# Attingal
**Attingal** (Malayalam: ആറ്റിങ്ങല് നഗരസഭ) is a municipality in Chirayinkeezhu taluk (an administrative subdivision of a district in India) of Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala, India, an inland market town on the Vamanapuram river about 33 km north of [Thiruvananthapuram](https://www.edgepedia.org/thiruvananthapuram) city.[1](https://web.archive.org/web/20151108020304/http:/www.attingalmunicipality.in/about) • [2](https://www.keralatourism.org/routes-locations/attingal--mun-/id/1219) It was the seat of the [Attingal Ranis](https://www.edgepedia.org/attingal-ranis), the mother queens of Venad, and is remembered for the Attingal Revolt of 1721 against the British East India Company.[3](https://www.archaeology.kerala.gov.in/pages/attingal-palace/101) • [4](https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2022/Jul/12/attingal-the-rivers-boon-2475475.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | Chirayinkeezhu taluk, Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala; on the Vamanapuram river, about 7 km from the Arabian Sea[1](https://web.archive.org/web/20151108020304/http:/www.attingalmunicipality.in/about) • [5](https://www.storieskerala.com/areas/attingal/) |
| Area and wards | 14.18 square kilometers, 31 wards[1](https://web.archive.org/web/20151108020304/http:/www.attingalmunicipality.in/about) |
| Population | 35,648 (2001 census); 37,346 (2011 census)[1](https://web.archive.org/web/20151108020304/http:/www.attingalmunicipality.in/about) • [6](https://www.censusindia.co.in/towns/attingal-population-thiruvananthapuram-kerala-803310) |
| Literacy | 93.23% in 2001; 96.7% in 2011, above the district average of 93%[1](https://web.archive.org/web/20151108020304/http:/www.attingalmunicipality.in/about) • [6](https://www.censusindia.co.in/towns/attingal-population-thiruvananthapuram-kerala-803310) |
| Municipality founded | 1922, from a Town Improvement Committee of 1914; first elected council 1953[1](https://web.archive.org/web/20151108020304/http:/www.attingalmunicipality.in/about) |
| Distances | Thiruvananthapuram 33 km, Varkala 15 km, Kollam 36 km[2](https://www.keralatourism.org/routes-locations/attingal--mun-/id/1219) |
| Heritage | Attingal Palace (Koyikkal Kottaram), seat of the Attingal Ranis for more than seven centuries[3](https://www.archaeology.kerala.gov.in/pages/attingal-palace/101) |
## Etymology and early identity
The name derives from "Attin kara", meaning land on the banks of a river, which over time became Attingal.[4](https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2022/Jul/12/attingal-the-rivers-boon-2475475.html) The municipality's own history records that the place was known in old times as "Chittattinkara desam", a name it owes to being surrounded by the basins of the Vamanapuram river and the Mamam river.[1](https://web.archive.org/web/20151108020304/http:/www.attingalmunicipality.in/about) The town's recorded history goes back to the 13th century.[4](https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2022/Jul/12/attingal-the-rivers-boon-2475475.html)
## History: the Attingal Ranis and the 1721 revolt
**Seat of the mother queens.** Attingal Palace, in Chirayinkeezhu taluk, was the seat of the Attingal Ranis, the mother queens of Venad, known as Attingal Mootha Thampuran; women ruled there for more than seven centuries.[3](https://www.archaeology.kerala.gov.in/pages/attingal-palace/101) Under royal rule the town was the seat of the [Travancore royal family](https://www.edgepedia.org/travancore-royal-family), comprising the Sreepadom palace and lands granted for the upkeep of the Thampurattis.[1](https://web.archive.org/web/20151108020304/http:/www.attingalmunicipality.in/about) The palace is the maternal home of the Travancore royal family: the Venad king Udaya Marthanda Varma adopted two queens from the Chirakkal Kovilakam, who consecrated Marayikavu Bhagavathi at Thiruarattukavu.[4](https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2022/Jul/12/attingal-the-rivers-boon-2475475.html) By royal tradition, the first male child of the Attingal queen held supremacy over the Padmanabha Swamy Temple until [Marthanda Varma](https://www.edgepedia.org/marthanda-varma) united it under [Travancore](https://www.edgepedia.org/travancore).[4](https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2022/Jul/12/attingal-the-rivers-boon-2475475.html)
**The Attingal Revolt of 1721.** Attingal is remembered for the 1721 rebellion called the Attingal Revolt, in which more than 140 Britishers were killed in guerrilla warfare.[4](https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2022/Jul/12/attingal-the-rivers-boon-2475475.html)
## Geography
Attingal lies on the banks of the Vamanapuram river, also known as Kollam puzha.[4](https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2022/Jul/12/attingal-the-rivers-boon-2475475.html) It is an inland market town about seven kilometers from the [Arabian Sea](https://www.edgepedia.org/arabian-sea), with no harbor or river mouth of consequence.[5](https://www.storieskerala.com/areas/attingal/) The GeoNames database places the town at 8.69609° N, 76.81507° E, at an elevation of about 43 m, in the third-order administrative division of Chirayinkeezhu.[7](https://www.geonames.org/1278176/attingal.html)
## Demographics
The municipality cites Census 2001 figures of 35,648 inhabitants (16,684 males and 18,964 females), a density of 2,301 per square kilometer, a sex ratio of 1,137, and total literacy of 93.23% (96.16% male, 90.63% female).[1](https://web.archive.org/web/20151108020304/http:/www.attingalmunicipality.in/about) The 2011 census recorded 37,346 residents (17,009 males, 20,337 females) in 9,768 families, with a sex ratio of 1,196 and a literacy rate of 96.7% (male 97.71%, female 95.77%), above the Thiruvananthapuram district average of 93% and the Kerala average of about 94%.[6](https://www.censusindia.co.in/towns/attingal-population-thiruvananthapuram-kerala-803310) A Survey of India update of 6 January 2024 revised the GeoNames population figure to 37,346, a 2% change from the previous value.[7](https://www.geonames.org/1278176/attingal.html)
## Governance and administration
Attingal [Municipality](https://www.edgepedia.org/municipality) was established in 1922 (Kollavarsham 1097), having begun as a Town Improvement Committee founded in 1914; the first elected council under adult suffrage came in 1953, with R. Prakash as its first chairman.[1](https://web.archive.org/web/20151108020304/http:/www.attingalmunicipality.in/about) The municipality covers 14.18 square kilometers and is divided into 31 wards, spanning the villages of Attingal, Avanavanchery, Alamcode, Kizhuvilam, Edakkode, Manampoor, and Keezhattingal.[1](https://web.archive.org/web/20151108020304/http:/www.attingalmunicipality.in/about) The official delimitation map designates it as Municipality M.03 in Thiruvananthapuram district, drawn at a scale of 1 cm = 200 meters with ward, panchayat, national highway and state highway boundaries.[8](https://delimitation.lsgkerala.gov.in/sites/default/files/attingal_municipality.pdf) The district administration lists Attingal as a constituency, with candidate affidavits published on its portal, and lists the municipality as a public utility at the postal address Attingal, Kerala 695101.[9](https://trivandrum.nic.in/en/attingal/) • [10](https://trivandrum.nic.in/en/public-utility/attingal-municipality/)
## Economy and transport
The everyday economy of Attingal is trade and services for the surrounding countryside, dealing in coconut, tapioca, banana, vegetables, fish, and small-scale rubber and spice trade, rather than tourism.[5](https://www.storieskerala.com/areas/attingal/) The town has become part of the wider commuter belt of Thiruvananthapuram while remaining a distinct town with its own market and institutions, served by KSRTC buses and the railway; in district terms it is the second order of settlement, one of the larger urban places the district relies on after the headquarters at Thiruvananthapuram.[5](https://www.storieskerala.com/areas/attingal/) Kerala Tourism places the municipality 33.0 km from Thiruvananthapuram on the Kollam route, with Varkala 15.0 km and Kollam 36.0 km away.[2](https://www.keralatourism.org/routes-locations/attingal--mun-/id/1219)
## Landmarks
The Attingal Palace, also called Koyikkal Kottaram, is the town's principal heritage site.[4](https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2022/Jul/12/attingal-the-rivers-boon-2475475.html) The surviving complex, maintained by the Kerala State Department of Archaeology, covers about one acre and consists of a two-storeyed Padippura Malika, a [Nalukettu](https://www.edgepedia.org/nalukettu), a Kothalam and an Ootupura, blending Kerala and European architectural influences.[3](https://www.archaeology.kerala.gov.in/pages/attingal-palace/101) The complex contains the Tirumarattukavu Bhagavathy Temple, a Sri Krishna Temple and a Siva Temple, together with a Gopura gate, a Diwan bungalow and an Anapalla wall.[3](https://www.archaeology.kerala.gov.in/pages/attingal-palace/101) The town's focal public place is its main temple, an old foundation associated with the town's royal past, built in the traditional Kerala style with a sanctum, flagstaff, surrounding wall, and tank.[5](https://www.storieskerala.com/areas/attingal/)
## By the numbers
Between the 2001 and 2011 censuses the municipal population grew from 35,648 to 37,346, an increase of 1,698 people or about 4.8% over the decade.[1](https://web.archive.org/web/20151108020304/http:/www.attingalmunicipality.in/about) • [6](https://www.censusindia.co.in/towns/attingal-population-thiruvananthapuram-kerala-803310) Literacy rose from 93.23% to 96.7%, and the sex ratio rose from 1,137 to 1,196, meaning women outnumber men by roughly 20% in the town.[1](https://web.archive.org/web/20151108020304/http:/www.attingalmunicipality.in/about) • [6](https://www.censusindia.co.in/towns/attingal-population-thiruvananthapuram-kerala-803310)
## References
1. [ആമുഖം | Attingal Municipality (official municipal website, archived)](https://web.archive.org/web/20151108020304/http:/www.attingalmunicipality.in/about)
2. [Attingal Mun., Thiruvananthapuram District, Kerala | Kerala Tourism](https://www.keralatourism.org/routes-locations/attingal--mun-/id/1219)
3. [Attingal Palace: A Historical Marvel in Kerala | Kerala State Department of Archaeology](https://www.archaeology.kerala.gov.in/pages/attingal-palace/101)
4. [Attingal: The river's boon | The New Indian Express](https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2022/Jul/12/attingal-the-rivers-boon-2475475.html)
5. [Attingal, Thiruvananthapuram: the town and what is near it | Stories Kerala](https://www.storieskerala.com/areas/attingal/)
6. [Attingal Population, Caste Data Thiruvananthapuram Kerala - Census India](https://www.censusindia.co.in/towns/attingal-population-thiruvananthapuram-kerala-803310)
7. [Attingal, India — GeoNames](https://www.geonames.org/1278176/attingal.html)
8. [District: Thiruvananthapuram — Municipality M.03 Attingal (delimitation map) | Kerala LSGD](https://delimitation.lsgkerala.gov.in/sites/default/files/attingal_municipality.pdf)
9. [Attingal | District Thiruvananthapuram, Government of Kerala](https://trivandrum.nic.in/en/attingal/)
10. [Attingal Municipality | District Thiruvananthapuram, Government of Kerala](https://trivandrum.nic.in/en/public-utility/attingal-municipality/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Places and geography › Settlements and neighborhoods › Cities and towns › Cities, towns, and villages of South and Southeast Asia › Cities of southern India*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license