Mal:തിരുവനന്തപുരം tiruvanantapuraṁ
‘City of Lord Anantha’ [Trivandrum] City/Capital/District, Kerala
From Mal: tiru, ‘eminent’, ’holy’; Anantha; and Skt: pur(am), ‘fort’, ‘town’, ‘city’.
Anantha or Anantashayana Vishnu is the deity at the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple.
Anantashayana or Padmanabhaswamy is the manifestation of Vishnu lying in eternal yogic sleep on the thousand-headed serpent Shesha or Anantha.
Shesha unravels the universe in his coils and is Vishnu’s most devoted servant. Shesha is also the supreme snake deity and Krisha says in the Bhagavad-Gita: “Of Nāgas, I am Ananta.”
Padmanabhaswamy is the patron deity of the royal family of Travancore.
Like Rome and Jerusalem, Thiruvananthapuram is a city built on seven hills: Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrushabhadri, Narayanadri, and Venkatadri.
Thiruvananthapuram has been the capital of Kerala ever since the state was created in 1956. The modern city boasts expertise in I.T., aerospace and rocket science.
Thiruvananthapuram Montage (left to tight and top to bottom): City Skyline; Kovalam Beach; Padmanabhaswamy Temple; Central Railway Station; Niyamasabha (Kerala Legislative Assembly); Kanakakkunnu Palace; East Fort; Technopark.
For related place names see Indian Place names and Kerala place names.
