Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram takes its name from Ananta, the cosmic serpent on whom Vishnu reclines. The city grew around the temple of Padmanabhaswamy, where the deity is worshipped in that resting posture. The shrine was closely linked to the rulers of Venad and later Travancore, whose patronage made it the religious heart of their kingdom. Its walls, gateway and temple tank formed the centre of a town that became a royal seat.

In the eighteenth century Marthanda Varma enlarged Travancore by bringing neighbouring principalities under his rule. He renewed the Padmanabhaswamy temple and in 1750 ceremonially dedicated his kingdom to the deity, assuming the title Padmanabha Dasa, servant of Padmanabha. Thereafter the royal family ruled in the deity’s name. Thiruvananthapuram grew in political importance and by the end of the century had become the capital, succeeding Padmanabhapuram to the south. Palaces and courtly institutions developed around the sacred precinct. Under Marthanda Varma’s successors the city remained the centre of a kingdom that negotiated its relationship with the British East India Company while preserving its own royal court. The connection between temple and throne shaped the city’s identity as both a sacred place and the seat of Travancore’s government.