The Government Secretariat is a popular landmark and located in heart of the Thiruvananthapuram City, in Narmada Road.

Over 150 years old, the building's foundation stone was laid by His Highness Ayilyam Thirunal, the Maharaja of Travancore in 1865 and was completed in 1869.

The original structure was planned to accommodate Travancore Royal Durbar Hall where the King meets his council of ministers on a monthly basis apart from the offices of Peshkars (Secretaries of the State).

It was designed and built under Walthew Clarence Barton, the then chief engineer of Travancore and incorporates elements of Roman and Dutch architecture.

[3] The construction was supervised by the then Dewan, T. Madhava Rao, whose statue now stands across the road opposite the building.

The Secretariat is the nerve centre of Kerala's governance and hence is also the site of political protests and it often witnesses marches and demonstrations outside its walls.

[citation needed] Kerala Secretariat complex houses offices of various state government department.