Travancore
Travancore trăvənkôr´ [key], former princely state, 7,622 sq mi (19,741 sq km), SW India, on the Arabian Sea. It is now in Kerala state. The region of Travancore has coastal lowlands (protected by lagoons) and a hilly interior, including the Cardamom Hills. Rainfall is heavy, and rice, sugarcane, coconuts, and cotton are important lowland crops. The hill region provides half of India's cardamom. There is a large Christian minority. The region was brought under the control of a local prince, Martanda Varma, in the 18th cent. The prince accepted British guarantees against Haidar Ali and Tippoo Sahib in 1788. Revolts against British overlordship in the early 19th cent. were quickly suppressed. Travancore became noted for its efficient government and its high rate of literacy (about 50%). After Indian independence from England, the region was merged with Cochin and areas of the former Madras state to form a new state, which in 1956 was given the name Kerala.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Indian Political Geography
Browse by Subject
- Earth and the Environment +-
- History +-
- Literature and the Arts +-
- Medicine +-
- People +-
- Philosophy and Religion +-
- Places +-
- Africa
- Asia
- Australia and Oceania
- Britain, Ireland, France, and the Low Countries
- Commonwealth of Independent States and the Baltic Nations
- Germany, Scandinavia, and Central Europe
- Latin America and the Caribbean
- Oceans, Continents, and Polar Regions
- Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, and the Balkans
- United States, Canada, and Greenland
- Plants and Animals +-
- Science and Technology +-
- Social Sciences and the Law +-
- Sports and Everyday Life +-