Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram,[a] commonly shortened to TVM or known by its former name Trivandrum,[b][9] is the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 2,984,154 as of 2024.[10][11] The encompassing urban agglomeration population is around 1.68 million.[5] 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.[12][13] Referred to by Mahatma Gandhi as the "Evergreen city of India",[14][1] the city is characterised by its undulating terrain of low coastal hills.[15] The present regions that constitute Thiruvananthapuram were ruled by the Ays who were related to and feudatories of the Chera dynasty.[16] In the 12th century, it was conquered by the Kingdom of Venad.[16] In the 18th century, the king Marthanda Varma expanded the territory, founded the princely state of Travancore, and made Thiruvananthapuram its capital.[17] Travancore became the most dominant state in Kerala by defeating the powerful Zamorin of Kozhikode in the battle of Purakkad in 1755.[18] Following India's independence in 1947, Thiruvananthapuram became the capital of Travancore–Cochin state and remained so until the new Indian state of Kerala was formed in 1956.[19]