Trivandrum was the capital of Travancore rulers in 1745. This city was always a cultural place. Trivandrum (now Thiruvananthapuram) has always been the cultural city having Trivandrum museum, Public library and Swati Thirunal College of Music. Irayimman Thampi, Maharaja Swathi Thirunal and Raja Ravi Varma are some of the artists who are very popular from Thiruvananthapuram.
Thiruvananthapuram is situated in the southern part of India. It was away from foreign invasion like other Southern parts of India unlike Northern India. This city is full of culture, art, literature, museums, temples. Thiruvananthapuram has influences of Jainism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Greco-Roman. All these are seen in literature, painting, poetry, dance, culture and in films as well. The locals love to follow their traditions which are old and pass it to their next generation.
Art, Craft and Music
In Sri Chitra Art Gallery, Raja Ravi Varma’s works are displayed. Raja Ravi Varma was a famous painter. Other museums are also there in the city. Traditional Travancore architecture and 18th century murals are rare specimens which have been well preserved in the palaces and temples of this city. A great composer named Maharaja Swathi Thirunal was from Thiruvananthapuram. The development of Carnatic music was due to him as he played a crucial role in this. A college is there after his name, called Swathi Thirunal College of Music. His other popular contemporary was Irayimman Thampi. Kanayi Kunhiraman is a popular sculptor whose sculptures can be found at the Shankumugham beach and at the Veli Lake.
Napier museum & Sree chitra art gallery
Cuisine
General Keralite cuisines are the main foods of Thiruvananthapuram. Thiruvananthapuram dishes are abundant with spices and coconut. Specialty is South Indian cuisine but North Indian and Chinese cuisines can also be found there. Fast food options are not available in the city.
Literature and Poetry
The royal family of Travancore patronized two 2 famous poets, namely Kunchan Nambiar and Unnayi Warrier. More literary men and great poets were from Thiruvananthapuram. One such example is Ayyipillai Asan who is popular in Ramakadhapattu, his popular work.
A huge number of libraries are there in Thiruvananthapuram namely the University Library, Centre for Development Studies Library, Thiruvananthapuram Children’s Library, Manuscript Library, the State Central Library. These are few names among many. In the field of literature and poetry, some noted figures are Kerala Narayana Guru, A.R. Raja Ravi Varma (also known as Kerala Panini), Kerala Varma Valiakoi Thampuran, Mahakavi Ulloor S. Parameshwara Iyer, C.V. Raman Pillai, Sreekanteshwaram Padmanabha Pillai, Kumaran Asan, Chattampi Swamikal, Mahakavi Kumaran Asan.
Painting and Sculpture
The first example of traditional murals have been found in a small cave-shrine at Thirunandikkara in Southern Travancore. Painting is the field in which Thiruvananthapuram has made a lot of contributions. Hindu and Buddhist traditions also influenced the murals. The Padmanabhaswamy Temple, the most popular Temple of Thiruvananthapuram has 18th century murals. Another popular Temple named Padmanabha Swami Temple has 16th century popular paintings made by a famous artist named Raja Ravi Varma, a renowned contributor to Indian painting. Apart from this, several statues are also there in the city.
