History of Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram city and several other places in the district, occupy an important place in ancient tradition, [De Beth Hillel, David (1832). "Travels" (Madras publication).] folklores and literature of the State. South Kerala, particularly Thiruvananthapuram, had a political and cultural history in the early past, [Lord, James Henry (1977). "The Jews in India and the Far East"; Greenwood Press Reprint; ISBN 0-8371-2615-0.] which was in some respect independent from that of the rest of Kerala.

Ancient history

The Ays were the leading political power till the beginning of the 10th century A.D. During the Chera-Chola wars from 999 to 1110 A.D., the city of significance was Vizhingam, which housed an university (Kundalur Salai). Trivandrum housed the famous temple. All of the regions were attacked and sacked by the Chola army, till they were forced to retreat to Kottar in 1110 A.D. The disappearance of the Ays, synchronised with the emergence of the rulers of Venad. cite web
publisher=Kerala PRD
work=
url=http://www.kerala.gov.in/knowkerala/tvm.htm
title=History of Thiruvananthapuram
accessdate=2006-05-23] During the Venad rule, the trustees of the temple (Ettarayogam) became powerful enough to challege the authority of the rulers. Raja Aditya Varma was poisoned by them, and five out of six children of Umayamma Rani were murdered by them. In 1684, during her regency, the English East India Company obtained a sandy piece of land at Anchuthengu (Anjengo) on the sea coast, about 32 km 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.

During during the regency of Umayamma Rani, Travancore was invaded by a mughal adventurer, known as the Mughal Sirdar, forcing the Rani to take refuge in Nedumangad. The Sardar camped in the suburbs of the present day Trivandrum, till he was defeated by Kerala Varma, a prince from the Kottayam royal family, adopted into the Venad royal family. The Rani was brought back in triumph to Trivandrum, but in 1696 A.D., Kottayam Kerala Varma was assasinated by the trustees within the precincts of his own palace.

During the regin of another Aditya Varma (1718-1721), the clashes between the royal officals and the temple trustees became more common. Failing to get redress at the hands of the king, the tenants of the temple lands marched to Trivandrum to present their grievances to the Yogakkar (trustees), indicating the low ebb of the power of the king.

Modern history

Maharaja Marthanda Varma who reigned from 1729 to 1758 A.D., and who is regarded as the Father of modern Travancore, modernised Thiruvananthapuram. The locals of Thiruvananthapuram had supported him against the Pillamar when he was the heir-apparent, and when he was attacked by the agents of the trustees, he had fled to the safety of Trivandrum, from where he counter attacked them. During his reign, he renovated the Padmanabha Swamy temple and the walls of the fortress. He also shifted the capital legally from Padmanabhapuram to Thiruvananthapuram, which he made a great centre of intellectual and artistic activity in those days. In 1791 A.D., the English East India Company signed a treaty to protect Travancore from Mysore and in accordance to that treaty, was allowed to install a Resident and troops in Thiruvananthapuram. In 1799 A.D., Velu Thampi, then a Karyakar of Talakkulam, led a march of the local people to Thiruvananthapuram to protest against the corruption of the Kings's ministers. 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 Utram Thirunal, Rev. Mead, an Anglican priest of the London Missionary Society (L.M.S.), was employed by the Maharajah to improve the quality of education. Schools, including one for girls, were started in Thiruvananthapuram.

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, with Dr. Read as it's principal. A Law class was opened in Thiruvananthapuram in 1874 A.D., and the main building of the old Kerala Government Secretariat was designed and constructed by the Maharajah's chief engineer, Mr. Barton. Mr. Barton also improved the sanitation of the city. 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.

During the regency of Maharani Setu Lakshmi Bai, the college for Women at Trivandrum was raised to the first grade.

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 reins 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.

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