Trivandrum

The name of the city comes from the Malayalam word tiru-ananda-puram , which means " City of Ananda ." ^[7] . The name is associated with the deity to whom the temple of Sri Padmanabhaswami is dedicated, located in the city center. Ananda is the king of the nagas on which the gods Padmanabha and Vishnu recline . This temple is the hallmark of the city.

Thiruvananthapuram is located in the ancient trading region. It is assumed that the port of Ophir , in which, according to legend, King Solomon landed in 1036 BC. e. , was in Thiruvananthapuram ^[8] . The city port has long been a center for trade in spices, sandalwood and ivory ^[9] . In the ancient period of political and cultural history, the city developed separately from the rest of the modern state of Kerala. The first rulers of the city belonged to the Ai dynasty . In the X century, after their fall, the city came under the control of the state of Venad ^[10] .

The heyday of Thiruvananthapuram began in 1729 after the accession to the throne of the state of Travankor Raja Martanda Varma . In 1745, he moved the capital of the state from Padmanabhapuram to Thiruvananthapuram ^[11] . The city has become an important intellectual and artistic center of the era. The middle of the 19th century is considered the golden age in the history of the city - the period of the reign of Maharaja Swati Tirunal and Maharaja Ayiliam Tirunala . During this period, the first English-language school (1834), an observatory (1837), a general hospital (1839), the Institute for the Study of the East and Ancient Manuscripts, and University College (1873) were opened. During this period, the first state-owned hospital for the mentally ill was also opened. Under Mulam Tirunal (1885-1924), the Sanskrit College, the Ayurveda College, the College of Law and the College for Women were opened ^[12] .

The beginning of the 20th century was a period of major political and social changes. The Sri Mulam Assembly, founded in 1904 , became the first democratically elected legislature in India ^[13] . Despite the fact that the city was not under the direct control of the British colonial administration, Thiruvananthapuram became one of the centers of the Indian national liberation movement. In 1938, a meeting of the Indian National Congress was held under the chairmanship of Dr. Pattabhi Sitaramayah .

In 1920, the municipality of Thiruvananthapuram was formed. October 30, 1940 the municipality received the status of a municipal corporation ^[14] . The Proclamation of Entrance to the Temple, published in 1936, contributed to social emancipation. In 1937, Travankor University was founded, later renamed the University of Kerala ^[15] .

In 1947 , with the end of the period of British rule, Travancore made a choice in favor of the Indian Union. In 1949, Thiruvananthapuram became the capital of the state of Travancore-Cochin , formed by combining Travancore with its northern neighbor, the Principality of Cochin ^[16] . Maharaja Travankor , Chitra Tirunal Bala Rama Varma , became the rajpramukh (governor) of the new state (from July 1, 1949 to October 31, 1956). After the formation of the state of Kerala on November 1, 1956, Thiruvananthapuram became its capital ^[17] .

Thiruvananthapuram is built on seven hills ^[18] on the west coast of India, between the Laccadive Sea in the west and the Western Ghats in the east, near the southern tip of the Hindustan Peninsula ^[19] . The area of ​​the city is 214.86 sq. Km. ^[20] . The average height above sea level is 16 m ^[21] . The city is located in the zone of medium seismic hazard ^[22] .

Thiruvananthapuram is located on the banks of the Karamana and Killy rivers.

Climate

The climate of the city is transitional from the tropical climate of the savannah to the tropical monsoon climate . As a result, the boundaries between the seasons are erased. Humidity is high and reaches 90% during the monsoon season ^[23] . Thiruvananthapuram is the first city on the path of the southwestern monsoons, and the first of them hit the city in June. The annual rainfall exceeds 1700 mm. In October, the city is exposed to northeast monsoons. The dry season begins in December. December, January and February are the coolest months, March April and May are the hottest. The absolute maximum temperature is 39 ° C ^[24] , the absolute minimum is 15 ° C.

According to the 2001 census, the population of the city is 744,739 people ^[25] (more than 1 million people in the metropolitan area). Population density: 5284 people / km². The literacy rate in the district is 89.36% ^[26] . For every 1,000 men, 1,037 are women, which is unusual in India, where in most cities the number of men is significantly greater than the number of women. 65% of the population professes Hinduism, Christians make up 18%, Muslims - 15%; the remaining 2% profess other religions. The most common language is Malayalam ; English and Tamil are also used. Unemployment is a serious problem, the unemployed account for 34.3%, which is significantly higher than the 1998 figure: 8.8%.

The basic sector for the city’s economy was previously the services sector ; over 60% of jobs were related to public service. In Thiruvananthapuram, in comparison with other capitals of the South Indian states ( Chennai , Bangalore ), a comparatively small number of large industrial enterprises. Currently, information and biotechnologies are making an increasing contribution to the growth of the city's economy.

Thiruvananthapuram houses the offices of several television companies, as well as India’s first animation park ^{[27] [28]}

The city produces over 80% of the software exported from the state. The information technology sector began to develop rapidly after the opening of the Kerala Technology Park in Thiruvananthapuram in 1995 . The city takes the 2nd place in the development of information technology infrastructure among the cities of the second tier of development and in the availability of human resources ^[29] . Companies in the city's technology park include Oracle Corporation , Accenture , Infosys , ITC Infotech , TCS , Capgemini , Visual Graphics Computing Services , Ernst & Young Global Shared Services Center , Allianz Cornhill , RR Donnelley , UST Global , Tata Elxsi , IBS Software Services , NeST Software , SunTec Business Solutions , etc. ^[30] About 40,000 people are employed in companies located in the technology park . ^[31] .

A significant contribution to the development of the urban economy is also made by tourism . Thiruvananthapuram is visited annually by a significant number of foreign tourists ^[32] . The city is also an important center of medical tourism. Tourists are also attracted by the beaches of Kovalam and Varkala that meet international standards, along which a number of Ayurvedic resorts are located.

Thiruvananthapuram International Airport is approximately 3.7 km from the business center of the city, 16 km from the beach in Kovalam and 9.4 km from the industrial park. International flights include cities such as Dubai, Male , Riyadh , Abu Dhabi, Muscat , Doha , Singapore, Colombo and others.

Thiruvananthapuram is located in the southern zone of the Indian Railways, the central station is located 5 km from the international airport terminal. National Highway No. 47 passes through the city and connects Thiruvananthapuram with the cities of Salem , Coimbatore and Cochin (in the northeast) and with the city of Kanyakumari (in the south).

The University of Kerala , founded in 1937, is located in Trivandrum. Other important educational institutions include: Trivandrum Medical College, College of Engineering, Government Engineering College, Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, International Institute of Social Entrepreneurs , etc.

English-language newspapers published in the city: The New Indian Express and The Hindu. Major newspapers in Malayalam include: Mathrubhumi, Malayala Manorama, Kerala Kaumudi, Deshabhimani, Janmabhumi, Keralakaumudi Flash and Madhyamam . In Trivandrum, the majority of small-speaking TV channels are headquartered, among them: Asianet, Amrita TV, Kairali TV, Kairali We, JaiHind TV .

• Observatory (1837),
• fort,
• castles and houses of the rulers of Travankor from the Varma dynasty,
• Padmanabhaswami Temple (16th century, in honor of the god Vishnu ),
• Trivandrum Zoo.

Brotherhood relations were established by Thiruvananthapuram with the following cities ^{[33] [34] [35]} :

1.   Galveston , Texas , USA (1994)
2.   Barcelona ( Catalonia , Spain (2009).

• In early July 2011, treasures were found in the Sri Padmanabhaswami temple , tentatively valued at more than $ 20 billion. In five of the six treasures uncovered in the temple, there were several tons of diamonds, gold and statues made of precious metals. On July 6, 2011, the court issued a ruling on the protection of treasures and their inventory, for which two former judges were sent to the temple. The process of listing treasures and their assessment will be filmed on video and photo equipment ^[36] .
• Near Thiruvananthapuram in Thumb is the Indian equatorial missile launch station ( en: Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station ) ^[37] .