Travancore–Cochin, officially the United State of Travancore and Cochin and later the State of Travancore–Cochin, was a short-lived state of India. It was formed through the merger of two former kingdoms, Travancore and Cochin on 1 July 1949. Its original capital was Trivandrum.
The five Tamil-majority Taluks of Vilavancode, Kalkulam, Thovalai, Agastheeswaram, and Sengottai were transferred from Travancore-Cochin to Madras State in 1956. The Malayalam-speaking regions of the Travancore–Cochin merged with the Malabar District (excluding Laccadive & Minicoy Islands) and the Kasaragod Taluk of South Canara district in Madras State to form the modern Malayalam-state of Kerala on 1 November 1956, according to the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 passed by the Government of India.
The ruler of Travancore was appointed as the governor (known as "Rajpramukh") of Travancore–Cochin. The Maharajah of Cochin was offered to be addressed as Uparaja Pramukh, but he did not want any title after handing over the power. The Maharaja politely said that the eldest member of Cochin Royal Family should be called Valiya Thampuran and gave up royal powers unconditionally for the good of the people. During the tenure of Chief Minister Pattom A. Thanu Pillai of the Praja Socialist Party in 1954–1955, the Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress (TTNC) campaigned for the merger of the predominantly Tamil-speaking southern regions of Travancore–Cochin with the neighbouring Madras State, reflecting demands for linguistic reorganization aligned with Tamil identity. This occurred amid the broader Aikya Kerala Movement, which sought to unite all Malayalam-speaking areas into a single state. The agitation intensified with protests and processions; clashes occurred at Marthandam and Puthukkadai in August 1954, resulting in several deaths and highlighting deepening linguistic divisions between the communities.
Under the State Reorganisation Act of 1956, the four southern taluks of Travancore namely Thovalai, Agastheeswaram, Kalkulam and Vilavancode and a part of Sengottai in Tenkasi Taluk was merged with Madras State. On 1 November 1956 Travancore–Cochin was joined with Malabar District of Madras State to form the new state of Kerala, with a governor appointed by the President of India to be the head of the state instead of the 'Rajapramukh'.
thumb|right|Travancore-Cochin postal stamp
Merger of Kanyakumari with Madras State
Tamils lived in large numbers in the areas of Thovalai, Agastheeswaram, Sengottai, Eraniel, Vilavancode, Kalkulam, Devikulam, Peerumedu Neyyattinkara and Thiruvananthapuram in the erstwhile Travancore State. In the predominantly Tamil-speaking southern regions of Travancore, Malayalam served as the official language with only a limited number of Tamil-medium schools available. This posed linguistic and educational challenges for Tamil-speaking residents. The Travancore State Government did not accede to requests from Tamil-speaking residents for greater use of Tamil in education and administration, prioritizing the promotion of Malayalam as the official language. During that period, the Travancore State Congress favoured the idea of uniting all the Malayalam speaking regions and the formation of a unified state for Malayalam speakers. In protest against this idea, many Tamil leaders vacated the party. Tamils gathered together in the town of Nagercoil on 16th December 1945 under the leadership of Sam Nathaniel and formed the new political party All Travancore Tamilian Congress. The party continuously compelled for the merger of Tamil regions in Travancore with the Madras State.
In the working committee meeting of Tamilian congress at Eraviputhur on 30 June 1946, the name of the political party was changed to Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress (TTNC). TTNC was popular among the Tamils living in Thovalai and Agateeswaram Taluks. Mr. Ma. Po. Sivagnanam (Ma.Po.Si) was the only leader from Tamil Nadu who functioned in favour of TTNC After the independence of India, State Assembly Elections were announced in Travancore. As a consequence, TTNC improved its popularity among Tamils. A popular and leading advocate from Vilavancode Mr. A. Nesamony organised a meeting of his supporters at Allan Memorial Hall, Nagercoil on 8 September 1947. In that meeting it was declared that they must achieve their objective through their political organisation, the TTNC started gaining strength and momentum in Kalkulam – Vilavancode taluks. During the election propaganda campaign, clashes occurred between the Tamil Nadar community and the Malayali Nair community at various places in Kalkulam – Vilavancode taluks. police force suppressed the agitating Nadars. In February 1948 the police opened fire on two Tamil speaking Nadar who subsequently succumbed due to the injuries.
In 1950, a meeting was held at Palayamkottai to make compromises between the state congress and the TTNC. The meeting met with failure and Mr. Sam Nathaniel resigned from the post of president of TTNC Mr. P. Ramasamy Pillai, a strong follower of Mr. A. Nesamony was elected as the New President.
On 11 August, Liberation Day celebrations were held at many places in South Travancore. Public meetings and processions were organised. Communists also collaborated with the agitation programmes. Police opened fire at the processions in Thoduvetty (Martandam) and Puthukadai. Nine Tamil volunteers were fatally shot and thousands of TTNC and communist sympathizers were arrested in various parts of the region. At the end, Pattom Thanu Pillai's ministry was toppled and normalcy returned to the Tamil regions. On 1 November 1956 – four Taluks Thovalai, Agastheeswaram, Kalkulam, Vilavancode were recognised to form the New Kanyakumari District and merged with Tamil Nadu State. Half of Sengottai Taluk was merged with Tirunelveli District. The main demand of TTNC was to merger the Tamil regions with Tamil Nadu and major part of its demand was realised. So TTNC was dissolved thereafter. The TTNC had also requested to merge these Taluks with Madras State.
{| class="wikitable"
! District
! Taluks
|-
| Thiruvananthapuram
| Thovala, Agastheeswaram, Kallkkulam, Vilavancode, Neyyattinkara, Thiruvananthapuram, Nedumangad, Chirayinkeezhu
|-
| Kollam
| Kollam, Kottarakkara, Pathanapuram, Sengottai, Kunnathoor, Karunagappally, Karthikappally, Chengannur, Mavelikkara, Adoor, Thiruvalla, Ambalappuzha, Cherthala
|-
| Kottayam
| Kottayam, Changanasserry, Vaikkom, Muvattupuzha, Kothamangalam, Thodupuzha, Meenachil, Devikulam, Peermade
|-
| Thrissur
| Paravur, Kunnathunad, Kochi-Kanayannur, Kodungallur, Mukundapuram, Thrissur, Thalapilly, Chittur
|}