Kollam Tourism

The city of Kollam in Kerala has been mentioned in Greek literature from the first century. It is an ancient port with Christian, Muslim and Hindu communities inhabiting the place. There is also presence of a historical Chinese population here. The town has a European feel to it because of the colonial era. The famous traveller Ibn Battuta mentioned in his accounts, the port of Kollam amongst the five Indian ports he had seen in India during his visit in the 14th century. Marco Polo has also visited this city during his time as a Chinese mandarin.

Kollam has a thriving tourism industry. A proverb that is much used for this city is ‘Once you see Kollam, you will not need your home any more’. Kollam has mesmerizing natural beauty along with a hint of history. The places that interest tourists are the beaches, old forts, adventure parks, picnic village and backwaters of Kollam.

Kollam was a flourishing port during the Chera dynasty and later became the capital of the independent Venad or Kingdom of Quilon. Kollam had a strong commercial reputation since the days of the Phoenicians and Romans. Desinganadu Rajas exchanged embassies with Chinese rulers while there was a flourishing Chinese settlement at Kollam. It was considered as one of the five main ports dealing with Chinese trade in 14th century. In 1502, the first trading centre was established in Kollam by the Portuguese. The Portuguese were followed by the Dutch and then the British in 1795.

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.