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Kerala
Legislature Complex
 Kerala Legislature Complex, located at Palayam, is where
the legislative assembly of Kerala meets. The complex
has towering done and exquisitely carved galleries.
The wood-work of the building is noteworthy. The complex
is built in classical grandeur and is equipped with
state-of-the-art sound systems.
A 12 ft bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi,
in the sitting posture, weighing 1,750 kg, would be
erected at a podium at the steps leading to the main
entrance of assembly hall. Two other 12 ft statues of
Jawaharlal Nehru and Dr B R Ambedkar, both in the standing
posture, weighing 1,000 kg each, would be erected on
both sides of the main statue.
Location
Palayam, Thiruvananthapuram
Kerala State Science and Technology
Museum
The Kerala State Science and Technology
Museum, established in 1984, is situated close to the
Napier museum and the Postmaster General's Office in
Thiruvananthapuram. It serves as a dynamic medium of
science communication and the activities are aimed at
popularisation of science among the common man especially
students. This is a study-cum-recreation center and
an important tourist attraction. The museum aims at
setting up of galleries with working/animated and participatory
type of exhibits, on all disciplines of science and
technology. Organizing and conducting mobile and temporary
science exhibitions and competitions along with science
film shows and conducting science educational programmes
through TV, radio and other media of communication are
some of its objectives.
A rare collection of electronic components
are displayed at the Electronics Engineering Gallery.
Visitors can acquire information about the natural form
of electricity, its generation, distribution, application
and usage with the help of various exhibits at the Electrical
Engineering Gallery. Educative medical and bio-medical
film shows and interactive working models of bio-medical
equipments along with animation graphics on computers
and digital announcement systems are the major highlights
of the Bio-Medical Engineering Gallery. Interactive
models on basic mathematical principles and number spectrum
are exhibited at the Mathematical Puzzle Corner.
Admissions to the museum and galleries
are through tickets. The museum is open to the public
from 10 am to 5 pm on all days except on Mondays and
holidays notified by the museum authorities.
Location
PMG Junction, Palayam, Thiruvananthapuram
Tel: 0471-2306976
Fax:0471-2304286
Napier
Museum
 Government Art Museum
The Napier Museum was established by
the ruler of Travancore in 1855 and is named after the
then Madras Governor, General John Napier. Chisholm,
its British architect, combined Kerala, Mughal, Chinese
and Italian styles of architecture in his design. This
architectural splendour has a natural air conditioning
system which keeps the museum pleasant in any weather.
Napier Museum houses a rare collection
of archaeological and historic artifacts, bronze idols,
ancient ornaments, a temple chariot, ivory carvings
and life-size Kathakali dancers. The figurines preserved
here amply illustrate the varying features of South-Indian
sculpture from the 8th to 18th century.
Napier Museum forms part of the attractions
within the Museum premises such as the Sree Chitra Art
Gallery, Trivandrum Zoo and Natural History Museum.
Timings :
Open from Tuesdays to Sundays - 10 am to 4.45 pm. On
Wednesdays, the museum opens only at 1 pm.
Location
Museum-Vellayambalam Road, Palayam, Thiruvananthapuram
Tel: 0471-2316275
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum in Thiruvananthapuram
is housed in a spacious, modern, double-storeyed building
at the eastern end of the Napier Museum and zoo complex
within the museum premises. This museum was established
with the personnel collection of minerals and books
presented by General Cullen in 1885. The varied and
rich collections are now on display at this new building
built in 1964.
The museum has separate galleries displaying
stuffed mammals, birds, lower vertebrates and invertebrates.
The exhibits of fossil tree trunks near the entrance
are another big draw. There is an art collection that
highlight Kerala's rich heritage in stone, wood and
metal sculpture. There are index collections, a skeleton
gallery and laboratory. Besides these archeological
and cultural specimens, this museum has an excellent
ethnographic collection. This includes implements and
models of the various communities, primarily of South-India.
Replicas of traditional houses (Tharawad) and customs
of the communities of Kerala are exclusive exhibits
at the Natural History Museum.
Location
Museum-Vellayambalam Road, Palayam, Thiruvananthapuram
Priyadarshini
Planetarium
The Priyadarshini Planetarium is situated
within the Kerala State Science and Technology Museum
premises in Thiruvananthapuram. It is one of the most
sophisticated and versatile planetariums in India. The
marvellous planetarium complex has a centrally air-conditioned
sky theatre, conference hall, workshops and a sound-studio.
The planetarium, rated as one of the
best horizontal domed planetariums by global standards,
has a seating capacity of 184 persons. The planetarium
organises various science-related shows, the best example
being – “Man and the Universe", which
deals with the origin and different stages of development
of astronomy, the structure of different planets and
the origin of the Universe.
The museum park at the planetarium
premises has numerous outdoor exhibits which include
models of rockets and aeroplanes.
Timings of the Planetarium shows:
Malayalam: 10:30 am, 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm English : 12
Noon
Ticket Rates: Adults -Rs 15 Children
(3-10 yrs) and authorised batches of students with teachers
- Rs 10
Location
PMG Junction, Palayam, Thiruvananthapuram
Sree Chitra Art Gallery
The Sri Chitra Art Gallery, near the
Napier Museum, in Thiruvananthapuram was established
in 1935. The gallery has on display a century old world
famous paintings of Raja Ravi Varma. The gallery also
has a good collection of miniature paintings from the
Mughal and Rajasthani schools, Roerich paintings, paintings
from China, Japan, Tibet and Bali and copies of murals.
The four hundred year old Tanjore miniature paintings
encrusted with semi-precious stones are also on display
at the gallery.
The gallery is open from 10 am to 5
pm. The gallery is closed on Mondays and Wednesday mornings.
Location
Palayam, Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram Zoo
The Thiruvananthapuram Zoo, one of
the oldest and the best in the country, actually forms
part of the Botanical Gardens. The zoo was established
as an annexe to the Napier Museum in 1857 by Maharaja
Swati Thirunal, the erstwhile maharaja of Travancore.
Spread over 55 acres of land in the
heart of Thiruvananthapuram, the zoo which is set among
woodlands and lakes is a natural habitat for the animals.
The zoo provides people from all over the country a
chance to watch 75 different species of animals from
India and abroad. The Lion tailed Macaque, Nilgiri Langur,
Nilgiri Tahr, Indian Rhino, Asiatic Lion and the Royal
Bengal Tiger are the prominent attractions of the zoo.
An aviary and a reptile house with different varieties
of poisonous and non-poisonous snakes are located within
the premises. The Botanical Garden, also within the
zoo premises, has varied specimens of tropical plants
and trees.
Location
Museum-Vellayambalam Road, Palayam, Thiruvananthapuram
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