Royal Roads of Travancore
The Roman empire built a vast network of roads during their world dominance dating back to the second century BC. Main roads and smaller pathways were built to transport goods and move soldiers from Rome to the provinces. Thus a saying came to be: “All Roads Lead To Rome”. Before the Romans, the Persian King Darius rebuilt the Royal road, a 2700 km road from Susa to Sardis, to expedite communication throughout his large empire. There were several other prominent ancient trade routes, such as the Silk Road, the Amber Road, the Red River Trail between USA and Canada, the Grand Trunk Road from Calcutta to Peshawar, road network built by Inca Empire known as the Royal Highway, the Wari culture in northern central Peru and the Tiwanaku culture in Bolivia.
In the small princely state of Travancore, in southern India, a 240km road was constructed in the 1790s named the Main Central (M.C.) Road, often referred to as the Main Road. It was built by Raja Keshavadasan, Diwan of Travancore King, Karthika Tirunal Maharaja. The thoroughfare stretched from Thiruvanathapuram to Angamali and connected the main towns, such as Nedumangad, Kilimanoor, Kottarakkara, Adoor, Pandalam, Chenganoor, Tiruvalla, Changanasserry, Kottayam, Ettumanoor, Koothattukulam, Moovattupuzha, Kalady. The starting point of the MC Road in Thiruvananthapuram is named after Raja Keshavadasan as “Keshavadasapuram”. There are several other major roadways in Kerala, National Highway 47 (NH47) from Thiruvananthapuram to Kollam to Alappuzha to Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram to Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli (Southern Main Road), Thiruvananthapuram to Punalur to Sengotai to Kuttalam road, etc. But the Main Central Road (State Highway-1) is the most important one in southern Kerala.
In recent years the road is widened, repaved, and sewer canals were made. The Central government has included the State Highway in the National Highway system and has plans to widen it to a four-lane highway. Also, there is another road being built parallel to the M.C Road from Thiruvanathapuram to Angamali. That road will pass through Nedumangad, Punaloor, Pathanapuram, Konni, Ranni, Erumeli, Kanjirappally, Thodupuzha, Kothamangalam, and Malayattoor.
Roads have facilitated linking people and places, goods and services, commodities and markets. It also connects students to schools, workers to jobs, sick to hospitals, passengers to buses to trains to boats to planes. Main Central Road has richly contributed to the economic, social, and cultural development of people living in central Travancore.
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