History of Thiruvananthapuram

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Thiruvananthapuram city and several other places in the district, occupy an important place in ancient tradition, folklores and literature of the State. South Kerala, particularly Thiruvananthapuram, had a political and cultural history in the early past, which was in some respect independent from that of the rest of Kerala.

The Ays were the leading political power till the beginning of the 10th century A.D. The disappearance of the Ays, synchronised with the emergence of the rulers of Venad. In 1684, during the regency of Umayamma Rani, the English East India Company obtained a sandy piece of land at Anchuthengu (Anjengo) on the sea coast, about 32 kms north of Thiruvananthapuram city, for erecting a factory and fortifying it. The place had earlier been frequented by the Portuguese and later by the Dutch. It was from here that the English gradually extended their domain to other parts of Thiruvithamcore anglicised as Travancore.

Modern history begins with Maharaja Marthanda Varma who reigned from 1729 to 1758 A.D. and is generally regarded as the Father of modern Travancore. Thiruvananthapuram was known as a great centre of intellectual and artistic activity in those days. The accession of Maharaja Swathi Thirunal who reigned from 1829 to 1847 A.D., ushered in an epoch of cultural progress and economic prosperity. The beginning of English education was marked in 1834 by the opening of an English school at Thiruvananthapuram. An observatory and a charity hospital were also established here in 1836.

During the reign of Maharaja Ayilyam Thirunal (1860-1880), a full-fledged Arts College was started here besides the several English, Malayalam and Tamil schools, all over the State. A large hospital with lying-in-facility and a lunatic asylum were also established in Thiruvananthapuram. The University College was started in 1873. It was during the reign of Sri Moolam Thirunal (1885-1924), that the Sanskrit College, Ayurveda College, Law College and a second grade College for Women were started here. A department for the preservation and publication of oriental manuscripts was also established.

One of the significant aspects associated with Maharaja Sree Moolam Thirunal’s reign was the inauguration of the Legislative Council in 1888. This was the first legislative chamber, instituted in an Indian State. The Sri Moolam Assembly came into being in 1904.

The activities of the Indian National Congress echoed in Thiruvananthapuram and other parts of Kerala during the reign of Maharaja Sree Moolam Thirunal. A political conference of the Congress was held in the city under the presidency of Dr. Pattabhi Sitaramaiah, in 1938. The period of Maharaja Sri Chitra Thirunal Bala Rama Varma who took the reigns of administration in 1931, witnessed many-sided progress. The promulgation of the Temple Entry Proclamation (1936) was an act that underlined social emanicipation. In 1937, a separate University for Travancore was started. This was later redesignated as the University of Kerala, following the formation of the State of Kerala in 1956. With the accession of Travancore to the Indian Union after Independence, the policy of the State Government as well as the political atmosphere underwent radical changes. The first popular ministry headed by Sri Pattom A. Thanu Pillai was installed in office on 24th March, 1948.