TRIVANDRUM PHOTOS

SANKHUMUKHAM

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Sankhumukham is a famous beach in Trivandrum City. The southern air command situated in Sankhumukham. Matsya Kanyaka is a famous status in Sankhumukham. Airshows are usually held in Sankhumukham. Thousands of people coming here day by day. It is grown as a tourist place in Trivandrum. Indian Coffee House is a majour landmark in the area.

Sankhumukham Beach

Matsya Kanyaka Statue

Indian Coffee House

THOZHUVANCODE

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Thozhuvancode is famous for the temple Thozhuvancode Temple. The unique feature of this temples that sets it apart from others is that no money is collected for the festival,and the poojarins donot accept dakshina.this is a very beautiful temple with unique sculptures and artistics which one can find no where else. This temple also has a beautiful garden with fountain.This temple is open to all,Hindus,Muslims,Christians..whatever may be your religion you are welcome.

KOWDIAR

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Kowdiar is a posh residential area in Thiruvananthapuram city on the Vellayambalam - Peroorkada route. Kowdiar has direct road connections to Ambalamukku, Sasthamangalam and Nanthancode. The prominent landmark of Kowdiar is the Kowdiar Palace, which was the home of the late Maharaja Sree Chitra Thirunal Balarama Varma and his family. Kowdiar is also home to some of the major public properties in Thiruvananthapuram such as the Trivandrum Tennis Club, Trivandrum Womens Club and Golf Club. Jawahar Nagar is located near Kowdiar.

Kowdiar Road

Kowdiar Palace

Tennis Club

Golf Club

STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE

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Apart from being the capital of India’s most literate and socially developed state. Thiruvananthapuram is a strategically important city in Southern India. Being the largest city in India’s deep south, it is important for both military logistics and civil aviation in the southern part of the country. It is the headquarters of the Southern Air Command(SAC) of the Indian Air Force. The city is very close to the international shipping route and East-West shipping axis. Also, it falls under the international air route. Due to the strategic importance of the city, the Indian Air Force authorities have planned to make an aerospace command in SAC. The plan for setting up a new "Tri-Service Command", which will integrate all the three forces under a single command, is also in the pipeline.
Being the Indian city with the closest air link to the small island-country of Maldives and also Sri Lanka, the city’s medical and health infrastructure caters to patients from both countries, especially Maldives. Exports of perishables and medicines from Trivandrum International Airport run to full capacity on everyday flights to Maldives and Sri Lanka because of this nearness. Thiruvananthapuram also provides a key link in movement of goods and passengers to and from southern Tamilnadu into Kerala, the state border being just 30 km away. The city is also important for people from around the world seeking help through Ayurveda medicine and therapy. Ayurveda resorts are coming up at a rapid pace along the International Beach of Kovalam and Varkala coast.

SPORTS

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The most popular sports are Football and Cricket. Basketball, Badminton and Volleyball are also popular, mostly in schools. The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) is Head Quartered in Thiruvananthapuram. The HQ complex of KCA, have advance facilities including two practice turfs with nets, bowling machines, gymnasium with multi-gym and equipment for aerobic training, lecture hall and library, an astro-turf indoor coaching facility, fully furnished accommodation for coaches and players, a physiotherapy clinic, functional office facilities and guest rooms. KCA has decided to establish an international cricket stadium in the city suburbs.The Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium is a prominent football stadium and has hosted both national and international level matches. The University Stadium has hosted two international cricket matches. This stadium is under University of Kerala and is equipped with synthetic tracks for athletics games. The city also holds the Central stadium which has facilities for athletics, football, basketball, volleyball and cricket practice nets for upcoming cricketers. The Jimmy George Sports Complex, the GV Raja Sports School and Lakshmi Bhai National College for Physical Education (LNCPE) are the other major sports establishments in the city. The city also has a Golf Club, one of the oldest in India, and a Tennis Club (Trivandrum Tennis Club/TTC) both located at Kawdiar. The city fields two football clubs SBT-Thiruvananthapuram and Titanium, in the second division of the National Football League. The city also holds a fully equipped modern swimming pool located near the Jimmy George Sports Complex at Vellayambalam. Many state level and national level swimming competitions are held in this facility. It also holds coaching camps for people interested in learning swimming.

MEDIA

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Daily newspapers are available in English and Malayalam. The English newspapers with editions from Thiruvananthapuram are The New Indian Express and The Hindu. The major Malayalam newspapers are Mathrubhumi, Malayala Manorama, Kerala Kaumudi, Deshabhimani, and Madhyamam.
Most Malayalam TV channels are based in Thiruvananthapuram. The government owned Doordarshan began broadcasting from here in 1981. Asianet was the first private Malayalam channel and began operations in 1991. The other channels now based in Thiruvananthapuram are Surya TV, Amrita TV, Kairali TV, Kiran TV (Youth channel of Surya TV) Asianet Plus (Youth channel of Asianet) and People (News and current affairs channel of Kairali TV). The local cable services are provided by Asianet Satellite Communications Limited, Trivandrum Cable Network Pvt Ltd and Siti Cable and they provide a bouquet of local channels in addition to all the Indian channels. DTH services are available through Doordarshan Direct Plus Tata Sky and Dish TV.
All India Radio has an AM (1161 MHz) and an FM (Ananthapuri FM; 101.9 MHz) station for the city. FM radio channels broadcast from Thiruvananthapuram are Ananthapuri FM(AIR) 101.9 MHz, Big FM 92.7 MHz, Club FM 94.3 MHz , Radio Mirchi 98.3 MHz, S FM 93.5 MHz and Radio DC(Low power CRS) 90.4 MHz.
There are over 18 cinema halls which screen films in Malayalam, Tamil, English and Hindi. There are also two film studios in the city, Chithranjali and Merryland. The Kinfra Film and Video Park is located near Technopark and is one of the most advanced film and animation production facilities in India. Leading firms like Prasad Labs have their facilities here. The International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) is held in November/December every year and is acknowledged as one of the leading such events in India.
The basic telephone services are provided by BSNL, Reliance and Tata Indicom. The cellular networks operating in the city are BSNL CellOne, Airtel, Idea Cellular, Vodafone (all GSM) and also Reliance and Tata Indicom (both CDMA). The number of mobile phone connections has increased exponentially since the late 90s. Major broadband internet services are provided by BSNL DataOne, Asianet Dataline and Siti Cable. Private providers like Relaince, VSNL, Airtel and Satyam also have their presence in the city. The major dial-up internet providers are BSNL NetOne, Kerala Online and KelNet among others. Thiruvananthapuram also holds the distinction of having been the first 100% Digital SSA(Secondary Switching Area) in India

GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE

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Thiruvananthapuram is built on hills by the sea shore and is located at 8.5° N 76.9° E on the west coast, near the southern tip of mainland India. The city and the suburbs covers an area of about 250 square kilometers, sandwiched between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. The average elevation is 16 ft from the sea level.
The area can be divided into two geographical regions, the midlands and the lowlands. The midland region comprises low hills and valleys adjoining the Ghats. The lowland is a narrow stretch comprising shorelines, rivers and deltas, dotted with coconut palms. Vellayani lake, biggest fresh water lake in the district is in the suburbs of the city. The major rivers that flow through the city are the Karamana river, and the Killi river.
There are highlands, which form the eastern suburbs of the city. The highest point in the district is the Agasthyarkoodam which rises 1890 m above sea level. Ponmudi and Mukkunimala are hill-resorts near the city.
ClimateThe city has a tropical climate and therefore does not experience distinct seasons. The mean maximum temperature 34 °C and the mean minimum temperature is 21 °C. The humidity is high and rises to about 90% during the monsoon season. Thiruvananthapuram is the first city along the path of the south-west monsoons and gets its first showers in early June. The city gets heavy rainfall of around 1700 mm per year. The city also gets rain from the receding north-east monsoons which hit the city by October. The dry season sets in by December. December, January and February are the coldest months while March, April and May are the hottest. The winter temperature comes down to about 18 °C and summer temperatures can sometimes go as high as 35 °C

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

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Thiruvananthapuram is a Research and Development hub in the fields of space science, information technology, bio-technology, medicine and so on. It is home to a cluster of research centres, which include the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research , Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre(LPSC), Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station(TERLS), Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, RGCB, Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute, ER&DC – CDAC, CSIR – National Institute of Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, formerly known as [Regional Research Laboratory (RRL), Free Software Foundation (FSF), Regional Cancer Centre(RCC), Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS), Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI), Priyadarsini Planetarium, The Oriental Research Institute & Manuscripts Library, Kerala Highway Research Institute, Kerala Fisheries Research Institute, etc

EDUCATION

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Thiruvananthapuram is a major academic hub. The University of Kerala is located here. The city also has several professional education colleges including fifteen engineering colleges, three medical colleges, three Ayurveda colleges, two Homeopathy colleges, six other medical related colleges, and some law colleges. Trivandrum Medical College, the premier health institute of the state is also one of the finest in the country. It is being upgraded to the status of an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). The College of Engineering, Trivandrum is one of the prominent engineering institutions in the country. The Asian School of Business and IIITM-K are two of the management study institutions in the city, both situated inside Technopark. The Indian Institute of Space Technology, the unique and first of its kind in India, is situated in here. Centre for Development Studies one of the foremost development economics research centers in the country is located here.
The schools in the city are classified as Aided, Unaided and Government schools. The government schools are run directly by the state government and follow the syllabus prescribed by the state government. The aided schools also follow the state syllabus. In addition to this there are also four Kendriya Vidyalayas run directly by the Central government which follow the CBSE syllabus and private schools run by educational trusts or boards which follow CBSE and/or ICSE syllabus and/or state syllabus. The first International school in Kerala, The Trivandrum International School, was started in Thiruvananthapuram on August 2003. The literacy rate in Thiruvananthapuram, according to the 2001 census, is 89.36 percent; 92.68 percent among males and 86.26 percent among females.

CULTURE

2008-06-29T20:21:00.001+05:30

The people of Thiruvananthapuram are now sometimes referred to as "Trivandrumites" , by some tourism sites and blogging community, though the word is not in common use. Thiruvananthapuram has a rich cultural background, with the rulers of erstwhile Travancore taking an active interest in development of arts and culture. Thiruvananthapuram has produced several great artists, the most famous ones being Maharaja Swathi Thirunal, Irayimman Thampi and Raja Ravi Varma.
Maharaja Swathi Thirunal was a great composer and played a vital role in the development of Carnatic music. A music college in his name exists today in the city. Raja Ravi Varma was an illustrious painter with global recognition. His contributions to Indian art are substantial. Most of his famous paintings are preserved at the Sree Chithra Art Gallery in the city. The Padmanabha Swamy Temple and the fort surrounding it, the Napier Museum and Zoo, the VJT hall, Palayam Mosque and Church are among the prominent heritage buildings in the city. The Veli lake and Shankumugham beach are home to various sculptures of noted sculptor Kanayi Kunhiraman.

Trivandrum Public library
Thiruvananthapuram easily disguises itself as a laid back quiet city to the casual observer. However, beneath it, there is a hum of cultural activity. The city comes to life during the festival season of Onam in August/September, and during the tourist season later in the year. The state government conducts the tourism week celebrations every year during Onam with cultural events taking place at various centres in the city. The other major events include the annual flower show, the Attukal Pongala, the Aaraat of Padmanabha Swamy Temple, the Beemapally Uroos, Vettucaud Perunaal etc. The CVN Kalari at East Fort, is world renowned centre for training in Kerala's own martial art the Kalaripayattu. The Margi centre offers training in many of Kerala's traditional arts including Kathakali.
The general cuisine of the people is Keralite cuisine, which is generally characterised by an abundance of coconut and spices. Other South Indian cuisines, as well as Chinese and NortH Indian cuisines are popular. Fast food culture is also very prominent in the city.
Thiruvananthapuram has numerous libraries, the prominent ones being the State Central Library (Trivandrum Public library, Est. 1829), the University Library, Thiruvananthapuram Children's Library, Manuscripts Library and the Centre for Development Studies Library. The British Council and Library (Est. 1964) was located very near to the Government Secretariat adjacent to the YMCA Hostel

DEMOGRAPHICS

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The city has a population of 744,739 according to the 2001 census ( nearly 1.1 million on Nov 2006). Within the city, the density of population is about 5,284 people per square kilometer. The district has a literacy rate of 89.36%. With the sex ratio being 1,037 females to every 1,000 males, there are more women in Thiruvananthapuram than men. The wider urban agglomeration registered a population of about one million in 2001.
Hindus comprise of 65% of the population, Christians are about 18% and Muslims about 15%. The major language spoken is Malayalam. English and Hindi are also widely understood. There is also a prominent minority of Tamil speakers and a few Tulu and Konkani speakers.
Unemployment is a serious issue in Thiruvananthapuram, as it is in whole of Kerala. The increase in the unemployment rate was from 8.8% in 1998 to 34.3% in 2003, thus registering a 25.5% absolute and a 289.7% relative increase in five years. Thiruvananthapuram taluk ranked third in Kerala with 36.3% of its population unemployed. The in-migration of unemployed from other districts also boost this high unemployment rate.Thiruvananthapuram has a high suicide rate in the state, which went up from 17.2 per lakh in 1995 to 38.5 per lakh in 2002. In 2004, the rate came down slightly to 36.6 per lakh.
This apparent paradox—high human development and low economic development—is visible in the entire state of Kerala, and is often dubbed as the Kerala phenomenon or the Kerala model of development.

TRANSPORT

2008-06-25T20:18:00.003+05:30

Within the city, city buses, taxis and autorickshaws provide means of transportation. Scooters, motorcycles and regular bicycles are the favored means of personal transportation.
The intra-city public transport is dominated by the state-owned KSRTC (Kerala State Road Transport Corporation). There are also private bus services, but are limited in number. The city services of KSRTC operate from six depots namely, the City depot, Vikas Bhavan, Peroorkada, Pappanamcode, Kaniyapuram and Vellanad. These services were revamped in 2005 with the introduction of modern buses and electronic ticketing mechanisms. The central city bus terminal is located at East Fort(Kizhakkekotta), near the Padmanabha Swamy temple. The Central and Inter State bus station is located 1 km away at Thampanoor. Buses from it go to all major towns and villages in the State as well as big cities in India such as Bangalore and Chennai.
The Central railway station is also located at Thampanoor in the heart of the city, 8 km from the airport. It is a very important terminus which handles over 50 trains daily. The city is well connected by rail to almost all major cities in India. Thiruvananthapuram is the first major city from south along the second longest train route in the world, Kanyakumari to Jammu. A second satellite station was opened in 2005 at Kochuveli, near the International Airport.

TRANSPORT II

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Thiruvananthapuram's International Airport, with direct flights from the Middle East, Singapore, Maldives and Sri Lanka is the gateway to the tourism-rich state of Kerala. There are also two military airports one near the civilian airport and the other at the Southern Air Command of the Indian Air Force at Akkulam. Apart from regular scheduled flights, many chartered flights from Europe like First Choice Airways from London Gatwick and Monarch, operating with big jets, land here during the peak tourist season (around December); with Kerala fast becoming a prime tourist destination in India. Thiruvanthapuram airport's importance is also due to the fact that it is the southernmost airport in India and also the closest (and thus cheapest option) for neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Maldives.

Double Decker Buses, which were a major attraction of the city
The construction of the mega Deep Water Container Trans-shipment Port at Vizhinjam is expected to begin in 2007. It is to be built in three phases, and expected to be a key competitor in the ports business (especially for container transshipments), with the international shipping lanes between Europe and the Far East very close to the port, and also with major ports like Colombo, Kochi and Tuticorin in close proximity.
The exponential growth of the services and IT based sectors coupled with its prominence as the state capital and tourist centre has caused considerable strain on the transport infrastructure of the city. To tackle this crisis, several multi-million dollar construction projects are now underway including the construction of several new underpasses and flyovers, scheduled to be completed by early 2007. In the first phase, 42 km of six-lane and four-lane dual carriage ways are being built.

INFRASTRUCTURE

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The city is fully electrified by Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB). The district is divided in to three circles: Transmission circle, Thiruvananthapuram city and Kattakkada. Domestic consumers account for 43% of the total power consumption, or 90 million units per month. Thiruvananthapuram district has one 220 kV, nine 110 kV and six 66 kV electrical substations. A 400 kV substation has just been commissioned by the Power Grid Corporation and will ensure high-quality power supply to the city.
The water supply schemes cover 100% within the city limits. It is 84% of the urban and 69% of the rural population, when the district is considered. Peppara and Aruvikkara dams are the main sources of water for distribution in the capital city. The new project plan for improving the water supply with Japan aid covers Thiruvananthapuram city and six suburban panchayats having urban characteristics.
The sewerage system in the city was implemented at the time of the Travancore Kingdom, and modernised in 1938. This scheme for the disposal of sullage and sewage is an underground system. The whole system is controlled by Kerala Water Authority now. The city area is divided in to seven blocks for the execution of the sewerage system, two commissioned in the 1990s and two after 2000. The sewerage is pumped to a stilling chamber at the Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP) located at Valiyathura, and is disposed through sewage farming. Diary Development Department maintains this sewage farm and fodder cultivation is done here. There is no revenue generation from this scheme, and the sewerage system in the city is a service provided to the residents

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

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The city is administered by the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation headed by the Mayor. The city council is democratically elected and comprises 84 members representing the different city wards. Several agencies work under or in partnership with the Corporation including the Trivandrum Development Authority (TRIDA) and Trivandrum Road Development Corporation.

Kerala Legislative Assembly Building
Most of the city comes under the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency. Some northern wards of the city come under the Chirayinkeezhu constituency. The city contributes to six legislative assembly seats namely Kazhakoottam, Thiruvananthapuram North, Thiruvananthapuram West, Thiruvananthapuram East, Nemom and Kovalam.
The city police is headed by a Police Commissioner, an officer of Deputy Inspector General rank in the Indian Police Service. The city is divided three police sub-divisions headed by Assistant Commissioners. There are also two traffic sub-divisions. A women's cell and a narcotics control cell also operate in the city. The other units of Thiruvananthapuram city police include Crime Detachment, City Special Branch, Dog Squad, Mounted Police, District Crime Records Bureau, Foreigners Registration Office (FRO), Tourist Police and District Armed Reserve.There are two state Armed Police Battalions and a unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) based in Thiruvananthapuram. The CRPF has a Group Head Quarters (GHQ) located at Pallipuram. There is also a large army cantonment in Pangode where some regiments of the Indian Army are based.
Thiruvananthapuram is the capital of Kerala and hence the state legislative assembly and Secretariat are located here. The city is also the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapura district. The only foreign mission in the city is the Consulate of Maldives

ECONOMY

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The economy of Thiruvananthapuram city was earlier based on the tertiary sector with about 60% of the workforce being employed as government servants. Large scale industrial establishments are low compared to other south Indian state capitals like Chennai and Bangalore. At present the economy is growing with the contributions from more professionals in the fields of IT, and Medical/Bio-Technology. The city contributes 80% of software exports from the state. The opening of many private Television channels in the state, made Thiruvananthapuram the home of several studios and related industries. India's first and only animation park is situated here.
Since the establishment of Technopark in 1995, Thiruvananthapuram has steadily grown into a competitive IT centre. The city was rated as the best 2nd tier metro with IT/ITES infrastructure, and second in terms of availability of human talent. Technopark houses global majors like NeST (Network Systems & Technologies), Infosys, TCS, IBS Software Services , McKinsey & Co., Ernst & Young, Allianz Cornhill, Tata Elxsi, UST Global, etc. The park has around 110 companies employing over 12,500 professionals. With the expansion plans to be completed in 2007–08, this figure is to rise to about 30,000. With the completion of the 600,000 ft² Thejaswini, Technopark has become the largest IT Park in India. The works in progress include 400,000 ft² TCS Peepul Park and TCS Development Centre. Peepul Park is partly operational. Work on the 460,000 ft² Leela IT building, IBS Campus and Tata Elxsi D&D Centre has commenced while that on the US Tech Campus and Infosys campus is due to commence shortly.
Tourism has also contributed heavily to the economy of Thiruvananthapuram. Foreign tourists generally use Thiruvananthapuram as a hub to explore the highly promoted tourism industry of the state of Kerala.Thiruvananthapuram is ranked first in the number of foreign tourists visiting Kerala.It is also a major destination for chartered flights to India for Medical tourism, as there are more than fifty recognised Ayurveda centres in and around the city. This is primarily due to Ayurveda's immense popularity in the West. Medical tourism is further promoted by the recuperation facilities available at the beach resorts and hill stations nearby.
There are around 20 government owned and 60 privately owned medium and large scale industrial units in Thiruvanathapuram. The major employers are the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC), Milma, Keltron, Travancore Titanium and Hindustan Latex, all government owned. There are also about 30,000 small scale industrial units employing around 115,000 people. Traditional industries include handloom and coir.
Vizhinjam Port site
Commercial activity is quite low mainly due to the under-development of ports. However, this is expected to change with the construction of the proposed mega Deep Water Container Transshipment Port at Vizhinjam.Situated close to the city, Vizhinjam is very close to international shipping routes and the East-West shipping axis and hardly require maintenance dredging.Other major organizations of economic interest are the Chithranjali Film Complex, Kinfra Apparel Park, Kinfra Film and Video Park, Kerala High-tech Industries (KELTECH), Kerala Automobiles Limited and the English Indian Clays Ltd

GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE

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HISTORY

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Thiruvananthapuram is an ancient city with trading traditions dating back to 1000 BC. It is believed that the ships of King Solomon landed in a port called Ophir (now Poovar) in Thiruvananthapuram in 1036 BC. The city was the trading post of spices, sandalwood and ivory. However, the ancient political and cultural history of the city was almost entirely independent from that of the rest of Kerala. The early rulers of the city were the Ays. With their fall in the 10th century, the city was taken over by the rulers of Venad.
The rise of modern Thiruvananthapuram began with accession of Marthanda Varma in 1729 as the founding ruler of the princely state of Travancore (Thiruvithamkoor in the local vernacular). Thiruvananthapuram was made the capital of Travancore in 1745. The city developed into a major intellectual and artistic centre during this period. The golden age in the city's history was during the mid 19th century under the reign of Maharaja Swathi Thirunal and Maharaja Ayilyam Thirunal. This era saw the establishment of the first English school (1834), the Observatory (1837), the General Hospital (1839), the Oriental Research Institute & Manuscripts Library and the University College (1873). The first Lunatic Asylum in the state was also started during the same period. Sanskrit College, Ayurveda College, Law College and a second grade college for women were started by Moolam Thirunal (1885–1924).
The early 19th century was an age of tremendous political and social changes in the city. The Sree Moolam Assembly, established in 1904 was the first democratically elected legislative council in any Indian state. Despite not being under direct control of the British Empire at any time, the city however featured prominently in India's freedom struggle. The Indian National Congress had a very active presence in the city. A meeting of the Indian National Congress presided by Dr. Pattabhi Sitaramaiah was held here in 1938.
The period of Chitra Thirunal Bala Rama Varma, who took over in 1931, witnessed many-sided progress. The promulgation of "Temple Entry Proclamation" (1936) was an act that underlined social emancipation. This era also saw the establishment of the University of Travancore in 1937, which later became the Kerala University.
With the end of the British rule in 1947, Travancore chose to join the Indian union. The first popular ministry headed by Pattom Thanu Pillai was installed in office on 24 March 1948. In 1949, Thiruvananthapuram became the capital of Thiru-Kochi, the state formed by the integration of Travancore with its northern neighbour Kochi. The king of Travancore, Chitra Thirunal Bala Rama Varma became the Rajpramukh of the Travancore-Cochin Union from July 1, 1949 until October 31, 1956. When the state of Kerala was formed on November 1, 1956, Thiruvananthapuram became the capital of the new state.
With the establishment of Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) in 1962, Thiruvananthapuram became the cradle of India's ambitious space programme. The first Indian space rocket was developed and launched from the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) located in the outskirts of the city in 1963. Several establishments of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) were later established in Thiruvananthapuram.
A major milestone in the city's recent history was the establishment of Technopark—India's first IT park—in 1995. Technopark has developed into the largest IT Park in India and third largest in Asia and is home to IT giants like Infosys and TCS, employing around 12,500 people in close to 110 companies. This placed Thiruvananthapuram on the IT map of India and it is today one of the most promising in the country in terms of competitiveness and capability

Origin of Name

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Thiruvananthapuram means "City of Lord Anantha" in Sanskrit and Malayalam. The name derives from the deity of the Hindu temple at the centre of the city. Anantha is the serpent Shesha on whom Padmanabhan or Vishnu reclines. The temple of Vishnu reclining on Anantha, the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple remains the iconic landmark of the city. The city was officially referred to as Trivandrum in English until 1991, when the government decided to reinstate the city's original name Thiruvananthapuram in all languages. However, the city is still referred to as "Trivandrum" informally

TRIVANDRUM

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Thiruvananthapuram also known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland. Referred to by Mahatma Gandhi as the "Evergreen city of India", the city is characterized by its undulating terrain of low coastal hills and busy commercial alleys. With almost 745,000 inhabitants per the 2001 census, it is the largest and most populous city in Kerala; the wider urban agglomeration having a population of about one million.
The city is the state capital and houses many central and state government offices, organizations and companies. Apart from being the political nerve centre of Kerala, it is also a major academic hub and is home to several educational institutions including the University of Kerala, and to many science and technology institutions, the most prominent being the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Technopark and IIST.

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2008-06-10T20:30:00.003+05:30

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EAST FORT

2008-05-29T20:13:00.000+05:30

East Fort is the heart of Trivandrum. Thiruvananthapuram got the name from the temple of Anantha (Padmanabha Swamy Temple). The Fort is build by His Highness Marthanda Varma. The Chala Market is the largest Market in Kerala. Pazhavangadi Ganapathi Temple is one of the famous Temples in India. It is in the hand of Army. The landmark of place are Gandhi Park, Putharikandom Maithanam, Attukal Shopping Complex, Lucia Hotel and Padmanabha Theatre. The place consists more than hundreds of temples. The place is also a Jewell Shopping Centre, More than three hundred Jewelleries are in this area and the few ones are Khazana Jewellery (Top in South India), Josco Jewellery, Alukkas and Prince Jewellery (coming soon).

EAST FORT got its name from the eastern entrance to the fort built by the Kings of Travancore. The old city was all inside the fort on four sides with the Padmanabha Swamy temple at the center of it.

HOTEL LUCIA AND ATTUKAL SHOPPING COMPLEX Lucia is a famous Hotel in Trivandrum City ownered by Saj Group. Attukal Shopping Complex Contains Alappat and Khazana Jewellery.

PADMANABHA TEMPLE is a famous Hindu temple of Lord Vishnu, located inside the Fort in city of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. The temple is one of the 108 divya desam the holiest abodes of Lord Vishnu. The main deity, Padmanabhaswamy, is a form of Vishnu in Anananthasayanam posture (in eternal sleep of yognidra). This is an ancient temple and the city of Thiruvananthapuram derives its name from the name of the presiding deity enshrined in the temple.

PAZHAVANGADI GANAPATHY TEMPLE is one of the famous Ganapathy Temple in India and it is managed by Indian Army. Thousands of Disciples are coming daily here. It's near to East Fort Bus Stand.

KHAZANA JEWELLERY is among the leading jewelers in South India who have chosen to step out of the crowd and make a bold foray into creating an institution out of a business. It now proudly owns professionally managed showrooms that reflect the foundational philosoph of khazana with bold new plans for more. In Trivandrum Showroom Khazana presents more antique collection.

SOUTH INDIA'S NO.I JEWELLERY KHAZANA'S TRIVANDRUM SHOWROOM

STATUE

2008-05-23T20:28:00.000+05:30

Statue is the Capital of Trivandrum city. The Secretariat of the Indian state of Kerala is located at Statue Junction, which was where the old legislative assembly of the region used to take place. The Secretariat now holds offices for most of the Government officials. The Landmarks are Central Stadium, Pankaj Hotel, Comfort Inn, Press Club, Agies Office, Capital Centre, Capital Tower, Statue Tower, Karimpanal Avenue, Maurya Rajadhani and Statue Medicals Store. Newly builded "Felicity Tower" is one of the modern design of Cordial Group. ICICI Bank working in this Tower.

SECRETARIATE

FELICITY TOWER

SECRETARIATE

MUSEUM

2008-05-22T19:21:00.000+05:30

Museum is the Main Tourist place in Trivandrum City. The Landmarks of place are Nisaganthi Auditorium, Kanakakunnu Palace, Balabhavan, Museum Police Station and Children’s Park.

Napier Museum and Zoo are the main attraction of this place. Thousands of people are visiting the place daily. The museum was built in the 19th Century. Museum and its surroundings are full of green and beautiful. It got its name from John Napier, the governor general of Madras. Museum and Art gallery are in side by side. Museum Consists full of Ancient archaeological artifact objects. Sri Chitra Art Gallery consists of Raja Ravi Varma’s famous paintings too.

NAPIER MUSEUM

SREE CHITRA ART GALLERY

ZOO

KESAVADASAPURAM

2008-05-22T19:11:00.000+05:30

Kesavadasapuram is also a main Shopping Centre in Trivandrum City. The Main Shopping centre is Kedaram Shopping Complex. Big Bazar is shortly opened in Kesavadasapuram. NH 47 is go through this place and Main Central Road – 1 is starting from Kesavadasapuram. The other Landmarks are Regional H.O of Food Corporation of India, Chaitanya Eye Hospital, Vijaya Bank, Syndicate Bank, Co-operative Bank and SBI. Mahatma Gandhi College is situated near to Kesavadasapuram

M.G.COLLEGE

SASTHAMANGALAM

2008-04-14T19:21:00.000+05:30

Sasthamangalam is a high class Residential Area. It’s 6 kilometers from East Fort. The Landmark of place are Sri Rama Krishna Hospital, Tandem Groups of Institutions, Raja Kesava Das N.S.S.H.S.S, Hyundai Showroom, Vijaya Bank, SBT, Siva Temple, Prathyungari Devi Kshethram, Jet Airways and Karvy Stock Broking Ltd. Oolampara Mental Hospital is near by Sasthamangalam. SRK Hospital is famous for It’s Gynecology Department.

SFS BUILDING

MEDICAL COLLEGE JN

2008-04-04T19:10:00.000+05:30

The name Medical College Junction, came from Trivandrum Medical College, located in this Junction. Trivandrum Medical College was founded in 1951, and was inaugurated by Jawahalral Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, The campus consists of other hospitals and institutions, and they are College of Nursing, Regional Cancer Centre, Trivandrum Dental College, Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Sree Avittam Thirunal Hospital for Women and Children.

MEDICAL COLLEGE

ATTUKAL

2008-03-14T19:10:00.000+05:30

Attukal is a famous Pilgrimage centre in Trivandrum City. Attukal is situated about two kilometres from East Fort. Attukal Temple has been popularly referred to as Sabarimala of the Women. In 2007, the Attukal Pongala has been reported that about 25 Lack devotees participated in it and it is a Guinness Book of Record.

Attukal Bhagavathy Temple is a popular temple that belongs to the prehistoric era. The temple is considered as one if the most famous ancient temples in the whole of south India.

ATTUKAL TEMPLE

ATTUKAL PONKALA

VARKALA

2008-03-14T19:09:00.001+05:30

Varkala, the famous beach resort is also famous for its 3500 year old Janardanaswamy temple. The temple is located close to the Papanasam beach, which is considered to have holy waters which was away sins, and is also an important Ayurveda treatment centre. Another major landmark in Varkala is Sivagiri Mutt, found by the great Sree Narayana Guru.

VARKALA BEACH

SIVAGIRI

ATTINGAL

2008-03-14T19:09:00.000+05:30

Attingal is a main town and municipality in the Trivandrum District. The historical fort of Anchuthengu is around 10 km from Attingal Town. The famous Siva temple of Avanavanchery Indilayappan Swami is within the Attingal municipal area.

ATTINGAL

ANCHUTHENGU

NEDUMANGAD

2008-03-14T19:08:00.000+05:30

Nedumangad is one of the four taluks of Trivandrum District. It is located around 20 km to the north-east of Trivandrum city. It is blessed with rich vegetation. Nedumangad is an important centre for trade of hill and forest resources like pepper and rubber. The Koyikkal Palace is nearby nedumangad, which is an excellent specimen of the traditional architecture of Kerala.

An agriculture wholesale market set up by the Agriculture Department with the assistance of the European Union is also situated at Nedumangad.

The tourist places near to Nedumangad are Ponmudi, Peppara Dam, Meenmutty Falls, Happyland, Thirichittoor Rock, Arasuparambu Sri Sastha Temple.

KOYIKKAL PALACE

MEENMUTTY FALLS

PEPPARA DAM

THIRICHITTOOR ROCK

PONMUDI

NEYYATTINKARA

2008-02-14T19:06:00.000+05:30

Neyyattinkara means the shore of neyyar. Neyyar is the river flows from Agasthakoodam, which is the heighest peak in south of Western Ghat of Himalayas. Neyyattinkara lies 20 km to the south of Trivandrum city on the N.H 47 to Kanyakumari. Aruvippuram, the holy land of Sree Narayana Guru is an important pilgrim centre near Neyyattinkara. Neyyar Dam is the beauty spot and tourist centre of Neyyattinkara.

The other landmarks are Kadukkara Dam, Poovar, Kali Mala, Kurisu Mala and Sree Krishna Swamy Temple.

ARUVIPPURAM

NEYYAR RIVER

POOVAR

VELLAYAMBALAM

2008-02-10T20:17:00.000+05:30

Vellayambalam is one of the most beautiful place in Trivandrum. This place is full of Trees and beautiful Roads. Keltron is in Vellayambalam. The main Landmarks are HSBC Bank, C-DAC, Men's Hostel, Bishop House, Skyline Head Office, Spensor, and Devarajan Master Statue.

It connects the roads of the city leading to Kowdiar, Sasthamangalam, East Fort, Thycaud and Thampanoor.

VELLAYAMBALAM CIRCLE

DEVARAJAN MASTER STATUE

VELLAYAMBALAM ROAD

APARTMENT

PALAYAM

2008-02-10T20:02:00.000+05:30

Palayam is very well known as a shopping place, especially for textile materials in Trivandrum. The main attraction of the place is three religious centres are here in side by side. They are Palayam Christian Church, Muslim Mosque and a Ganapathi Temple. Kerala Legislative Assembly is in Palayam. The main landmarks of the place are V.J.T.Hall, Rakthasakshi Mandapam, Fine Arts College, Saphalyam Shopping Complex, Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium, G.V Raja Pavilion and Connemera Market. Four Christian Churches are in Palayam.

FINE ARTS COLLEGE

PALAYAM CHRISTIAN CHURCH

PALAYAM MOSQUE

GANAPATHY TEMPLE

CHURCH

MARUTHANKUZHY

2008-02-08T19:12:00.000+05:30

Maruthankuzhy is famous of the Temple Udiyannoor Devi Kshethram. The main Landmark of the place are Maruthankuzhy Bridge, Killiyar, Syndicate Bank, B’canti River Park, Kesavapuram Sri Krishna Swamy Temple, Ganapathy Koil, Sri Sri Ravisankar Keralasramam, and Dreamland Apartments.
Udiyannoor Temple situated in the northeastern part of Trivandrum City. The temple can be seen from the main road that goes to Vattiyoorkavu and Vettamukku from Sasthamangalam. The temple complex contains structures having architectural excellence. All the structures necessary for a major temple are available in the complex.

UDIYANNOOR DEVI TEMPLE

KODIMARAM

IN NIGHT

MUTHOOT BUILDERS

2008-01-20T11:50:00.000+05:30

Muthoot Builders is part of the Muthoot Group, the name synonymous with Reliability and Trust. Founded in the year 1939 by the Late Sri. George Muthoot, the group is the largest financial group of its kind in India.

The Projects in Trivandrum are

1. Muthoot Green Valley Mist

2. Muthoot Blue Mount

HEERA GROUP

2008-01-20T11:41:00.000+05:30

Heera Group is Established two decades ago in Goa. Heera Group is a company engaged in diverse business activities like property development, hotel operations, civil contracting and tourism related projects. After understanding the needs of the milieu, Heera extended its arms to Kerala and other states.

Ongoing Projects in Trivandrum are

1. Heera Gate

2. Heera West Court

SKYLINE BUILDERS

2008-01-20T11:33:00.000+05:30

The Skyline Group has been in existence since 1980 and Skyline Builders is the flagship unit of the group. It started business as a partnership firm in 1989, with the construction of flats and gradually took up independent villa projects and then, commercial projects as well. The year 1990 - 1991 was a landmark year for Skyline Builders™ as we maintained a steady, expansive growth which culminated in excellence and recognition through out the following years.

New Project in Trivandrum are

Domain

SFS PROJECTS

2008-01-20T11:02:00.000+05:30

Skyline Foundations and Structures (P) Ltd, started there working in 1984. By 25 years of experience company constructed quality homes. It is vast experience in handing over more than a 100 projects to over a 3000 proud home owners. The total built up crosses 3.5 million square feet.

SFS's new projects in Trivandrum are

1. Cyber Gold - Near Technopark

2..Royal Greens - Museum Road

3. Waterscapes - Akkulam

4. Cyberpalms - Near Technopark

5. Icon - Sasthamangalam

6. Carlton - Ambalamukku

PATTOM

2007-12-24T19:11:00.001+05:30

Pattom is a main part and a major traffic area in Trivandrum City. Head Office of Kerala State Public Service Commission is situated in Pattom. The other main offices in Pattom are Kerala State Planning Board, LIC Of India, Milma and Vydyuthi Bhavan. The schools in the place are Kendriya Vidyalaya, St Marys School, Pattom Girls School and Arya Central School. St marys church is the main church in the are.

PATTOM JOSCO

ST MARYS CHURCH