The city of Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...

 has been the centre of cultural activities of Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

 (India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

) from the time it was made capital of Travancore

Travancore

Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...

 in 1745. The capital city is a major intellectual and artistic center. The Thiruvananthapuram Museum

Napier Museum

The Napier Museum is an art and natural history museum situated in Thiruvananthapuram , the capital city of Kerala, India.-History:...

 and Thiruvananthapuram Zoo

Trivandrum Zoo

The Thiruvananthapuram Zoo is located in the city of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala, India. It occupies of woodland, lakes, and lawns.-History:...

 were started during the reign of Swathi Thirunal

Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma

Sri Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma was the Maharaja of the state of Travancore , in India. He reigned under the regency of his mother Maharani Gowri Lakshmi Bayi from 1813 till 1815 and henceforth under the regency of his aunt Maharani Gowri Parvati Bayi from 1815 till 1829...

(1813–1847) and are one of the oldest of their kind in India. The city's libraries include the Trivandrum Public library, which was started in 1829. The Swathi Thirunal College of Music

Swathi Thirunal College of Music

Swathi Thirunal College of Music is a music college in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. It was founded in 1939. It was first named as "The Music Academy. The name was renamed as Swathi Thirunal College of Music in 1962. The founder of this institution was L. Muttayyah Bhagavathar.The primary...

 and 'College of fine arts' are the leading institutions related to music and arts.

Literature

Many great poets and men of letters from ancient times belonged to Thiruvananthapuram. One such poet was Ayyipillai Asan (15th or 16th Century AD) of Avaaduthura near Kovalam

Kovalam

Kovalam is a beach town on the Arabian Sea in Thiruvananthapuram city, Kerala, India. It is located around 13 km from the down town of Trivandrum.-Etymology:...

. He wrote his famous work Ramakadhapattu, which represents a stage in the evolution of the southern dialect of Malayalam. Two most outstanding poets patronized by the royal family of Travancore

Travancore

Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...

 were Unnayi Variyar and Kunchan Nambiar

Kalakkaththu Kunchan Nambiar

Kunchan Nambiar was a renowned Malayalam poet and inventor of the art form Ottamthullal.-Early life:Kunchan Nambiar spent his early childhood at Killikkurussimangalam in Kerala state, south India, his boyhood at Kudamaloor and his youth at Ambalappuzha. Scholars like Guru Mani Madhava Chakyar have...

. The reign of Maharaja Swathi Thirunal (1813–1846), the royal composer, saw the golden age of Carnatic music

Carnatic music

Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...

 in Kerala. The contribution of Swathi Thirunal in the realm of music has enriched even the cultural heritage of India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. Irayimman Thampi

Irayimman Thampi

Ravi Varman Thampi better known as Irayimman Thampi was a Carnatic musician as well as a music composer from Kerala, India. He was a vocalist in the court of Swathi Thirunal...

 (1782–1856), a contemporary of Maharaja Swathi Thirunal, was another composer of great originality and deep learning. Vidwan Rajaraja Varma Koi Thampuran was also a scholar and poet who belonged to this period.

Thiruvananthapuram witnessed a cultural renaissance in twentieth century. Kerala Varma Valiakoi Thampuran (1845–1914), who spent a major part of his life in Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...

, translated Kalidasa

Kalidasa

Kālidāsa was a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language...

’s Abhijñānaśākuntalam

Abhijñānaśākuntalam

Abhijñānashākuntala or Abhijñānaśākuntalam) , is a well-known Sanskrit play by Kālidāsa. Its date is uncertain, but Kalidasa is often placed in the period between the 1st century BCE and 4th century CE....

 into Malayalam which won him the title of Kerala Kalidasa . He is also regarded as the father of modern Malayalam prose.

The contributions of A. R. Raja Raja Varma

A. R. Raja Raja Varma

A. R. Raja Raja Varma or A R. Rajaraja Varma was an Indian poet, grammatician and Professor of Oriental Languages at Maharaja's College, Trivandrum. He wrote widely in Sanskrit and Malayalam...

 (1863–1918), known as ”Kerala Panini”, marked an important stage in the development of Malayalam literature. Another notable writer is C. V. Raman Pillai

C. V. Raman Pillai

Cannankara Velayudhan Raman Pillai was one of the great Indian novelists and playwrights and the greatest novelist and pioneering playwright and journalist in Malayalam...

 (1858–1922), who was a novelist par excellence. Mahakavi Kumaran Asan

Kumaran Asan

N. Kumaran Asan , also known as Mahakavi Kumaran Asan , was one of the triumvirate poets of Kerala, South India...

 (1873–1924) and Mahakavi Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer

Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer

Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer , commonly known as Ulloor was a famous Malayalam poet and a noted historian. Ulloor was one of the famous triumvirate poets of Kerala, South India in the first half of the 20th century....

 (1877–1949) were the two outstanding poets from Thiruvananthapuram. Kumaran Asan

Kumaran Asan

N. Kumaran Asan , also known as Mahakavi Kumaran Asan , was one of the triumvirate poets of Kerala, South India...

 was the true representative of the cultural renaissance. Ulloor was not only a poet, but also a scholar, researcher and historian.

Shabdatharavali, the comprehensive dictionary in Malayalam was written by Sreekanteswaram Padmanabha Pillai

Sreekanteswaram Padmanabha Pillai

Sreekanteswaram G. Padmanabha Pillai , popularly known as Sreekanteswaram, was a lexicographer and scholar best known for his Malayalam dictionary Sabdatharavali....

 who hailed from here. The two all-time great social reformers in Kerala Narayana Guru

Narayana Guru

Sri Nārāyana Guru , also known as Sree Nārāyana Guru Swami, was a Hindu saint, sadhuand social reformer of India. The Guru was born into an Ezhava family, in an era when people from backward communities like the Ezhavas faced much social injustices in the caste-ridden Kerala society...

 and Chattampi Swamikal

Chattampi Swamikal

Sree Vidyadhiraja Parama Bhattaraka Chattampi Swamikal was a Hindu sage and social reformer. His thoughts and work influvenced the launching of many social, relegious, literary and political organizations and movements in Kerala and for the first time gave voice to those who were...

 also were born here. They contributed much to the Malayalam literature through their books.

Thiruvananthapuram hosts the literary festival known as Kovalam Literary Festival. Started from 2008, this literary festival is held every year on October. Although the event aims in boosting the literature and arts it has an eye on the tourism prospectus of the state.

Painting and Sculpture

Contributions of Thiruvananthapuram to painting are immense. The earliest of murals that can be attributed to the Kerala tradition are found in a small cave-shrine at Thirunandikkara in south Travancore, now a part of Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

. The themes of these murals are evidently drawn from Hindu lore, but the style closely resembles the Buddhist tradition. These are believed to belong to the 9th century. Siva, Parvathi and Ganapathi are among the figures represented. Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple

Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple

Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu located in Thiruvananthapuram, India. The shrine is currently run by a trust headed by the royal family of Travancore. The temple is one of 108 Divya Desams – principal centres of worship of the deity in Vaishnavism...

 at Thiruvananthapuram has several murals, which belongs to the 18th century. The paintings at Koikal Temple at Attingal bear close resemblance to those in the Padmanabha Swami Temple, which are examples of 16th century Kerala
paintings.
Raja Ravi Varma

Raja Ravi Varma

Raja Ravi Varma was an Indian painter from the princely state of Travancore who achieved recognition for his depiction of scenes from the epics of the Mahabharata and Ramayana...

 (1848–1905), an illustrious painter of the district, stands at the cross-roads of Indian art history. Ravi Varma’s contribution to Indian painting is substantial and singular. He is officially regarded as a prince among painters and painter among princes by the Kerala government. Some of the most famous paintings of Raja Ravi Varma are preserved in the Sri Chitra Art Gallery. The Sri Padmanabha Swami Temple at Thiruvananthapuram has preserved the relics of the best traditions of stone sculpture in the State.

Thiruvananthapuram city possess many statues in Kerala. The statues of freedom fighters, political leaders, rulers of Travancore

Travancore

Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...

 are common in the city. There are also statues in other categories such as animals, fiction, etc.

Film

A strong film culture prevails in the city. The city is home to animation companies like Toonz India Ltd

Toonz India Ltd

Toonz Animation India Pvt. Ltd. is an animation company in India. It is the animation arm of the Singapore-based Toonz Group, which has diverse interests in production and distribution of live-action feature films, digital and gaming content, licensing and merchandising, and media-related...

 and Tata Elxsi Ltd

Tata elxsi

- Introduction : is a technology-led design services company and part of the $70 billion Tata Group. Headquartered in Bangalore and with a global delivery footprint through offices and centers in India, the US, the UK, Japan and Germany, Tata Elxsi is a company focused on delivering outsourced...

. The Kinfra Film and Video Park is located near Technopark

Technopark Kerala

Technopark is a technology park in Thiruvananthapuram , Kerala, India. The park is dedicated to IT ventures. It is the first and largest technology park in India....

 and is an advanced film and animation production facilities in India.
The Malayalam film industry

Malayalam cinema

The Cinema of Kerala or Malayalam cinema refers to the film industry in the Indian state of Kerala, which makes films in the Malayalam language. Malayalam movies typically portray social or family issues and are considered more realistic than films from other parts of India. Malayalam cinema has...

 was earlier based in Chennai

Chennai

Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

 (Madras). It slowly started moving to and get rooted in Thiruvananthapuram towards the end of 1970s. The Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC), which was established in 1975 by the Government of Kerala, accelerated this re-planting. As a result, many studios and related industries started popping up in and around Thiruvananthapuram.

The International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK

IFFK

The International Film Festival of Kerala is a film festival held annually in Thiruvananthapuram , the capital city of Kerala, India. This film festival was started in 1996 and is hosted by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy on behalf of Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala...

) is held in November/December every year and is acknowledged as one of the leading such events in India. The well-informed, serious-minded audience in the city frames the success of IFFK. Kerala State Chalachitra Academy

Kerala State Chalachitra Academy

Kerala State Chalachitra Academy is an autonomous non-profit institution working under the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala. It was founded in August 1998 for the promotion of cinema in Kerala, considering the fact that cinema is the most popular art form in Kerala...

, founded in 1998, is based at Thiruvananthapuram. The city holds the maximum number of theatres in the state, all within a radius of 3 km.

Cuisine and Festivals

The city comes to a festive mood during the festival season of Onam

Onam

Onam is a Hindu festival celebrated by the people of Kerala, India. The festival commemorates the Vamana avatar of Vishnu and the subsequent homecoming of the legendary Emperor Mahabali. It falls during the month of Chingam and lasts for ten days...

 in August/September, and during the tourist season later in the year. The state government conducts the tourism week celebrations every year during Onam with cultural events taking place at various centers in the city. The other major events include the annual flower show, the Attukal Pongala

Attukal

Attukal is a Hindu pilgrimage centre in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. It is situated about two kilometres to the south east from Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram City....

, the Aaraat of Padmanabha Swamy Temple, the Beemapally Uroos

Beemapally

Beemapally, a suburb of Thiruvananthapuram , is right under the flight path of planes landing at the Thiruvananthapuram airport.The mosque at Beemapally is famous for the annual Urus. It is a good shopping area too...

, Vettucaud Perunaal

Vettucaud

Vettucaud is located on the north-west coast of Thiruvananthapuram. The Madre-de-Deus church is situated here. This church is popularly known as Vettucaud Palli....

, etc.

Apart from this, there are cultural festivals organised throughout the year by both government and non-government organisations. The 75-day annual Soorya Festival, is one of such prominent event in the city. This festival is acclaimed as the longest running cultural festival in the world and covers literature, movies, dance, music, theatre and folk arts. Other major annual cultural festivals are week long Swathi Music Festival held in January, 9 day long Navaratri Music fete held in September/October, 10 day long Nishagandhi Dance and Music show, 5 day long Nishagandhi Musical nights, International Film Festival of Kerala, etc.

The general cuisine of the people is Keralite cuisine, which is generally characterised by an abundance of coconut

Coconut

The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...

 and spice

Spice

A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for flavor, color, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth. It may be used to flavour a dish or to hide other flavours...

s. Other South Indian cuisines, as well as Chinese

Chinese cuisine

Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...

 and North Indian

Indian cuisine

Indian cuisine consists of thousands of regional cuisines which date back thousands of years. The dishes of India are characterised by the extensive use of various Indian spices, herbs, vegetables and fruit. Indian cuisine is also known for the widespread practice of vegetarianism in Indian society...

 cuisines are popular. Fast food

Fast food

Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...

 culture is also very prominent in the city.

External links

• Swathi Thirunal web site
• official website - Kerala State Film Development Corporation
• official website of Kerala Chalachitra Academy
• Official website of the College of Fine Arts Trivandrum
  College of Fine Arts Trivandrum
  The College of Fine Arts Trivandrum is a fine arts college located in Kerala, India.-History:The college was founded in 1888 by Moolam Thirunal Sir Rama Varma, the then Maharaja for the state of Travancore. The college was first known as H. H...
  
  
• Swathi Sangeethotsavam 2007