St. Andrews, Kerala

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St. Andrews
Santo Andarae
St. Andrews Beach.jpg
St. Andrews Beach
St. Andrews, Kerala
Coordinates: 8°33′50″N76°50′39.3″E / 8.56389°N 76.844250°E / 8.56389; 76.844250
CountryFlag of India.svg  India
State Kerala
District Thiruvananthapuram
City Thiruvananthapuram
Named for St.Andrew the Apostle
Elevation
11 m (36 ft)
Languages
  Official Malayalam, English
Time zone UTC+5:30 (IST)
Vehicle registration KL-22
Website http://www.standrews.co.in

St. Andrews is a seaside hamlet located in the city of Thiruvananthapuram, Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala. It is situated 19 km (12 mi) northwest of city centre, 16 km (9.9 mi) from Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. It is known for its pristine beach (St. Andrews Beach). It is a hamlet with a "melting pot" of several cultures and traditions. The village is mostly covered with coconut palms. Its western side edges the Arabian sea, while the east is separated by Parvathi Puthannaar, a manmade canal completed during the time of Regent Sethu Lakshmi Bayi of Travancore Kingdom. Access to National Highway (NH 66) and a railway station is as short as 3 km (1.9 mi) and the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC) of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is close by.

Contents

Location

St. Andrews Beach during low tides St. Andrews Beach 2.jpg
St. Andrews Beach during low tides

St. Andrews is 15 km (9.3 mi) from Thiruvananthapuram International Airport and 4 km (2.5 mi) from Kazhakoottam. Its western side edges the Arabian sea, while the east is separated by Parvathi Puthannaar, a man-made canal completed during the time of Regent Sethu Lakshmi Bayi of Travancore Kingdom. Its northern side is bounded by the village of Puthenthope and the southern side is bounded by the locality of Kochu Vettukad. The Veli-Perumathura Road runs through the hamlet.

History

History attests to the fact that St. Andrews and the neighboring village of Puthenthope were Portuguese settlements. The name St. Andrews itself is derived from the Portuguese "Sandandarae" or "Santo Andarae" which means St. Andrew. The historical records from the Travancore regime shows a place Sandandare west of Kazhakoottam and Chempazhanthy.

Culture

St. Andrews is a unique melting pot of different cultures, with a rich Luso-Indian heritage. The Portuguese influence has lent distinctiveness to the culture of the place which finds its manifestations especially in the language and food.

Tamil Influence

Apart from its obvious European heritage, St. Andrews also has a Tamil influence as people from Tamil Nadu settled here in the past mainly for the purpose of trade. Traces of Tamil culture has its influence and reflection in the church songs which used to be sung in Tamil also.

Portuguese Legacy

The most singular and distinctive influence on St. Andrews without doubt remains the Portuguese legacy. Because of the Portuguese influence the food prepared in many household in St. Andrews bears an uncanny resemblance to Goan cuisine. They have a unique taste, flavor, and even have names different from that of typical Kerala cuisine.

The distinctive food habits in St. Andrews have led to some interesting culinary observations. For instance, Pork Vindaloo which is popular in St. Andrews, and also in some parts of Kollam and Cochin is also popular in Goan and Anglo-Indian cuisine. Thought the taste of vindaloo curry differs, all the dishes have the common tangy taste. The similar food traits have been brought in by Portuguese or by Christian missionaries from Goa.

The dishes which have a clear Portuguese originated which is still popular in this are includes: Pork Vindaloo, Baked Chicken Mince, Scone, Tharidosi (Coconut cake), Orapam, Churi Appam and Plum Cake. But the most sought after delicacy of St. Andrews is the Milk Halwa which remains exclusive to this region. Even though it is termed as Milk Halwa, maybe because of its distinct European influence, it has no similarities with the traditional halwas with which Keralites are familiar. Moreover, only a few persons remain who has the knowledge to make this delicious sweet.

The Portuguese influence can also be seen in the language spoken here.

Several members of the community have immigrated to countries like Sri Lanka, Singapore and Malaysia over the past years and this has further added the diversity of its food ways by the introduction of new culinary practices. Because of this fact, St. Andrews has the enviable position of a seaside hamlet with an interesting melting pot of several cultures and traditions.

Religion

Latin Catholic

St. Andrews Grotto St. Andrews Grotto.jpg
St. Andrews Grotto

St. Andrews’ residents mainly belong to the Latin Catholic Christian community.

St. Andrews Church

St. Andrews Church - The center of all religious and social activities St. Andrews Church, Trivandrum.jpg
St. Andrews Church - The center of all religious and social activities

A church facing the sea, which was named after St. Andrew, the patron saint of fishermen and singers. The St. Andrews Parish church started taking shape in the year 1918. This parish belongs to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Trivandrum. About 480 families belong to this parish. The parish also has a Parish hall where various events relating to the parish are conducted.

The church remains a unique landmark in the tapestry of the village as it has the rare distinction of having the place name and church name as one. The church has a rich heritage dating back to the Portuguese. The church was initially made of Rosewood but now as years passed it has taken on modern form but has managed to retain its heritage nature. The fishing hamlet comes alive with a lot of festivities on during the Christmas-New Year season and also on St. Andrews Day which is celebrated with much fan fare on 30 November.

St. Andrews Grotto is located on the opposite side of the church close to the beach.

Institutions

Schools

College

Convent

Banks

Post Office

Establishments

Sports Venues

Homestay

Accessibility

St. Andrews is situated 3 km (1.9 mi) west off National Highway 66 (Kazhakoottam) by road. The hamlet is accessible by St. Andrews Road, heading from NH 66. It is situated 4 km (2.5 mi) from Kaniyapuram Railway Station and 6 km (3.7 mi) from Kazhakoottam Railway Station. It is located 14 km (8.7 mi) from Trivandrum International Airport.

Events and celebrations

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thiruvananthapuram</span> Metropolis and capital of Kerala, India

Thiruvananthapuram, formerly known as Trivandrum and T'puram, is the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous and largest city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 within the city limits. Thiruvananthapuram is where Asia's first space university, the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology is located, and India's first IT park, Technopark Thiruvananthapuram is in Thiruvananthapuram. The city also includes India’s first deep-water trans-shipment port, the Vizhinjam International Seaport Thiruvananthapuram, as well as the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, known as the richest temple in the world. Thiruvananthapuram is where India's space program began, with the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre and the headquarters of Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre located here. Thiruvananthapuram is also known for its cultural heritage, being associated with the musical contributions of Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma and the artistic legacy of painter Raja Ravi Varma.Thiruvananthapuram has contributed to the development of Malayalam literature through individuals like Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer,Kumaran Asan, C. V. Raman Pillai and Narayana Guru. Notable beaches in Thiruvananthapuram include Kovalam, Varkala, Shankumugham Beach and Poovar. The encompassing urban agglomeration population is around 1.68 million. Located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland, Thiruvananthapuram is a major information technology hub in Kerala and contributes 55% of the state's software exports as of 2016. Referred to by Mahatma Gandhi as the "Evergreen city of India", the city is characterised by its undulating terrain of low coastal hills.

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