TRAVANCORE

This article appears in Volume V27, Page 216 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: TOO-TUM

TRAVANCORE , a state of southern India, in political relation with

Madras

MADRAS

. Area, 7091 sq. m. In 1901 the population was 2,952,157, showing an increase of 15% in the preceding decade. The state stands sixteenth among the native states of India in area and third in population. Travancore extends more than 150 M. along the west coast as far as Cape

Comorin

COMORIN, CAPE

, the southernmost point of the peninsula. The Western Ghats rise to an

elevation

ELEVATION

of 8000 ft. and are clothed with primeval forest; they throw out spurs towards the coast, along which there is a belt of flat country of about ro m. in width, covered with coco-nut and areca palms, which to a

great

GREAT

extent constitute the wealth of the country. The whole surface is undulating, and presents a

series

SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

of hills and valleys traversed from

east

EAST
EAST, ALFRED (1849- )

to west by many rivers, the floods of which, arrested by the peculiar action of the Arabian Sea, spread themselves out into lagoons or backwaters, connected here and there by artificial canals, and forming an inland line of smooth-water communication for nearly the whole length of the coast. The

chief

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

river is the Periyar, 142 M. in length. Other important rivers are the Pambai and its tributary the Achenkoil, the Kallada, and the Western Tambraparni. Iron is abundant and plumbago is worked. Elephants are numerous, and tigers, leopards, bears, bison and various kinds of deer abound in the forests. Travancore has an abundant rainfall, with every variety of temperature. The principal ports are Alleppi, Quilon and Paravur; but there is no real harbour. The state has a fine system of roads, and the Cochin-Shoranur and the Tinnevelly-Quilon railways pass through it. The Periyar irrigation project con-ducts water through the ghats in a tunnel to irrigate the

Madras

MADRAS

district

DISTRICT

of Madura, for which compensation of Rs. 40,000 is annually paid to Travancore. Trade is large and increasing, the

chief

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

exports being copra, coir and other coco-nut products, pepper, tea, sugar, areca-nuts, timber, hides, coffee, &c. The

capital

CAPITAL (i.e. capital stock or fund)
CAPITAL (Lat. caput, head)

is Trivandrum. The revenue is 67o,000 ; tribute, 80,000; military force, 136o infantry, 61 cavalry and 30 artillery with 6 guns. The maharaja of Travancore claims descent from Cheraman Perumal, the last Hindu monarch of united Malabar, whose date is variously given from A.D. 378 to 825. Though he is a Kshatriya, the succession follows the local custom of inheritance through females; consequently his sanad of adoption authorizes him to adopt sisters' sons. For some generations the rulers have been men of education and characte', and the state is conspicuous for good administration and prosperity. Education, and female education in particular, is more advanced than in any other part of India. The two dominant sections of the population are the Namburi Brahmins and the Nairs or military caste. Native Christians, chiefly of the Syrian rite, form nearly one-fourth of the whole, being more numerous than in any Madras

district

DISTRICT

.
See V. Nagam Aiya, Travancore State

Manual

MANUAL

(Trivandrum, r906).

End of Article: TRAVANCORE

If you wish, you can link directly to this article.

<a href="http://jcsm.org/StudyCenter/Encyclopedia/TOO_TUM/TRAVANCORE.html">
TRAVANCORE
</a>

(Previous)
TRAUTENAU (Czech Trutnov)

(Next)
TRAVE

JCSM was founded in 1997 and exists to help the community and bring people into a life-changing and productive relationship with Jesus Christ. JCSM offers over 200,000 free web pages, including its weekly inspirational emails that were sent continuously for over a decade.

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries
P.O. Box 9297
San Diego, CA 92169
1-888-887-0417 or Email