Kerala Tradition & Fascinating Destinations 2014 Kerala Tradition & Destinations 2014 | Page 130

K.C.S. Panicker ’s Gallery: Established in the year 1979 a gallery solely
dedicated to the paintings of contemporary Indian art of K.C.S. Panicker
who is nominated as one of the nine eminent artists inIndia.
Padmanabha Swamy Temple: (Open : 0415 - 0515 hrs, 0645 - 0715 hrs, 0830 1115 hrs, 1145 - 1200 hrs, 1700 - 1815 hrs, 1845 - 1930 hrs) Dress Code : Men
- Dhothi without any upper clothing, Women - Saree and Blouse. Only
Hindus are allowed inside the temple. Located inside the East Fort, this
Vaishnava temple is very famous in India attracting countless devotees
from all parts. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu sleeping on Anantha, the Serpant
King, this temple is a rare blend of Dravidian architecture and the Kerala
style. It is also known for its murals and stone carvings. In front of the
temple on the south of the Pathway one can find hawkers of handicrafts
and other items. On the other is a vast pond Theerthakulam meant for the
devotees to bathe before enter into the temple. Overlooking the temple
are Theerthapada Mandapam and Swati College of Music.
In
Theerthapadamandapam one can participate in any classical art presentation everyday. Ph: 2450233.
Kuthiramalika (Puthenmalika) Palace Museum: (Open : 0830 - 1300 hrs and
1500 - 1730 hrs. Closed on Mondays) Entrance fee : Adults - Rs.10, Children
- Rs.3, Foreigners - Rs.20, Camera permit - Rs.15, Video Rs. 500. The palace
was built by Maharaja Swathi Thirunal Balarama Varma who was a versatile genius. It was the Maharaja, one of the outstanding poets of classical
lyrics and a greate musician, who revived many of the classical arts from
death bed. A multi-linguist, the Maharaja composed kritis in elegant
Sanskrit, pure and lucid Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil and Hindustani. The
annual Swati music festival is held here. This Palace is a rare specimen
of artistry in the traditional Travancore style of architecture and also contains splendid wood carvings. The palace museum displays rich paintings and several priceless collections of the royal family and is located
very near to Sree Padmanabha temple. Ph-2473952.
Rock Cut Cave: (17 km from Thiruvananthapuram) There are rock cut sculptures of the 18 th century in the cave temple Vizhinjam. The granite cave
envelops a one-celled shrine with a sculpture of Vinandhara Dakshinamurthi. The outer wall of the cave depicts half complete relics of the
Hindu God Shiva and Goddess Parvathi.
Sree Chithra Art Gallery: (Open 1000 - 1645 hrs. Closed on Mondays and
Wednesdays forenoons) The art gallery is near to Napier Museum. A good
collection of original paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, the piccasso of Kerala,
Svetlova and Nicholas Roerich are the real treasures preserved here. Copies
of Rajput, Mughals and Tanjore schools of arts and painting of Ajantha
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