Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Kovalam Beach and Azhimala Shiva Temple

After a long second day covering Varkala, Jatayu Earth Center and Poovar, we expected Day 3 to be comparatively relaxed. Although we visited several places, the travel between them was shorter, making the day feel much less hectic.

After breakfast at Isola Di Cocco, we left for the place we had been looking forward to the most during our stay in Thiruvananthapuram—Padmanabhaswamy Temple.

Visiting Padmanabhaswamy Temple

The temple is around 15–16 km from Isola Di Cocco, and it took us approximately 30 minutes to reach.

Before entering, everyone must follow the temple’s traditional dress code. We purchased the required attire near the temple itself before proceeding for darshan.

Although it was the off-season, the regular queue was still quite long. We chose the special darshan, which significantly reduced our waiting time. Including the darshan, exploring the temple complex and completing the rituals, we spent nearly three hours here.

The main deity is in the reclining form of Lord Vishnu, and the darshan itself was a unique experience. Since we had also performed a special puja, we received lotus flowers before leaving the temple.

One interesting detail we learnt during our visit was about the temple’s lighting. A local hotelier later told us that the temple was traditionally illuminated using oil lamps, and although electric lights are now used regularly, the lamps are still lit on certain special occasions, creating a completely different atmosphere.

Read our detailed experience: Padmanabhaswamy Temple.

Travancore Palace Museum

After leaving the temple, we skipped the nearby Sunil Wax Museum and instead headed towards the Travancore Palace Museum.

The palace has now been converted into a museum displaying artefacts from the royal period, along with another gallery showcasing historical photographs.

Having visited several grand palaces in Rajasthan, we naturally compared it with those. While it isn’t as large as many Rajasthani palaces, it preserves an important part of Kerala’s royal history.

We spent around two hours exploring the museum before continuing our journey.

Travancore Palace Main Door — Jiya @ Travancore Palace

Read our detailed review: Travancore Palace Museum.

A Short Stop at Kovalam Beach

By the time we left the palace, it was already around 1:30 PM. Since Kovalam Beach was on our route, we decided to stop there for a short while.

The afternoon wasn’t the ideal time to enjoy the beach, so we spent around 30–60 minutes walking around the viewpoint overlooking the sea. From there, we could also see the famous lighthouse.

Personally, I feel Kovalam Beach is better enjoyed during the evening when the weather is more pleasant.

Read our complete experience: Kovalam Beach Review.

Azhimala Shiva Temple

Our next destination was Azhimala Shiva Temple. Unfortunately, we reached during the temple’s closing hours, so we couldn’t visit the main shrine. However, we did explore the newly developed cave and the giant Shiva structure.

The cave itself was quite different from anything we had seen during the trip. It is fully air-conditioned and houses large sculptures depicting various deities. One thing that immediately caught our attention was how bold some of these sculptures were. Personally, after visiting Khajuraho, I hadn’t seen such bold depictions in another temple.

Although we missed the main darshan, the visit was still worthwhile.

Read our complete review: Azhimala Shiva Temple.

Back to Isola Di Cocco

We returned to Isola Di Cocco at around 5:00 PM. Unlike the previous day, we finally had some time to enjoy the resort itself. We spent some time at the swimming pool before getting ready for dinner. Sometimes, slowing down during a trip is just as enjoyable as sightseeing.

Isalo Di Cocoa - Backwaters — Isalo Di Cocoa – Backwaters

Dinner at Anandam Restaurant

For dinner, we drove around 7–8 km to Anandam Restaurant, a pure vegetarian restaurant.

Throughout our Kerala trip, we made it a point to enjoy local South Indian meals instead of searching for North Indian food. After all, when travelling, we prefer experiencing the local cuisine as much as possible.

The food was delicious, reasonably priced and turned out to be another satisfying meal during the journey. After dinner, we returned to the resort and rested for the night, ready for another day of exploring Kerala.