Balaramapuram is one of the panchayats that form the city of Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala, India. It is the most urbanized panchayat in the Thiruvananthapuram district. Balaramapuram is the centre for production of traditional varieties of handloom textiles meant for the contemporary cloth-wearing style of Kerala. Balaramapuram is a major trade centre for clothing, groceries, furniture, electricals, metals etc. Balaramapuram is also known for mutton dishes, chicken dishes, oysters and fish items. Religious harmony plays a great role. St Sebastian's Church festival during the month of January and the Maha Sivarathri festival at Sri Bharadwaja Rishishwara Shiva Kshetram are examples of this harmony. Balaramapuram railway station is situated 1 km from NH47 at Balaramapuram. The station code name of Balaramapuram is ‘BRAM’. As part of one of the busiest and most populated Indian states, Kerala, the Balaramapuram railway station is known amongst the top hundred train ticket booking and train travelling stations of the Indian Railway. The total number of trains that pass through the Balaramapuram (BRAM) junction is 50. Location Balaramapuram is located on National Highway 66 15 km south of Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), the capital city of Kerala, India and 17 km north of Parassala, the southern boundary of the state. Balaramapuram lies 77 degrees 5 minutes east longitude and 8 degrees 23 minutes North latitude. History During the regime of His Highness Maharaja Balaramavarma, from 1799 to 1810, handloom weaving was first introduced at Balaramapuram. The maharaja and his delava (chief minister), Ummini Thampi jointly decided to convert Balaramapuram and its surrounding places into an agro-based industrial belt with various traditional industries by the development of paddy and coconut cultivation, fishing, weaving, and oil extraction. Separate streets with a clustered at identified places, providing a comparatively better infrastructure for development. The Delava of Maharaja brought seven weaver families (Shaliars) from Tamil Nadu to produce fabrics for the members of the royal family and made them settle at Balaramapuram in a separate location now called "Shaliar Street". Marketplaces were opened at convenient locations to make the marketing of products easier. The present residents of the street are the descendants of these seven families. Among the prominent weaving masters, Mr. Ponnan alias Appu panicker from Thannivila is an acclaimed weaver who taught the business to others of this region. The place Balaramapuram itself was named after the king who started industries in this region. Shaliyar community structure The people