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Thiruvananthapuram or "Thiruvanathapuram" (formerly known as Trivandrum) is the capital (population - 889,191 (2001)) of the state of Kerala, India. The city is part of a district, also called Thiruvananthapuram, one of the 14 districts of Kerala. It is the second largest city in Kerala, and under the Municipal Corporation. The city is distinct from other cities with its undulating terrain of low coastal hills near the southern edge of the Indian mainland.
History Thiruvananthapuram is an ancient city with trading tradition dating back to 1000 BC. Thiruvananthapuram was the capital of the princely state of Travancore from 1745 to 1949. In 1949 it became the capital of Thiru-Kochi formed by the integration of Travancore with its northern neighbour Kochi. When the state of Kerala was formed on November 1, 1956, Thiruvanathapuram was chosen as the capital of the new state.
Thiruvananthapuram literally translates to the city of Ananthan, i.e. Thiru (Great/Lord) Ananthan's Puram (City). The name derives from the main deity of a Hindu temple at the centre of the city. Ananthan is the serpent from Hindu mythology on whom Padmanabhan or Vishnu is shown reclining.
Transport/Travel Thiruvananthapuram has an international airport, with direct flights from the Middle East, Singapore, Maldives and Sri Lanka. It is therefore considered as the doorway to the tourism-rich state of Kerala.
The central railway station is located at Thampanoor in the heart of the city, 8 km from the airport. Because of it, the city is very well connected and has rail service to all major cities in India. Trivandrum is the first major city along the second longest train route in the world, Kanyakumari to Jammu.
There is also a long-distance bus station located next door to the railway station. Buses from it go to all major towns and villages in the state as well as big cities in India such as Kochi, Bangalore and Chennai. The city bus stand is located 1 km away at East Fort, near the Padmanabha Swamy Temple.
Within the city, city buses and autorickshaws provide means of transportation. A noticeable feature of the civilian city bus transportation is the lack of route descriptions in English, with almost all the route descriptions on the buses being only in Malayalam, the official language of Kerala. Two-wheelers, especially scooters and motorcycles are the favored means of personal transportation on the roads.
People - Population - 889,191 (2001)
- Density - 1341 per sq. km
- Literacy - 78.11%
- Sex Ratio - 1037 females per 1000 males
- Religion
- Hindu : 61.6%
- Christian : 19.6%
- Islam : 15.1%
- Others : 3.7%
- Languages : Malayalam, English, Tamil.
Tourism Kovalam Beach - tourists and fishermen - Kovalam Beach
- Somatheeram Beach near Kanjiramkulam 25 Km from City
- Neyyar Dam
- Varkala Beach
- Ponmudi (Hill station)
- Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple
- Napier Zoo & Museum
- Sree Chitra Art Gallery
- Sanghumukham Beach
- Kanakakkunnu Palace
- Veli Lake
- Statue Junction is the heart of the city. The famous attraction here is the Secretariat.
Major Establishments, Places
Government Establishments - Kerala state Legislative Assembly and Secretariat.
- All India Radio Station (AM 1161MHz & FM 101.9MHz)
- Doordarshan Kerala Central TV Station
- Chitranjali Film Complex
- Technopark (www.technopark.org) (http://www.technopark.org)
- Kinfra Apparel Park
- Center for Development of Information Technology (CDIT)
- Southern Air Command
Science & Technology - Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).
- Liquid Propulsions Systems Centre (LPSC).
- Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS).
- Government Observatory
- Central Fisheries Research Centre
- Science & Technology Museum
- Priyadarshini Planetarium
- Srichitra Institute of Medical Sciences
- Central Tuber Crops Research Institute
- The Technopark- The World's Greenest Technology Park for IT (http://www.technopark.org)
- Regional Research Laboratory, CSIR
- Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology
- Regional Cancer Center
- Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute
Educational Institutions Trivandrum is a major academic centre. The headquarters of Kerala University is located here. - Non-Professional Colleges : 19
- Professional Colleges :
- Medical - 8 (Allopathy - 3, Siddha- 1, Ayurveda - 2, Homeopathy - 1, Dental - 1)
- Engineering - 13
- Law - 2
- Agriculture - 1
- Teacher's Training - 3
- Music - 1
- Schools - 949 (Trivandrum District)
Sports/Stadiums - Chandrashekhar Nair Stadium (Football) - Home ground of SBT
- Central Stadium
- University Stadium (Cricket, Track\Field) - 2 International Cricket matches
- Jimmy George Sports Complex
- GV Raja Sports School
- Kerala Flying Club
- Golf Links, Kawdiar
- Trivandrum Tennis Club, Kawdiar
Thiruvananthapuram District The district has an area of 2192 sq. km, and a population of 3234707 (2001), the second largest in Kerala. It is divided into four talukas, viz. Thiruvananthapuram, Chirayinkil, Nedumangad and Neyyattinkara. The other urban bodies in the district are Attingal, Neyyattinkara, Varkala and Nedumangad municipalities.
External links - Information on Thiruvanathapuram District from Department of Public Relations (http://prd.kerala.gov.in/prd2/keralam/dis_tvm.htm), Government of Kerala
- Official website of Thiruvananthapuram district (http://trivandrum.nic.in/)
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