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Geography
Trivandrum, the southern most district of Kerala State, 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 is sandwiched between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea.
The district can be divided into three geographical regions;
a) Highlands
On the east and north-east comprises of the mountains of the Western Ghats and this area is ideal for major cash crop plantations like rubber,tea,cardamom and other spices.
b) Midlands
Lying between the Western Ghats and the lowlands is made up of small and tiny hills and valleys. This region is rich in produces like paddy, tapioca, spices and cashew.
c) Lowlands.
Comparatively narrow, comprising of rivers, deltas and seashore. This area is densely covered with coconut palms.
Climate
The large forest reserves favourably affect the climate and induce rain. Humidity is high and rises to about 90 % during the south-west monsoon. It is significant that the district gets rainfall both from the south-west and the north-east monsoons. The south-west monsoon starts by the end of May/beginning of June, and fades out by September, while the north-east monsoon commences in October. December, January and February are the coolest months of the year, March, April and May are generally hot. During the months of April and May, the mean daily maximum temperature raises upto 35.20 Celsius and during December-January, it sometimes goes down to 18.00 Celsius.
History
Trivandrum or Thiruvananthapuram (name is derived from ‘Tiru-Ananta-Puram’ the abode of the sacred serpent ‘Anantha’) 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, Thiruvananthapuram was chosen as the capital of the new state. Thiruvananthapuram city and several other places in the district loom large in ancient tradition, folklore and literature. South Kerala, particularly the Thiruvananthapuram district, had in the early past a political and cultural history which was in some respect independent of that of the rest of Kerala.
Historical Events At A Glance
- Marthanda Varma [A.D 1729-1758] - The history of modern Travancore begins with Marthanda Varma who inherited the Kingdom of Venad and expanded Travancore by conquering kingdoms Attingal, Kollam, Kayamkulam, Kottarakara, Kottayam, Changanassery, Meenachil, Poonjar and Ambalapuzha. Marthanda Varma defeated the Dutch in the Battle of Colachel [1741]. He captured the Dutch Admiral who was later on appointed as the Senior Admiral it was he who modernised the Travancore army by introducing firearms and artillery. The kingdom of Travancore was dedicated by Marthanda Varma to his deity Sri. Padmanabha (Lord Vishnu) and from then on the rulers of Travancore ruled the kingdom as the servants of Sri. Padmanabha (Padmnabhadasan).
- Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma (Dharma Raja) [A.D 1758-1798] - Defeated Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore who attacked Travancore in A.D.1791. In 1795 the capital of Travancore was shifted from Padmanabhapuram to Thiruvananthapuram [Trivandrum].
- Balarama Varma [A.D 1798-1810] - Succeeded Dharma Raja and he ruled Travancore till 1810. During his reign emerged as an able or minister. He revolted against the British East India Company. Later on he was defeated by the British in the battle of Kollam in 1805.
- Rani Gowri Lakshmi Bayi [A.D 1810-1815] - Ruled Travancore as the Regent.
- Rani Gowri Parvati Bayi [A.D 1815-1829] - Ruled Travancore as the Regent.
- Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma [A.D 1829-1847] - The accession of Swathi Thirunal ushered in an epoch of cultural progress and economic prosperity. He was a famous exponent of and . The beginning of English education was made in 1834 by opening an English school at Thiruvananthapuram. In 1836, an observatory and a charity hospital were established.
- Utharadam Tirunal Marthanda Varma [A.D 1847–1860] - Abolished slavery in the kingdom, abolished restrictions on the dress codes of certain castes, started the postal system and a school for girls.
- Ayilyam Tirunal [A.D 1860–1880] - During his rule agriculture, irrigation works and road ways were promoted. Humane codes of law were enforced. He established a fully equipped Arts College besides several English, Malayalam and Tamil schools and charity hospitals including a lunatic asylum. In 1873, the University College was opened. The first systematic Census of Travancore was taken on May 18, 1875. He also introduced vaccination in the country.
- Visakham Thirunal Rama Varma [A.D 1880–1885] - He became the first Indian Prince to be offered a seat in the Viceroy's Executive Council. He authored a number of books and essays. He reorganised the police force, and abolished many oppressive taxes.
- Sri Moolam Thirunal [A.D 1885-1924] - The Sanskrit College, Ayurveda College, Law College and a second grade College for Women were started at Thiruvananthapuram. A department for the preservation and publication of oriental manuscripts was also established. One of the significant measures associated with Sri Moolam Thirunal’s reign was the inauguration of the Legislative Council in 1888. This was the first legislative chamber, instituted in an Indian State. The principle of election was established and women were allowed to vote.
- Sethu Lakshmi Bayi [A.D 1924-1931] - She abolished animal sacrifice and replaced the matrilineal system of inheritance with the patrilineal one. She ended the system in Temples. She spend almost 40% of the state revenue on education.
- Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma [A.D 1931–1949] – The last ruler of Travancore. His rule witnessed many-sided progress important being the progress in the social life. He made the temple entry proclamation on, which opened all the (Hindu temples in Kerala) in Travancore to all, a privilege reserved to only upper caste Hindus till then. In 1937, a separate University for Travancore was started. This was later redesigned as University of Kerala, following the formation of Kerala State in 1956.
- Post –Independence [A.D 1947-] - After the withdrawal of the British in 1947, Travancore chose to join the Indian union. In 1949 Thiruvananthapuram became the capital of Thiru-Kochi, state formed by the integration of Travancore with its northern neighbour Kochi. When the state of Kerala was formed on November 1, 1956, Thiruvananthapuram became the capital of the new state.
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Statistics
According to the final figures of 2001 census, the population of the district is 32,34,356. The details are as below
| Population |
32,34,356 |
| Males |
15,69,917 |
| Females |
16,64,439 |
| Sex Ratio |
1058 (Females per 1000 males) |
| Density of population |
1476 |
| Per capita Income |
20,484 |
| Literacy Rate |
89.36 %( Males - 92.68% & Females86.26%) |
Transportation Network
Road Transport
Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) operates 20 units comprising of nine depots, seven sub depots and four operating centres in Trivandrum district. The corporation plies 1308 buses in 1171 schedules, transporting 11 lakhs commuters daily. KSRTC operates the inter district/state buses from the Thampanoor bus terminal and intra district buses from the East Fort Bus Terminal. The GOK has initiated steps to construct a new bus terminal on BOT basis near to the new International Airport Terminal.
Rail
Trivandrum is connected to the rest of the country by broad gauge railway line. The doubling works from Trivandrum-Ernakulam is completed. Out of the total 82 kms of railway line, in the district, 50 kms is towards the north (upto Kappil) and 32 kms towards the south (upto Parassala) from the Trivandrum Central Station. The Ministry of Railways has approved Rs.1,000-crore project to upgrade Trivandrum central railway station into a terminal of international standards.
Airways
Trivandrum International Airport is 6km from the city and has over 30 air links with convenient connections to Colombo, Maldives and the Middle East. Being the capital of Kerala state, Trivandrum is well connected to other major cities of India and the neighbouring countries. There are direct flights to Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, and Delhi. Cities in the neighbouring countries such as Colombo, Malaysia, Singapore and cities of Arabian Gulf are also well connected by the international airlines. The international connectivity will go up with once the new Trivandrum International Terminal commences its operation later this year. The Airport Authority of India is building a new international terminal complex to handle the ever expanding traffic. |
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