The present regions that constitute Thiruvananthapuram were ruled by the Ays until their fall in the 10th century. The city was then taken over by the Chera dynasty. In the 12th century, it was conquered by the Kingdom of Venad. In the 17th century the king Marthanda Varma expanded the territory and founded the princely state of Travancore and made Thiruvananthapuram its capital. Following India's independence in 1947, Thiruvananthapuram became the capital of Travancore-Cochin state and remained so till the new Indian state of Kerala was formed in 1956.