THIRUVANANDHA PURAM
Thiruvananthapuram (Tiruvaṉantapuram, IPA: [t̪iruʋənən̪t̪əpurəm] (
listen)), formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Kerala. 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",[5][6] it is classified as a Tier-II city by the Government of India.
Thiruvananthapuram was an trading post for spices, sandalwood and ivory. The city was ruled by the Ays and was captured by the rulers of Venad in tenth century A.D. In 1729, Marthanda Varma founded the princely state ofThiruvithamkoor and made Thiruvananthapuram the capital in 1745. It remained as a princely state ruled by Travancore under the loose governance of the British before joining the Indian Union in 1948.
Thiruvananthapuram contributes nearly 80% of the state's software exports and is a major IT hub. It was ranked as the best city in Kerala to live in a 2012 survey by Times of India.[7] The city was also ranked as the best city in India for Housing and Transport by a survey conducted by India Today.[8][9]
listen)), formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Kerala. 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",[5][6] it is classified as a Tier-II city by the Government of India.History[edit]
Main article: History of Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram is an ancient region with trading traditions dating back to 1000 BCE.[12] The city was a trading post for spices, sandalwood andivory.[13] The early rulers of the city were the Ays and after their fall in the 10th century, the city was captured by the rulers of Venad.[14]
In 1729, Marthanda Varma founded the princely state of Thiruvithamkoorand Thiruvananthapuram was made the capital in 1745 after shifting the capital from Padmanabhapuram in Tamil Nadu.[15] In the mid-19th century, the city was under the reign of Swathi Thirunal and Ayilyam Thirunal. An observatory was established in 1837 with the Oriental Research Institute & Manuscripts Library and the University College established in 1873. Several colleges were established by Moolam Thirunal (1885–1924).[14] Sree Moolam Assembly, established in 1904, was the first democratically elected legislative council in any Indian state.[16] Though the city was never under direct control of the British Empire, it featured in the Indian independence movement with a meeting of the Indian National Congress presided by Pattabhi Sitaramaiah held here in 1938.
After Indian Independence in 1947, Travancore chose to join the Indian union and the first ministry headed byPattom Thanu Pillai was installed in office on 24 March 1948. In 1949, Thiruvananthapuram became the capital ofTravancore-Cochin, the state formed by the integration of Travancore with the Kingdom of Cochin.[17] The king ofTravancore, Chitra Thirunal Bala Rama Varma, became the Rajpramukh of the Travancore-Cochin Union from 1 July 1949 until 31 October 1956. When the state of Kerala was formed on 1 November 1956, Thiruvananthapuram became its capital.[18]
Demographics[edit]
The city has a population of 752,490 according to the 2011 census,[3] and 1,687,406 in the Urban Agglomeration.[4]The sex ratio is 1,032 females for every 1,000 males.[3] In October 2010, the number of wards was increased from 86 to 100 post expansion of city limits by adding Sreekaryam, Vattiyoorkavu, Kudappanakunnu, Vizhinjam and Kazhakuttam panchayats.[19][20]
Hindus comprise 68.5% of the population, Christians about 16.7% and Muslims form 13.7%.[21] The major languages spoken are English, Malayalam and Tamil. The city is home to a prominent minority of Tamil speakers, owing to their migration from the adjoining district of Kanyakumari. The city also has a few Tulu, Konkani, Dhivehi,Hindi, Telugu, and Urdu speakers. As per 2001 census, the population below the poverty line in the city was 11,667 with majority living in slums and coastal fishing areas.[22]
Economy[edit]
Main article: Economy of Thiruvananthapuram
The economy of the city is mainly based on the tertiary sector. Thiruvananthapuram was listed as one of the top 10 cites in India on Vibrancy and Consumption Index by a study conducted by global financial services firm Morgan Stanley.[23] The city is a major exporter of software with over 250 companies employing more than 40,000 professionals.[24][25] It contributes nearly 80% of the state's software exports.[26][27][28] Tourism also contributes to the economy of Thiruvananthapuram.[29][30][31] There are around 20 government owned and 60 privately owned medium and large-scale industrial units in Thiruvananthapuram. There are also about 30,000 small scale industrial units employing around 115,000 people. Traditional industries include handloom and coir.[32]
Administration[edit]
Main article: Administration of Trivandrum district
The state legislative assembly and Secretariat are located in Thiruvananthapuram. The city also serves as the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram district. The Thiruvananthapuram municipality was established in 1920 and was declared as a Corporation on 30 October 1940, during the rule of Chitra Thirunal Bala Rama Varma.[33] The city is administered by the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation which headed by a mayor and is responsible for the overall supervision and control of the administrative functions. The city elects its member of Parliament for theThiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency. It contributes four members to the legislative assembly fromKazhakuttam, Vattiyoorkavu, Thiruvananthapuram and Nemom.[34]
Geography and climate[edit]
Main article: Geography of Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram is built on seven hills and is located at 8.5°N 76.9°E on the west coast, near the southern tip of mainland India.[35] The city is bounded byLaccadive Sea to its west and the Western Ghats to its east. The city covers an area of 214.86 km2 (82.96 sq mi) and the average elevation is 16 ft (4.9 m) above sea level.[36][37] The Geological Survey of India has classified Thiruvananthapuram as a moderately earthquake-prone urban centre and categorised it in the Seismic III Zone.[38] Karamana and Killi rivers, Vellayani and Akkulam lakes are the main water bodies in the city.[39]
The city has a climate that borders between a tropical savanna climate and a tropical monsoon climate. The humidity is high and is the highest during the monsoonseason.[40] Thiruvananthapuram gets majority of the rain from the south-west monsoons and gets its first showers in early June. It also gets rain from the receding north-east monsoons in October. The lowest temperature in the city core recorded during winter was 16.4 °C on, and the highest temperature recorded in summer is 38.0 °C.[41]
| Climate data for Thiruvananthapuram City (1971–2000) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 35.5 (95.9) | 36.3 (97.3) | 37.7 (99.9) | 38.0 (100.4) | 35.8 (96.4) | 35.8 (96.4) | 33.7 (92.7) | 34.0 (93.2) | 35.4 (95.7) | 35.0 (95) | 34.3 (93.7) | 35.5 (95.9) | 38.0 (100.4) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 32.0 (89.6) | 32.3 (90.1) | 33.2 (91.8) | 33.1 (91.6) | 32.3 (90.1) | 30.1 (86.2) | 29.8 (85.6) | 29.8 (85.6) | 30.6 (87.1) | 30.4 (86.7) | 30.6 (87.1) | 31.6 (88.9) | 31.3 (88.3) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 22.1 (71.8) | 22.8 (73) | 24.1 (75.4) | 25.1 (77.2) | 25.0 (77) | 23.7 (74.7) | 23.2 (73.8) | 23.2 (73.8) | 23.5 (74.3) | 23.3 (73.9) | 23.2 (73.8) | 22.7 (72.9) | 23.5 (74.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 16.4 (61.5) | 18.1 (64.6) | 20.2 (68.4) | 20.3 (68.5) | 20.1 (68.2) | 20.0 (68) | 20.2 (68.4) | 18.2 (64.8) | 20.8 (69.4) | 20.1 (68.2) | 18.9 (66) | 18.2 (64.8) | 16.4 (61.5) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 15.9 (0.626) | 22.7 (0.894) | 27.8 (1.094) | 118.8 (4.677) | 198.6 (7.819) | 330.4 (13.008) | 188.1 (7.406) | 152.3 (5.996) | 169.1 (6.657) | 254.5 (10.02) | 211.9 (8.343) | 64.0 (2.52) | 1,754.2 (69.063) |
| Average precipitation days | 1.0 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 6.5 | 9.7 | 16.6 | 13.4 | 10.3 | 8.7 | 11.7 | 9.2 | 4.2 | 95.4 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 69 | 70 | 72 | 77 | 79 | 85 | 84 | 83 | 82 | 83 | 82 | 74 | 78 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 262.8 | 242.3 | 250.7 | 214.0 | 197.3 | 133.5 | 149.7 | 166.6 | 173.4 | 170.8 | 166.3 | 216.6 | 2,344 |
| Source #1: India Meteorological Department (record high and low up to 2010)[41][42] | |||||||||||||
| Source #2: NOAA (sun and humidity, 1971–1990)[43] | |||||||||||||
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Infrastructure[edit]
Electricity services are provided by Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB).[44] Peppara and Aruvikkara dams are the main sources of water for the city and a new project plan for improving the water supply with Japanese aid was launched in 2011.[44] The sewage is disposed at the Muttathara Sewage Treatment Plant, which handles 32 million liters per day. The city area is divided into seven blocks for the execution of the sewage system, two commissioned in the 1990s and two after 2000. The sewerage was pumped to a stilling chamber at the Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP) at Valiyathura and is disposed through sewage farms.[45]
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