Thiruvananthapuram became the capital of Travancore in 1750. The city gets its name from the word, Thiru-anantha-puram, meaning the city of Anantha or "The town of Lord ANANTHA", the abode of the sacred Serpent Anantha on which Lord Vishnu, the preserver of the Hindu trinity, reclines. Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the state of Kerala is a beautiful seaside city built on seven hills. The city is characterized by its undulating terrain of low coastal hills with narrow winding lanes and busy commercial alleys.
Thiruvananthapuram is one of the ancient temple towns of India. Thirteen of the Vishnu temples in ancient India are situated here. Old Thiruvananthapuram was extended from Thiruvallam to Thrippadapuram. It is one of the ancient holy cities in India with an age of about 1000 years. The Kanthallur Salai, which was equal to the famous ancient universities like Nalanda and Takshashila, was situated at Thiruvananthapuram. Thiruvananthapuram became the capital city of Travancore along the last decades of 18th century during the reign of Dharma Raja . This city is still adorned by the elegant structures and palaces which were established as a result of the dedication of the several great rulers who wished the well being of the people and valued arts. The general area of the city extends from Thirumala to Shanghumukham and from Thiruvallam to Ulloor.
The conservancy department was started in Thiruvananthapuram in 1877 during the reign of the king Ayilyam Thirunal. Following this the town was divided into 5 divisions namely Kottaykkakam, Chalai, Sreevaraham, Manacaud and Pettah. The formation of Thiruvananthapuram Town Improvement Committee took place after this. The first president of the Committee was Dewan Peshkar Iraviperur Pillai. There were 19 members in the committee. The Thiruvananthapuram Municipality came into existence in 1920. After two decades, during the reign of Sree Chithira Thirunal Thiruvananthapuram Municipality was converted into Corporation. The municipality was converted into Corporation on30th October 1940. During that time its headquarters was situated in the MG road, against the SMV High School. With the formation of the Corporation several multipurpose developmental projects were launched under the leadership of Sir C P Ramaswami Aiyar, who was the contemporary Dewan and these projects helped a lot in executing several planned developmental models in Thiruvananthapuram. The first Mayor was C O Madhavan who was the Chief Secretary during that time. The Second Mayor was an elected representative, Shri Karimpuvilakam M. Govindapillai. The contemporary Chief Minister, Sri Pattom Thanu Pillai laid the foundation stone of the new Corporation building on 19th March 1962. The constructional activities were completed in 1966. The Ex-Prime minister late Smt. Indira Gandhi inaugurated the building on 3rd June 1966.