Important pilgrimage places in Thiruvananthapuram
Important pilgrimage places in Thiruvananthapuram are given here. Thiruvananthapuram the capital city of Kerala has many pilgrimage places. Most of them are famous for its architectural work and many are built in olden days by Maharajas and ancient rulers. In the below article you will get to know about the various Hindu, Christian and Muslim pilgrimages places in Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala.
Famous Hindu Pilgrimage Places in Thiruvananthapuram
Shri Padmanabhaswamy Temple:-
Shri Padmanabhaswamy Temple is very famous and an ancient temple in Thiruvananthapuram. The deity worshiped in this temple is Lord Vishnu. Here we get to see a variety posture of Lord Vishnu in "Antha-shayanam". In all other temples we can see God's either standing or in sitting postures, but here Lord Vishnu lies on top of a serpent, "Ananthan". Lord Vishnu is otherwise called "Padmanabhan" or "Antha Padhmanabhan", hence the name Padmanabhaswamy Temple. Almost all Maharajahs of Travancore were devotees of Padmanabhaswamy. This temples gives us an insight about the Dravidian architecture and also this temple has Ottakkal-mandapam, a mandapam made of a single huge stone. The temple stands on the side of Padma Theertha. Only Hindus are allowed to enter this temple and both men and women have to wear the traditional Keralite dress in-order to enter this temple.
Attukal Bhagavathy Temple
Attukal Bhagavathy Temple is another famous temple in Thiruvananthapuram which is devoted to the goddess Parvati Devi, wife of Lord Siva. The main attraction of this temple is "Attukal Pongala Mahotsav". During the Pongala day, ladies from many parts of Kerala come to this temple and offers pongala for the goddess. Hence this temple is known as the "Sabarimala for women". This festival has even captured a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. This festival commences on the Karthika Star of the Malayalam month of Makaram-Kumbham. This temple is approximately 2-3Kms away from Shri Padmanabhaswamy Temple.
Pazhavangadi Maha Ganapathi Temple
Pazhavangadi Maha Ganapathi Temple is a temple which worships Lord Vikneshwara. This temple is just half kilometer away from Shri Padmanabhaswamy Temple. It is believed that worshiping Lord Ganesh will help to remove all obstacles and hurdles form our path and will enable us to achieve success in life. An attraction of this temple is that the 32 forms of Lord Ganesh is been painted inside the temple complex. The main offering at Pazhavangadi Maha Ganapathi Temple is breaking of Coconuts to remove obstacles. Modak is the favourite dish of Lord Ganesh, hence in this temple like any other Ganesh temple, we can offer Modak as well. Another important offering to the Lord is Ganapathy Homam.
Shri Hanuman Swamy Temple
Shri Hanuman Swamy Temple is located in Vikas Bhavan, PMG Junction near the Legislative Assembly in Thiruvananthapuram. The main deity in this temple is Lord Hanuman, son of Wind. There are only few temples in Kerala which worships Lord Hanuman and this temple at Trivandrum is the most famous among them. This temple is currently under Travancore Devaswom Board. Famous Christian Pilgrimage Places in Thiruvananthapuram
CSI Christ Church
CSI(Church of South India) Christ Church is located in Palayam, Thiruvanthapuram. It is the oldest church in the Thiruvananthapuram city and is situated between the Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium and the University Stadium. Throughout the church building and window panes, we can see the life of Jesus and the 12 disciples. The cemetery of this church has the graves of Europeans as well and the oldest grave is dated 6th October 1814.
St. Joseph's Metropolitan Cathedral
St. Joseph's Metropolitan Cathedral is another Christian pilgrimage place situated in Palayam, Thiruvananthapuram. It is the Cathedral Church of the Latin Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram. The first Priest who served this parish was Rev. Fr. Francis Miranda(1864-1867). The current parish priest is Very Rev. Msgr. John D. Bosco.
St. Mary's Malankara Syrian Catholic Cathedral Basilica
St. Mary's Malankara Syrian Catholic Cathedral Basilica is situated in Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram. This church is purely an example of neo-gothic style. Pope John Paul II has visited this holy church when he had came to Kerala. Famous Muslim Pilgrimage Places in Thiruvananthapuram
Beemapally Jama Masjid:-
Beemapally Jama Masjid is a famous Muslim pilgrimage place in Trivandrum. This mosque is located on beach road, Beemapally. This mosque is dedicated to a Muslim women, Beema Beevi who is believed to have divine powers and the festival here is held in her memory. People of all religion throw coins at this mosque when they pass through the front of this pilgrimage place. This shows the power of this mosque and hence it is very well respected by the people of all other religions.
Palayam Jama Masjid
Palayam Juma Masjid is commonly known as "Palayam Pally" in Kerala and is a very famous Mosque in Thiruvanthapuram city. This mosque is situated near to the Ganapathy Temple and St. Joseph's church, this itself shows the unity among all religions in Thiruvananthapuram. It was the Imam of this mosque who opened the doors of a mosque to women for the first time in South Kerala.
Thampanoor Juma Masjid
Thampanoor Juma Masjid is another important mosque in Thiruvananthapuram which is located in Thampanoor. This mosque is managed by the Muslim Association of Thiruvananthapuram.
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