Thiruvananthapuram district
Thiruvananthapuram district is the southernmost district in the Indian state of Kerala. The district was created in 1949, with its headquarters in the city of Thiruvananthapuram, which is also Kerala's administrative centre. The present district was created in 1956 by separating the four southernmost Taluks of the erstwhile district to form Kanyakumari district. Trivandrum District, officially Thiruvananthapuram, is the southernmost district and capital of Kerala. The city of Thiruvananthapuram is also known as the Information technology capital of the state, since it is home to the first and largest IT park in India, Technopark, established in 1990. The district is home to more than 9% of total population of the state.
The district covers an area of. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 3,301,427, making it the second most populous district in Kerala after Malappuram district. Its population density is the highest in Kerala, with. The district is divided into six subdistricts: Thiruvananthapuram, Chirayinkeezhu, Neyyattinkara, Nedumangadu, Varkala, and Kattakada. The urban bodies in the district are the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, and the Varkala, Neyyattinkara, Attingal, and Nedumangad municipalities.
Thiruvananthapuram district is located between and. At the southernmost extremity of the district, Kaliyikkavila is from Kanyakumari, the southernmost point on the Indian peninsula. 33.75% of the district population lives in urban areas.
The district has three major rivers, several freshwater lakes, and over 300 ponds. Its eastern region is forested, northern regions are mostly under rubber cultivation and the remaining areas grow mixed dry-land crops of coconut, plantain, and tapioca, among others. Built-up areas and rice fields complete the land use pattern.
Etymology
The name Thiruvananthapuram, shared by the district and its headquarters city, comes from the Malayalam/Tamil word "Thiru" and Sanskrit word "anantha-pura", meaning "Abode of Lord Anantha". The name derives from the deity of the Hindu temple at the center of Thiruvananthapuram city. Anantha is another name of Vishnu, the deity of Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple. The district's official name in English was Trivandrum until 1991, when the government reinstated the city's original name, Thiruvananthapuram, in all languages.History
The city of Thiruvananthapuram features several landmarks with regards to ancient tradition, folklore, and literature. Several other locations in the district feature similar landmarks. The Chera dynasty governed the area of Malabar Coast between Kanyakumari in the south to Kasaragod in the north. This included Palakkad Gap, Coimbatore, Salem, and Kolli Hills. The region around Coimbatore served as the eastern entrance to the Palakkad Gap, the mountain pass that is the principal trade route between the Malabar Coast and Tamil Nadu. The southernmost region of present-day Malabar coast was ruled by the Ay dynasty, who were related to, and officially feudatories of the Cheras. The Ay Dynasty, followed by the Nannan Dynasty, were the two oldest and most important lineages of the Velir clan, who had very frequent intermarriages with the Cheras, Cholas, and the Pandyas.Present-day Thiruvananthapuram city, district, and Kanyakumari district, were ruled by the Ay dynasty during ancient and medieval ages, which was a Tamil kingdom based in the southernmost part of Indian Subcontinent. Ay kingdom had experienced attacks and conquests by Cholas and Pandyas in various periods. Later it became a part of Venad in late Middle Ages, which was eventually expanded as the powerful kingdom of Travancore in 18th century CE. The Tamil-Dravidian kind of architecture is also found in Padmanabhaswamy temple, which makes it distinct from the architectural style of temples in Kerala in general.
File:1733 Homann Heirs Map of India - Geographicus - India-homannheirs-1733.jpg|left|thumb|A map of Malabar Coast drawn by Homann Heirs in 1733. At that time, Travancore was only a small territory wedged between Kollam and Kanyakumari, as shown in the map.
In 1684, during the regency of Umayamma Rani, the English East India Company acquired a sandy spit of land at Anchuthengu, near Varkala on the sea coast about north of Thiruvananthapuram city, with a view to erecting a factory and fortifying it. The location had earlier been frequented by the Dutch, then by the British. It was from here that the English gradually extended their diplomacy to other parts of Travancore.
File:Travancore 1871.JPG|left|thumbnail|A map of the British Princely state of Travancore published in 1871
Modern history begins with Marthanda Varma, generally regarded as the Father of modern Travancore. In the early 18th century CE, the Travancore royal family adopted some members from the royal family of Kolathunadu based in Kannur. Thiruvananthapuram was known as a great center of intellectual and artistic activity at this time. Travancore became the most dominant state in Kerala by defeating the powerful Zamorin of Kozhikode in the battle of Purakkad in 1755.
The temple of Vishnu reclining on Anantha, the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple, is the most recognizable and iconic landmark of the city and the district and dates back to the 16th century. In addition to the presiding deity of Padmanabha, this temple contains several shrines, dedicated to Krishna, Narasimha, Ganesha, and Ayyappa. It was built by King Marthanda Varma of the Travancore royal family in 1745, when he transferred the Travancore capital from Padmanabhapuram, now in neighbouring Kanyakumari District in Tamil Nadu. King Marthanda Varma began his reign as 'Sree Padmanabhadasa', the Servant of Sree Padmanabha. The vast temple complex, with its tall Gopuram decorated with detailed carvings reflected in a huge temple tank, is today a center of attraction for devotees and sightseers.
The city was the capital of the Travancore state from 18th century CE until India's independence. The Thiruvananthapuram Municipality came into existence in 1920 as the first municipality in Travancore region. After two decades, during the reign of Sree Chithira Thirunal, Thiruvananthapuram Municipality was converted into Corporation on 30 October 1940. Consequent to the recommendations of the State Reorganization Commission, the Vilavancode subdistrict of Thiruvananthapuram was merged with Tamil Nadu, along with another three southern subdistricts, Thovala, Agastheewaram, and Kalkulam from Travancore which eventually formed Tamil Nadu's Kanyakumari district. The state of Kerala came into being on 1 November 1956.
Kilimanoor palace
In 1705 the son and two daughters of Ittammar Raja of Parappanad royal house were adopted into the Royal house of Venad. Ittammar Raja's sister and her sons, Rama Varma and Raghava Varma, settled in Kilimanoor and married the now adopted sisters. Marthanda Varma, the founder of the Kingdom of Travancore, was the son of Raghava Varma. The nephew of Raghava Varma, Ravi Varma Koil Thampuran, married the sister of Marthanda Varma. Their son became known as Dharma Raja Kartika Thirunnal Rama Varma.In 1740 when an allied force, led by Dutchman Captain Hockert supporting the Deshinganadu King, attacked Venad, an army from Kilimanoor resisted and then defeated them. Although a small victory, this was the first time an Indian army had defeated a European power. In 1753, in recognition of this feat, Marthanda Varma exempted the areas controlled by the Kilimanoor palace from taxes, and granted them autonomous status. The present palace complex was built at this time, together with the Ayyappa temple. for the family deity, Sastha or Ayyapan.
Velu Thampi Dalawa held meetings at Kilimanoor palace while planning uprisings against the British. He handed over his sword at the palace before going into his final battle against the British, and India's first President, Dr Rajendra Prasad received this sword from the palace and it was kept in the National Museum in Delhi. Afterwards the sword was moved to the Napier Museum, Thiruvananthapuram.
Geography
The district is located between and. The southernmost part of the city, Parassala, is just away from the southern peninsular tip of India, Cape Comorin. The district stretches along the shores of the Arabian Sea on the west. Kollam district lies to the north, with the Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts of Tamil Nadu to the east and south respectively.Climate
The climate of Thiruvananthapuram district is generally hot and tropical. Large forest reserves have a favorable effect on the climate and induce rains. Cold weather is experienced in the mountain ranges. Lower down, the weather is bracing, and generally hot in the coastal regions. The mean maximum temperature is 95 °F and the mean minimum temperature is 69 °F. As the district stretches from north to south, with the Arabian Sea to the west, the relative humidity is generally high. It rises to about 95% during the southwest monsoon.The total annual rainfall in the district is about per annum. The southwest monsoon, from June to September is the principal rainy season, during which the district receives most of its annual rainfall. The second rainy season is the Northeast monsoon, from October to November. The district also experiences thunderstorm rains in the pre-monsoon months of April and May.
December to February are the coolest months. The average temperature drops to 69 °F in these months, generally considered India's winter season. The summer season starts in February and continues until May. The average temperature rises to 95 °F in these months.
Economy
The media and information technology sectors are mainstays of Thiruvananthapuram district's economy, and other major sectors are tourism and leisure, agriculture, and education. India's first animation park, the Kinfra Animation Park, is in the district.Thiruvananthapuram district has 2 central-sector, 14 state-sector, 1 co-operative-sector, 4 joint-sector, and 60 private-sector medium- and large-scale enterprises. As of 31 March 2003, Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation units employed 9,262 people, and had invested Rs. 3439.4 million. In 2002, there were 901 registered working factories, including oil mills, cashew factories, Cotton mills, Sawmills, printing units, rubber industrial units, chemical units, match factories, general engineering units, and automobile workshops. The Shree Mulam Thirunal Shashtiabdapoorthy Memorial Institute in Thiruvananthapuram city is a major state government emporium marketing products of Kerala's handicraft industries.
The Neyyar Irrigation Project, commissioned in 1959, irrigates an area of. The Neyyar river is the source of water for the Neyyar reservoir. The dam is long and high. The catchment draining into the reservoir, covering an area of of forest, receives an annual average rainfall of about 2260 mm from the two monsoons. The total length of the main canal and its branches is.