St. Andrews, Kerala
St. Andrews is a seaside hamlet located in the city of Trivandrum, Trivandrum district of Kerala. It is famous for its sandy beach and the jovial nature of its residents. St. Andrews is 15 km from Trivandrum International Airport and 4 km from Kazhakoottam.
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 Bhai of Travancore Kingdom.
St. Andrews’ residents mainly belong to the Latin Rite Catholic Christian community. Lots of parties and festive activities can be seen in this place during the Christmas-New Year season. 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.
History tells that the Portuguese visited and resided in this place and in the neighboring village of Puthenthope. The name St. Andrews was derived from the name "Sandandarae". The Portuguese influence can also be seen in the language spoken here.
The historical records from the Travancore regime shows a place Sandandare west of Kazhakoottam and Chempazhanthy.
Jyothi Nilayam School is situated at St. Andrews.
On November 30, a Fishing vessel arrived on St. Andrew's Beach due to the Cyclone Ockhi, and the vessel is still there onshore the beach.
