Canal was conceived as a 'water link' between Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari in July 1860 during the reign of Uthradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma Maharaja of Travancore state.
Canal was conceived as a 'water link' between Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari in July 1860 during the reign of Uthram Thirunal Marthanda Varma Maharaja of Travancore state.. Parts of it were completed, but the project was by and large abandoned, and with the advent of faster road transport, consigned to oblivion.
Along with the Thiruvananthapuram–Shoranur canal which now forms the spine of the modern waterway project in Kerala, the AVM canal network would have formed a formidable water route linking the northern parts of Kerala to Kanyakumari paving way for a continuous waterway along west coast from Kasaragod to Kanyakumari.
The Anantha Victoria Marthandam Canal was formed to connect the extreme south of then Thiruvithamkoor princely state with its northern parts and trade centers such as Alappuzha and Kollam.
This waterway will also help connect tourist spots of Poovar, Kovalam, Varkala and, Kanyakumari by mode of water transport.