvananthapuram, which got this name from Anantha, the serpent king of Hindu mythology... traditional buildings and monuments stand as great examples of culture and overwhelming splendor."

"Trivandrum was the capital of the Princely State of Travancore, which was ruled by Hindu Kings and Queens, and it continues to be the state capital of the present day Kerala"

"Trivandrum, has been in commercial contact with many countries from ancient times. The people were of the Dravidic origin."

"The history of Trivandrum or rather Travancore comes with the Sangam age which comprised the first five centuries of the Christian era. There was no caste distinction in the earlier period. Hinduism was the religion and Sri Padmanabha Temple marked the religious symbol of the people."

"Towards the end of 12th century, Kersal became a full fledged feudal society with its peculiar socio-religious institutions, customs and usages. The spread of Christianity and Islam added many divisions in the society, though Trivandrum as such has never been under a foreign ruler."

"The ruler Ravi Varma (1721-29) entered into a formal treaty with the English East India Company with the aim of strengthening his position in the fight against these noble elements and other hostile elements. He also entered into a treaty with the Nayaks of Madurai with the same object. On his death in 1729 Marthanda Varma who was to become famous in history as “the Maker of Modern Travancore”"

"The history of modern Travancore begins with Marthanda Varma who inherited the Kingdom of Venad and expanded Travancore by conquering kingdoms Attingal, Kollam, Kayamkulam, Kottarakara, Kottayam, Changanassery, Meenachil, Poonjar and Ambalapuzha."

"Marthanda Varma defeated the Dutch in the Battle of Colachel [1741]. He captured the Dutch Admiral who was later on appointed as the Senior Admiral it was he who modernised the Travancore army by introducing firearms and artillery."

"King Marthanda Varma founder of Travancore, made Trivandrum his capital and even after his rule ended the city continued to be the capital of the State of Travancore. When Kerala was formed as a state in 1956 the city was unanimously chosen to continue as the capital continuing two centuries of tradition.... It is a small city compared to the other state capitals and thus retains its charm."

"|Anizhom Thirunal Marthanda Varma was the first maharaja to usher in [this] concept of Padmanabha Dasa in the 18th century."

"That above all, the friendship existing between the English East India Company and Travancore should be maintained at any risk and that full confidence should always be placed in the support and aid of honorable association."

"The accession of Swati Thirunal ushered in an epoch of cultural progress and economic prosperity. The beginning of English education was made in 1834 by opening an English school at Thiruvananthapuram. In 1836, an observatory and a charity hospital were established."

"Those two ancestors - Swati Thirunal and Raja Ravi Varma - gave music and art, divinity and humanity respectively."

"Raja Ravi Varma, another member of the Travancore royal family and renowned painter, spent an important part of his lifetime in Trivandrum. While he painted many gods and even printed them as oleographs, he never painted Padmanabha or the temple."

"The Travancore royal family took a different approach to ruling its territories and managing the properties of the State. The king served as Padmanabha Dasa — [who] ruled on behalf of god and swore allegiance only to god. In 1949, Maharaja Chithira Thirunal Rama Varma came close to refusing the post of Rajpramukh because he could not “give oath to the Indian government"."

"The city’s former name, Trivandrum, was given by the British and is a contraction of Thiruvananthapuram, its ancient name that was adopted again in the early 21st century. It is the site of the University of Kerala (1937) and its affiliated colleges and technical schools. It also has a museum, zoological gardens, an observatory, and an art gallery."

"Thiruvananthapuram’s industries include mineral processing, sugar milling, textiles, and handicrafts. Rice and coconut cultivation and coastal fishing are economically important. It is a rail terminus and road hub and has an airport and a harbour."

"I have fallen in love with the women of Kerala. I have been looking around for the last 10 minutes and have not spotted any colour. All of you are wearing white and it is spotlessly clean. I respect you and admire you."

"Trivandrum is one of the nine Roman Catholic (Latin Catholic) dioceses of Kerala."

"The kingdom of Travancore was dedicated by Marthanda Varma to his deity Sri. Padmanabha (Lord Vishnu) and from then on the rulers of Travancore ruled the kingdom as the servants of Sri. Padmanabha (Padmnabhadasan)."

"Padmanabha Swamy temple located inside the East Fort, this Vaishnava temple is very famous attracting devotees from all parts. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu sleeping on Anantha, the serpent king, this temple is a rare blend of Dravidian architecture and the Kerala style."

"One is struck by the beauty and charm of the temple architecture - harmonious conglomeration of both Kerala and Tamil styles of architecture."

"There is a statue of Vishnu at the 2000 yaer old Padmanabhaswamy Temple in the heart of the city. This temple is located within the walls, or fort that encircles the town, and is the only temple in the state with a huge gopura which was so much part of the temple architecture in Tamil Nadu. This is an interesting temple but quite muted by Tamil Nadu standards and I think the six metre long reclining figure of Vishnu is probably the most striking aspect."

"...the treasure discovered in a temple in southern India. Nobody knew for certain what was hidden beneath the ancient Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple... But a lawyer named Ananda Padmanabhan had a hunch. According to legend, treasure was sealed in the temple vaults."

"Padmanabhan believed that these riches were still hidden in the basement, uncounted and unguarded. Like many observant Hindus, Padmanabhan believes that a temple’s deity—in this case, the supreme god Vishnu—resides within the temple’s walls."

"For centuries, the royal family’s management of the temple received little scrutiny. Nobody challenged the arrangement until 2007, when Padmanabhan brought a lawsuit against the temple administration, on behalf of two devotees. In the lawsuit, Padmanabhan alleged that a series of kallaras—treasure vaults—existed beneath the temple, and that they were being looted. Based on his research, Padmanabhan believed that there were at least six kallaras beneath the temple."

"Early one morning in October, 2008, as the temple prepared to hold its biggest annual festival, Padmanabhan accompanied the two commissioners into a storage area behind the sanctum sanctorum. Confirming Padmanabhan’s suspicions, they found doors to six kallaras. They unlocked and entered the two kallaras containing the festival ornaments, which were later dubbed Vaults C and D. Inside, they found dazzling objects, including a golden bow and arrow, umbrellas made with gold rods, and a golden throne for the deity embedded with hundreds of precious gems. The items were probably worth millions of dollars."

"After a series of appeals, the Supreme Court of India announced that before it ruled on the stewardship of the temple, a team of “observers” would inspect the remaining vaults that supposedly contained treasure. Vaults A and B, which had “reportedly not been opened for more than a century,” would be opened, inspected, then “closed and sealed again."

"So far, no one has formally calculated the value of the treasure found in Vault A. But V. K. Harikumar, the temple’s executive—who has now seen the hoard on at least two occasions—has estimated that it is worth at least twenty billion dollars."

"I cannot comment on what is happening there - the matter is sub-judice. But this much I will say. I have no problem with the inventory and additional security being provided by the state to the temple. But please don't remove those objects from the temple. They belong to nobody, certainly not to our family. They belong to god and our law permits that. All these debates swirling around the riches is unfortunate. That's all I can say - I have to listen to my doctor, lawyer and auditor. Our family has been donating objects to the temple for centuries. As chief patron of the temple, I go there every day. If I miss a day, I am fined Rs. 166.35 - an old Travancore tradition."

"I have never been inside those cellars. Our philosophy has always been not to look at such objects and get tempted. But of course I know what is inside them."

"Gooseflesh. Everything is surrendered. It is a great, elating feeling. My hair stands on end with joy. Each and every time."

"The Travancore State and the Padmanabhaswamy temple witnessed momentous changes during Maharaja Chithira Thirunal's time. In 1936, the Padmanabhaswamy temple was the first in India to proclaim temple entry for all, which made Gandhiji describe Chithira Thirunal as a ‘Modern Ashoka.' In 1949 the princely states were abolished and the temple administration changed. In 1971, the privy purse was abolished and grants given to erstwhile rulers were stopped. But Chithira Thirunal still managed to support the temple from his private funds."

"In 1924, Mahatma Gandhi came [to Trivandrum] and at that time he [Maharaja Chithira Thirunal] was too young to rule. My aunt, his mother's elder sister, was the Regent. Gandhiji came and met her. ‘Is this the Maharani?' he enquired. He looked at her simple dress and asked: Where are the golden saris? Where are the jewels? He then asked her: ‘Is it not very unfair that around the temple in Vaikom, a dog, a cat, a cow, can walk, but a man cannot?' She said, yes. ‘Then why don't you do something about it?' he quizzed. ‘I am a Regent and only carrying on the administration till he grows up. Why don't you ask him [Chithira Thirunal]?' she urged. Gandhiji then asked him: ‘When you become the person in charge, will you allow everyone to enter temples?' As a young boy he said, ‘yes.' He took over in 1931 and granted temple entry in 1936. The remarkable thing was that there was no resistance [from the people who were associated with temple administration."

"Attukal Bagavati temple, one of the ancient temples of South India, ...is venue of Pongala Mahotsvam... which is most important festival...is exclusively confined to women folk and the enormous crowd that gathers in Thiruvananthapuram on this auspicious day is reminiscent of the Kumbamel festival of North India."