Previously called Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala is located near the sea and has a pleasant tropical climate. This city is home to the famous Shree Anantha Padmanabhaswamy temple. There are several grand palaces of the maharajas of Travancore state, an observatory and a museum with fine works of art and a collection of antique jewellery, the Shree Chitra Art Gallery with works of art by Kerala's renowned painter Raja Ravi Verma and a collection of Tanjore Paintings.