04 ANCIENT CITY, TIMELESS GRACE
02 Thiruvananthapuram, India: The Kalarippayat
or Kalarippayatu has been practised for 3,000
years in the southwestern part of India, now
the state of Kerala. Kalarippayat mixes combat
techniques and Ayurvedic body therapy. Some
consider it the ancestor of all martial arts
03 A Kathakali dancer: Kathakali is a stylised
classical Indian dance-drama originating in
Kerala during the 17th century
04 The Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple: Built
in Dravidian style of architecture, it features high
walls and a 16th-century gopuram (monumental
tower) – a replica of the Adikesava Perumal
temple located in Kanyakumari, Tamil NaduThe rich tapestry
woven by its
heritage and glorious
cultural past makes
Thiruvananthapuram
(Trivandrum), the
capital of Kerala,
elegant and oftentimes
stunning.As a musician, travelling is very much a part of my life. From the age of
nine, I have travelled to many locations across the world with my violin,
from the Middle East to Europe, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and
Singapore. But still, for me, Thiruvananthapuram is one of the most
beautiful cities I know. It being my homeland makes this city even
more special.
The rich tapestry woven by its heritage and glorious cultural past
renders Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), the capital of Kerala,
elegant and oftentimes stunning. Kerala boasts of a rich aesthetic acumen
and sense of appreciation when it comes to art, irrespective of form, be it
music, poetry, dance or sculpture.
The geographical insularity of Thiruvananthapuram (and Kerala)
from the rest of India has resulted in its culture composition becoming
unparalleled. Kathakali, architecture, astronomy, music, dance and other
performing arts, murals and percussion art forms stand as testimony to
this characteristic.
The augmented literacy levels trigger a high sense of cleanliness,
hygiene and health among the Thiruvananthapuram folk that add an
exceptional touch of beauty to the city, especially when compared to
many other regional capital cities of India. The city as a green canopy is
never a statement of the past when it comes to Thiruvananthapuram.
The Kingdom of Tiruvitamkur (Travancore), lasting from 1729 to
1949, with its capital in Thiruvananthapuram, covered most of modern-
day central and southern Kerala and beyond. To this day, I find the
impressions left by the royal family in every nook and cranny of the
sociocultural cosmos of Thiruvananthapuram, including its name.
On January 3, 1750, Maharajah Sri Anizham Thirunal dedicated the
Kingdom of Tiruvitamkur to his family deity Sri Padmanabhaswamy. All02Remi Benali/Corbis