Painting and Sculpture of Thiruvananthapuram

Contributions of Thiruvananthapuram district to painting are immense. The earliest of murals that can be attributed to the Kerala tradition are found in a small cave-shrine at Thirunandikkara in south Travancore, now a part of Tamil Nadu. The themes of these murals are evidently drawn from Hindu lore, but the style closely resembles the Buddhist tradition. These are believed to belong to the 9th century. Siva, Parvathi and Ganapathi are among the figures represented.

Sri Padmanabha Swami Temple at Thiruvananthapuram has several murals, which belongs to the 18 th century. The paintings at Koikal Temple at Attingal bear close resemblance to those in the Padmanabha Swami Temple, which are outstanding examples of 16th century Kerala paintings.

Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1905), an illustrious painter of this district, stands at the cross-roads of Indian art history. Ravi Varma