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Trivandrum

Thiruvananthapuram District is the southernmost district of the Indian state of Kerala. The headquarters is in the city of Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) which is also the capital city of Kerala.

The district has an area of 2192 km², and a population of 3,234,356 (as per the 2001 census), the second largest in Kerala. It is divided into four talukas: Thiruvananthapuram, Chirayinkil, Nedumangad, and Neyyattinkara. The urban bodies in the district are the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Attingal, Neyyattinkara, Varkala and Nedumangad municipalities.

Thiruvananthapuram literally means City of Lord Anantha. The name derives from the deity of the Hindu temple at the centre of the city. Anantha is the mythical thousand hooded serpent- Shesha on whom Padmanabhan or Vishnu reclines. The temple of Vishnu reclining on Anantha, the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple, which dates back to the 16th century, is the most recognizable iconic landmark of the city as well as the district. Along with the presiding deity of Sri Padmanabha, this temple also has temples inside it, dedicated to Lord Krishna and Lord Narasimha, Lord Ganesha, and Lord Ayyappa.

The city was the capital of the Travancore state before the independence. Consequent to the recommendations of the state Reorganisation Commission, the Vilavancode taluk from Thiruvananthapuram was merged with Tamil Nadu along with three other southern taluks of Thovala, Agastheewaram and Kalkulam from Travancore and the state of Kerala came into being on 1 November 1956.

One of the other major landmarks in the district is the Government Secretariat. This white coloured building that was built by the Kings of Travancore is the seat of power. The central Durbar hall was where the assembly used to meet during the imperial rule. Less than a mile away, complementing this gothic structure, stands the modern legislature complex, the largest legislature building in India.