A sanctuary for spiritual serenity and solace

name that rings in the sound of bells for a locality is unique. But the identity of a prayerful hamlet nestled in the heart of the capital is so merged with the subtle aspects of sound, chants and rituals that one cannot imagine the name of the place to be anything other than Sreekanteshwaram.

- S GOPIKA

Sreekanteshwaram is a busy residential area in Thiruvananthapuram city and is bordered by Pazhavangadi on the east, Fort on the south and Kaithanukku on the west. The place is located around 1km from East Fort and 2km from Statue Junction. Major landmarks here are the park and of course, the Shiva temple that gave the place its name.

The place was once known as 'Onapada nilam', says historian Ellandadu Ramachandran.

"The entire stretch from Padmanabhaswamy temple to the area including where the Sreekanteshwaram temple used to be called Onapadanilam. It was here that the kalari veterans used to stage their performances during the Padmanabhaswamy temple festival when the 'arattu' procession would be held," says Ramachandran.