The
Kingdom of Travancore (; )(
Malayalam:തിരുവിതാംകൂർ) was an Indian kingdom from 1729 to 1949. It was ruled by the
Travancore Royal Family from
Padmanabhapuram, and later
Thiruvananthapuram. At its zenith, the kingdom covered most of modern-day central and southern
Kerala, as well as
Kanyakumari,
Tamil Nadu. The official flag of the state was red with a dextrally-coiled silver
conch shell (
Turbinella pyrum) at its center. In the early 19th century, the kingdom became a
princely state of the
British Empire, and the king was accorded a 21 gun-salute locally and a 19-gun salute outside the kingdom. The Travancore Government took many progressive steps on the socio-economic front and during the reign of Maharajah Sri
Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, Travancore became the second most prosperous princely state in British India, with reputed achievements in education, political administration, public work and social reforms.