Editing Thiruvananthapuram (section)

===Early Modern Period===
It was in the latter half of the 18th century, that Travancore inherited the kingdoms up to [[Kingdom of Cochin|Cochin]] and became a powerful kingdom, and Thiruvananthapuram became a major city of Kerala.]]
Present-day Thiruvananthapuram city, district, and [[Kanyakumari district]], were parts of the [[Ay dynasty]] during ancient and [[Middle Ages|medieval ages]], which was a [[Tamil language|Tamil]] kingdom based in the southernmost part of the Indian subcontinent.<ref name="askh">{{cite book |last1=Sreedhara Menon |first1=A. |title=A Survey of Kerala History |year=2007 |publisher=DC Books |location=Kottayam |isbn=9788126415786 |edition=2007 |url=https://dcbookstore.com/books/a-survey-of-kerala-history}}</ref> Ay kingdom had experienced attacks and conquests by [[Chola dynasty|Cholas]] and [[Pandya dynasty|Pandyas]] in various periods.<ref name="askh"/> Later it became a part of [[Venad]] in late Middle Ages, which was eventually expanded as the powerful kingdom of [[Travancore]] in 18th century CE.<ref name="askh"/> The [[Tamil people|Tamil]]-Dravidian kind of architecture is also found in Padmanabhaswamy temple, which makes it distinct and unique from the architectural style of temples in northern and central parts of [[Kerala]].<ref name="askh"/>
[[File:Thambiran Vanakkam 1578.JPG|left|thumbnail|''[[Thambiran Vanakkam]]'' was printed at Kollam, the capital of [[Venad]] in 1578, during the Portuguese Era. It holds the record of the first book printed in any Indian language. It was written in the language ''[[Lingua Malabar Tamul]]'' which was spoken in [[Kerala]] during the medieval period.]]

The official language of [[Kerala]], based at [[Kollam]], was also identified as [[Tamils|Tamil]], by the natives of Kerala in those times.<ref name=":302">Karashima, Noburu. 2014. 'The Fall of the Old States', in ''A Concise History of South India: Issues and Interpretations'', ed. Noburu Karashima, pp. 172–73. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite news |title=Pandya dynasty {{!}} Indian dynasty |language=en |work=Encyclopedia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pandya-dynasty |access-date=2017-09-21}}</ref> and the [[Chola dynasty]],<ref>{{cite book |first=John |last=Keay |title=India: A History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0IquM4BrJ4YC |year=2011 |publisher=Open Road + Grove/Atlantic |isbn=978-0-8021-9550-0 |page=215}}</ref><ref name=majumdar407>Majumdar (contains no mention of Maldives)</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite journal |last=Ganesh |first=K.N. |date=June 2009 |title=Historical Geography of Natu in South India with Special Reference to Kerala |journal=Indian Historical Review |volume=36 |issue=1 |pages=3–21 |doi=10.1177/037698360903600102 |s2cid=145359607 |issn=0376-9836}}</ref> The place names, the dialects of [[Malayalam]] spoken, and the customs that exist in Kerala today still reveal a close relationship with Tamil heritage.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2010/jun/26/keralas-tamil-connection-126586.amp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603134225/https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2010/jun/26/keralas-tamil-connection-126586.amp |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 June 2021 |title=Kerala's Tamil Connection |date=26 June 2010 |publisher=The New Indian Express}}</ref>