About Trivandrum

Thiruvananthapuram, also known by its former name Trivandrum is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. Located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland, Thiruvananthapuram is a major information technology hub in Kerala and contributes 55% of the state’s software exports as of 2016. Referred to by Mahatma Gandhi as the “Evergreen city of India”, the city is characterised by its undulating terrain of low coastal hills.

Thiruvananthapuram is cutting edge too. The city occupies pride of place in India’s space research programme and is home to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre as well as several other institutions such as the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Technopark and the Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management. Students from all over Kerala make a beeline for its many colleges and professional institutes to advance their prospects.

Brief History of Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram traces its history back to time immemorial. It is said the ancient kingdom which was located here, identified as today’s Poovar and which was known as Ophir, had trade ties with Solomon’s kingdom and exported spices, ivory and sandalwood. It was ruled by the Ay Dynasty with roots in today’s Tamil Nadu. They were overpowered by the rulers of the neighbouring kingdom of Kollam who ruled Thiruvananthapuram for many centuries. They in turn were defeated by Marthanda Varman of the House of Travancore in the 18th century. He made Thiruvananthapuram the capital of his kingdom. It was during this period that the city saw its heyday, when Maharaja Swathi Thirunal reigned here and it became a centre of art and culture. After Independence and the formation of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram was elected to be the capital of the new state.

Major tourist attractions of Thiruvananthapuram

Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple
East Fort
Napier Museum and Zoo
Sree Chithra Art Gallery
Kowdiar Palace
Kuthira Malika Palace
Padmanabhapuram Palace
Kanakakunnu Palace
Attukal Bhagavathy Temple
Kerala Science & Technology Museum/Priyadarshini Planetarium
Chacha Nehru Children’s Museum
CVN Kalari Sangham
Kovalam
Varkala
Ponmudi
Poovar
Veli Tourist Village & Sanghumukham Beach
Vellayani Lake
Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary and Dam

How to Reach Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram is easily accessible by road, rail and air. NH 66 passes through the city connecting it to Kanyakumari, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangalore and Mumbai. Indian Railways connects the city to major cities in the rest of the country including Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Dibrugarh. Thiruvananthapuram International Airport hosts flights from the metros as well as countries such as Singapore, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Dubai.