The stone pillars that flank the entrance are carved elaborately.

The ceiling of the entrance passage.

On either side of the entrance there are depictions of the goddess in various forms

Side entrance to the temple.

Shrikantheshwaram is a famous Shiva temple in Trivandrum. Seen here is the deepa sthambham which literally means pillar of lamps, which is exactly what it is. And makes for a beautiful sight when lit at sundown.

All the rows and columns you see here surrounding the walls are lined with lamps.

Snake gods below the Banyan tree is an integral part of temples in Kerala. Normally there are some 3-5 stone representations. But the Srikanttheshwaram Temple had them going all around the tree.

I LOVED the way this looked. Turmeric is smeared on the idols as an offering.

And finally the most famous and ancient Padmanabha Swamy Temple. And easily the most expansive and beautiful. The rules here are very strict. You are not permitted to enter the presincts with electronic equipment- meaning no camera or mobilephones or other such. You are searched at the entrance. The men are supposed to go in bare chested (as is the case in most temples in Kerala) and the women cannot get in wearing trousers or salwar kameez. Skirts and sarees are fine. There is provision to rent a mundu or set-saree outside the temple which can be worn over the offending trouser or the salwaar :)

This pic is from the wiki page

And all the following pictures are from a pbase artist called oochappan