Kollam Tourism

Kollam (Quilon) is considered as the the gateway to the backwaters of Kerala, extending from Kollam to Alleppy & Furthur. An old saying in Kerala is "kollam kandavanillam venda"- means the spectator gets mesmerized by the glamour of the town that he doesn’t returns to his home. Kollam offers a variety of activities & spots.The town edges with the famous Ashtamudi lake. Many a foreign traveler has visited Kollam in early medieval period. It was one of the early centres of Christian activity in Kerala. It is said that the present town of Kollam was built by the Syrian Merchant; Sapir Iso, in the 9th Century A.D. The popularity of Kollam has been established by the time honoured proverb once you see Kollam, you will not need home any more. Kollam is an important commercial, industrial and trading centre.

Kollam attracts travelers all-round the year with its wide variety of sightseeing options. Kollam is also famous for lovely beaches & lakes like Kollam Beach, Thirumullavaram Beach, Thangasseri Beach, Munroe Island, Ashtamudi Lake, Sasthamkotta Lake, Neendakara Port and Alumkadavu Boat Building Yard. Rameshwara Temple, Achencoil and Mayyanad, Amritapuri Ashram, Aryankavu, Chavara, Kottarakkara, Oachira and Karunagappally are the prominent cultural as well as religious centers of the region. There are numerous churches and mosques in Kollam including Pullichira Church built in 1700 AD and Chinnakkada Palli. Kallada Boat race is one among the famous festival events of Kollam. This boat race attracts a large number of tourists and is usually held on the 19th of January along with the great elephant march simultaneously. Kollam is well connected by bus, train and air. Trivandrum International Airport is the nearest airport (66 km from Kollam). Kollam Railway Station is well connected to the major cities like Chennai, Hubli, Hyderabad, Trivandrum, Mumbai, Mangalore, Nagarcoil, Madurai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Kanyakumari and Kochi. KSRTC bus service connects Kollam to all cities in Kerala. Private buses are also available to Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Pondicherry and Thrissur.

HISTORY
Kollam is also known by different names like Desinganadu and Quilon.Even from the period of Phoenicians and Romans, Kollam was held in a very good commercial estimation. There was a very good rapport between Kollam and China regarding trade which even exchanged embassies and this is inturn led to lot of Chinese settlement in Kollam.Kollam was considered as one of the five main ports dealing in Chinese trade by Ibn Batuta.In 1502 the first trading centre was established in Kollam by the POrtugese.The Portuguese were followed by the Dutch and then the British in 1795.As a prosecution of a treaty between Travancore and the British there was British troop stationed in a fortified place in Kollam.Kollam became very active during the rule of Velu Thampi Dalawa of Travancore for number of bazaars were built and traders from different parts of the country came here and settled. In the year 1835 Kollam became one of the headquarters of Travancore.In the year 1949 when Travancore and Cochin were desegregated, Kollam was one of the three revenue divisions in the state which soon got the status of a district.