Shankumugham Beach

Shankumugham Beach lies on the western edge of Thiruvananthapuram, close to the international airport. It has deep religious meaning for the city as the bathing place, or arattukadavu, of Sri Padmanabhaswamy, the presiding deity. On Arattu day the idols of Padmanabhaswamy, Narasimha and Krishna are carried in procession to the sea, led by the titular Maharaja of Travancore holding the royal sword, bathed, and brought back to the temple.

Hindus also gather here in large numbers for Bali Tharpanam rites, and it is the city's main site for immersing Ganesh idols at Ganesh Chaturthi. The beach's best-known landmark is Sagarakanyaka, a reclining mermaid more than 35 metres long sculpted by Kanayi Kunhiraman. There is also a children's traffic park with cycling. Parts of the airport and an Indian Air Force area lie nearby.