Thiruvananthapuram

History

Thiruvananthapuram is a relatively modern region with trading traditions dating back to 1000 BCE. It is believed that the ships of King Solomon landed in a port called Ophir (now Poovar) in Thiruvananthapuram in 1036 BCE. The city was the trading post of spices, sandalwood and ivory. However, the ancient political and cultural history of the city was almost entirely independent from that of the rest of Kerala. The southern region of present-day Kerala state (The coastal belt between Thiruvananthapuram and Alappuzha) was under Ay dynasty, which was more related to the Pandya dynasty of Madurai. The early rulers of the city were the Ays. Vizhinjam, which is now a region in the present-day Thiruvananthapuram, was the capital of the Ay dynasty. Vizhinjam was an important port city from as early as the second century BC. During the Ay dynasty's rule, Thiruvananthapuram witnessed many battles in which the Chola and Pandyan dynasties attempted to capture the port town. After the death of king Vikramaditya Varaguna in 925 AD, the glory of the Ays departed and almost all their territories became part of the Chera dynasty. A branch of the Ay family, which had controlled the Padmanabhaswamy Temple, merged with the Kingdom of Venad in the 12th century. Present-day Thiruvananthapuram city, district, and Kanyakumari district, were parts of the Ay dynasty during ancient and medieval ages, in the southernmost part of the Indian subcontinent. Ay kingdom had experienced attacks and conquests by Cholas and Pandyas in various periods. Then, Marthanda Varma who inherited the Kingdom of Venad expanded the kingdom by conquering the kingdoms of Kayamkulam, Kottarakkara, Kottayam, Changanassery, Meenachil, Poonjar and Ambalappuzha. In 1729, Marthanda Varma founded the princely…

Geography

Thiruvananthapuram is built on seven hills by the seashore and is at on the west coast, near the southern tip of mainland India. The city is on the west coast of India and is bounded by the Laccadive Sea to its west and the Western Ghats to its east. The average elevation of the city is above sea level. The Geological Survey of India has identified Thiruvananthapuram as a moderately earthquake-prone urban centre and categorised the metropolis in the Seismic III Zone. Thiruvananthapuram lies on the shores of Karamana and Killi rivers. Vellayani, Thiruvalla and Aakulam backwaters lie in the city. The soil type in the middle part of the city is a dark brown loamy laterite soil high in phosphates. Laterisation is a result of the heavy rainfall and humid conditions. In western coastal regions of the city, sandy loam soil is found, and on hilly eastern parts of the district, rich dark brown loam of granite origin is found. The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation is spread over . The wider Thiruvananthapuram metropolitan area comprises Thiruvananthapuram corporation, three municipalities and 27 panchayats, as of 2011. Being the largest city in India's southern tip region, it is essential for both military logistics and civil aviation in the southern part of the country. Thiruvananthapuram is the headquarters of the Southern Air Command (SAC) of the Indian Air Force. The city has a climate that lies on the border between a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) and a tropical monsoon climate (Am). As a result, its only distinct seasons relate to rainfall rather than temperature. Temperatures in Thiruvananthapuram remain remarkably stable throughout the year, with an annual mean maximum of about 31–32 °C (88–90 °F) and a mean minimum around 23–24 °C (73–75 °F).…

Most-observed species

• House Crow

  Corvus splendens Vieillot, 1817 · Aves
  9,589
• Common Myna

  Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  6,218
• Black Kite

  Milvus migrans (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  5,797
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  5,726
• White-cheeked Barbet

  Psilopogon viridis (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  5,339
• Large-billed Crow

  Corvus macrorhynchos Wagler, 1827 · Aves
  4,890
• Mango

  Mangifera indica L. · Magnoliopsida
  4,566
• White-throated Kingfisher

  Halcyon smyrnensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,554