Kazhakkoottam is a major urban area in the capital city of

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

state,

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The largest IT park in the country in terms of developed area, Technopark, along with Technocity-an upcoming integrated IT township-is situated here. Hence, it is known as the Information Technology capital of Kerala. It is one of the fastest-growing areas of the state.

History

Kazhakkoottam was the centre of power for Kazhakuttathu Ugran Pillai who was prominent among the so-called Ettuveetil Pillamar (Pillais from Eight Houses) who rebelled against

Travancore The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...

King Marthanda Varma in the late 18th century. After defeating Pillai, Varma destroyed his palace and replaced it with a pond. To redeem himself, he built a temple to

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

nearby. Both the pond and the temple survive. The Kazhakuttom Mahadeva Temple is believed to be 1000 years old.

Administration

Kazhakootam is the 1st ward in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation which is administered by the

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

. Kazhakoottam assembly constituency is one of the 140 assemblies of the

Kerala Legislative Assembly The Kerala Legislative Assembly, popularly known as the Kerala Niyamasabha, is the State Assembly of Kerala, one of the 30 states in India. The Assembly is formed by 140 elected representatives. Each elected member represents one of the 140 ...

. It is represented by Kadakampally Surendran from

CPI(M) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)) is a communist political party in India. It is the largest communist party in India in terms of membership and electoral seats, and one of the six national parties of India. ...

2016 onwards. The Kazhakootam constituency also belongs to the greater Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha Constituency which is represented by Dr. Shashi Tharoor MP (

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

) from 2009 onwards in the

Indian Parliament The Parliament of India (ISO: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Government of the Republic of India. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the People). The President o ...

.
Kazhakuttam ward councillor V.K. Prashanth from CPI(M) was elected as the Mayor of Thiruvananthapuram in November 2015.

Transportation

Kazhakoottam is a major junction where the

National Highway 66 (India) National Highway 66, commonly referred to as NH 66 (erstwhile NH-17 and a part of NH-47), is a mostly 4 lane 1640 km (1020 miles) long busy National Highway (India), National Highway that runs roughly north–south along the western coas ...

Kazhakkoottam Bypass and the main road towards the city are joined. It is well connected to all major destinations in the city by bus services from Kazhakoottam. Kazhakoottam is only away from

city centre. The nearest airport is Thiruvananthapuram International Airport which is at a distance of 14 km. The nearest railway station is Kazhakuttam railway station.

Institutions

* Technopark * KINFRA Apparel Park, Menamkulam * KINFRA Film and Video Park, Chanthavila * Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Biotechnology * Regional Women's Training Institute * Marian Engineering College * Marian College of Architecture * Marian Arts& Science College * Marian Business School * St. Xavier's College, Thumba * St. Thomas Institute for Science and Technology * A. J. School of Nursing

Major attractions

* Vikram Sarabhai Space centre Space Museum – 5 km * Thumba Beach – 4 km * Greenfield International Stadium – 2 km * Lulu Mall – 7 km * Mall of Travancore – 14 km * Akkulam Tourist Village – 8 km * Mudavoorpara Rock Cut Temple – 8 km * Magic Planet – 3 km * Veli Tourist Village-10Km * St. Andrews Beach - 4.9km

Government offices

* Pothencode Block Panchayat Office (Erstwhile Kazhakkottam Block Panchayat) * Kazhakkottam Village Office * Kerala State Electricity Board Kazhakkoottam * Kazhakkoottam Sub Registrar Office * Kazhakkoottam SRTO Office

Academic institutions

* Sainik School Kazhakkoottam * Government HSS, Kazhakkoottam * Jyothis Central School, Kazhakkoottam * Al Uthuman English Medium School, * Trivandrum Engineering College * University of Kerala, Kariavattom Campus * MGHSS Kaniyapuram * MHS Kaniyapuram * Alan Feldman Public School, Elippakuzhi * Jyothi Nilayam Senior Secondary School, St Andrews * Bright Central School * VSSC Central School * Our Public School * Christ Nagar International School

Notable people

* Premkumar – Actor * Kadakampally Surendran * Adv VK Prasanth

References

{{Thiruvananthapuram district Suburbs of Thiruvananthapuram