February 1, 2009

Slept in! We headed out to see a bit of Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala, after a breakfast buffet. I can tell it’s the end of the vacation; the "travel buffet" has lost its appeal to the kids.

I myself can’t complain, will miss the great coffee down here – this morning’s had a hint of cardamom in it.

We met our guide at the Padmanabha Swamy Temple, located inside the East Fort in Trivandrum. It is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and blends Kerala and Dravidian styles of architecture. Apparently it is known for its mural paintings and stone carvings and is one of 108 sacred Vishnu Temples in India. (I say apparently because non-Hindus aren't allowed inside -- kids were no doubt relieved.) The presiding deity is Lord Vishnu reclining on anantha the serpent.

We then toured the Kuthiramalika Palace Museum (built in the 1700’s?). Today 20 rooms are open tot he public; there are many more but are in the process of restoration as the palace has only been open since 1990’s I think.

It was built by a Maharaja Swathi Thirunal Balarama Varma - the King of Travancore, "a great poet, musician, social reformer and statesman." Among other things, he started a hospital, college and bank in the area. His musical legacy continues to be celebrated each year with a special musical celebration in his honor at the palace. He spoke 17 or 18 languages. All this by the age of 33, when he died. (Yipes I'm behind -- no hospitals on my resume, only one language and somehow I don't think playing the hotel Bose CD player counts for musical talent.)

His famiy left the palace shortly after his death as they felt it was unlucky. The wood inside is gorgeous – intricate ceilings that vary from room to room made from rose wood, which is very valuable. The library ceiling had a carved lotus flower and was painted beautiful colors. The Palace's meditation room has 8 pillars representing different viewpoints. The king used it to make difficult decisions sometimes, bringing together people of varying viewpoints to discuss and help him in the process.

A window of the room looks out toward the temple, and a passageway connected the palace and temple for easy royal access.

Some of the rooms and hallways had slats in the wood for ventilation and to allow ladies to look out and not be seen. Various rooms had paintings, Chinese urns and other decorative objects (gifts from other countries).

The floor was wood with covering made from limestone, egg white and brown sugar.

Two thrones were displayed, one made with tusks from 25 elephants, another from Czechoslovakia, made of crystal.

We also saw some weapons, a spectaclarly large gun – lots of carved detail in the wood around the granite pillars – a ring, birds in different poses, adult and baby squirrels, etc.

Claire seemed to enjoy this tour in particular; she was the guide's buddy – an Indian woman in red sari with commanding delivery.

From the palace we visted the Napier Museum, which was built in the 19th century. Its indo - saracenic structure boasts a "natural" airconditioning system and houses a rare collection of archaeological and historic artifacts, bronze idols, ancient ornaments, a temple chariot and ivory carvings. Most donated by the Royal Family, according to our guide. (Nowadays they live in the area -- I think he said fewer than 10 people in a 200-room palace.) The many items in the museum collection represent a small portion of their riches, he noted.

We then visited the nearby Sree Chitbra Art Gallery, with displays of "select paintings by Raja Ravi Varma, Svetlova and Nicholas Roerich and exquisite works from the Rajput, Mughal and Tanjore schools of Art In India."

Per our guide, Raja Ravi Varma is one of India's most famous painters. Paintings by his mentor, an uncle, were also featured.

Among the collection: epic portrayals, portraits of royals, typical market/street scenes, gypsy families, etc.

Upstairs in the gallery were copies of murals that can be found in temples and other locations in the area.

Our guide pointed out many buildings in the city as we drove around to comlete the tour – lots of government buildings given Trivandrum's status as a capitol city.
Many lovely colonial style from the British time. Lots of colleges here, good infrasturcutre -- many areas with flowers and plants, communities that seemed a bit more planned/structured, homes with larger yards, etc.

Our guide said he has 2 kids, 14 and 10. In the non-tourist season he said does avariety of things – research, data entry, etc, noting that it’s not always easy to find interim work.

He described Trivandrum as a laidback city without a lot of industry, growth relatively static.

On the way back to the hotel we picked up red bananas (Ramu just drove up to a fruit stand and made the purchase out the window -- fast food Indian style). I must say they were quite good; they're more costly and less common than the yellow varieties.

The rest of our last day of travel in South India was spent having ice cream and eating lunch (in that order), swimming and shopping and having another “pina colada” in a table overlooking the water as the sun set. (Claire's choice -- not the colada, the setting.) Great food, more shrimp (hard not to tire of fresh shrimp) in a lovely warm tomato/pepper sauce with a nice kick to it.