Information AboutTrivandrum |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT THIRUVANANTHAPURAM | |
| trivandrum | |
| kingdom of travancore | |
| kerala | |
| tourism in kerala | |
| coastal cities | |
Thiruvananthapuram ( 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 Kerala University , and to many science and technology institutions, the most prominent being the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Sree Chitra Tirunal Instiute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST). The first Information Technology park, the Technopark ; as well as the first Biotechnology centre in India, the Rajiv Gandhi Centre For Biotechnology (RGCB) and Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) are at Thiruvanathapuram. ORIGIN OF NAME Thiruvananthapuram literally means "''City of Lord Anantha''" in 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 is the most recognizable 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 widely referred to as "Trivandrum". HISTORY See Also: History of Thiruvananthapuram of Travancore . The building is now the Legislative Museum]] Thiruvananthapuram is an ancient city with trading traditions dating back to 1000 BC.De Beth Hillel, David (1832). ''Travels'' ( Madras publication).Lord, James Henry (1977). ''The Jews in India and the Far East''; Greenwood Press Reprint; ISBN 0-8371-2615-0. 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 Ay s. 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. GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE hills]] Thiruvananthapuram is built on hills by the sea shore and is located at on the west coast, near the southern tip of mainland India. The city 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. Climate The 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 20 °C and summer temperatures can sometimes go as high as 35 °C. ECONOMY See Also: Economy of Thiruvananthapuram building]] 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 50% 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 Infosys , TCS , McKinsey & Co. , Ernst & Young , Allianz Cornhill , Tata Elxsi , Toonz, RM Education Solutions India (P) Ltd, US Technologies , IBS , M-Squared 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 ft&2 Thejaswini, Technopark has become the largest IT Park in India. The works in progress include 400,000 ft&2 TCS Peepul Park and TCS Development Centre. Peepul Park is partly operational. Work on the 460,000 ft&2 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 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. 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 . | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|