Padmanabhaswamy temple and East Fort

The Padmanabhaswamy temple is the reason Thiruvananthapuram exists; the city's name means the town of the sacred serpent Anantha, on which Vishnu reclines. In 1750, the Travancore king Marthanda Varma dedicated his kingdom to the deity and ruled thereafter as its servant. The present temple, with its tall gopuram in the Tamil style, dates largely from the 18th century.

Entry is for Hindus only, with a strict dress code: men in a dhoti or mundu without a shirt, women in a sari, long skirt or dhoti over trousers. Hindu guests can join a darshan, viewing the reclining deity through three doors. Non-Hindu guests see the exterior, the temple tank and the surrounding streets with your guide, who explains the rituals and the history of the temple's vaults.

We continue to Kuthiramalika, the palace built in the 1840s by the musician king Swathi Thirunal, with carved wooden horses beneath its eaves and a museum of royal objects. The walk ends in the old Brahmin streets around the fort, with their stone houses and small shops selling brass lamps. Temple and palace timings change, so check current status before you travel.