Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram (formerly known as Trivandrum) is the capital (pop. 826,225:1991) of the state of Kerala, India. The city is part of a district, also called Thiruvananthapuram, one of the 14 districts of Kerala.

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. 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.

External Links

• Information on Thiruvanathapuram Distict from Department of Public Relations, Government of Kerala (http://prd.kerala.gov.in/prd2/keralam/dis_tvm.htm)