WELCOME TO KOLLAM

Kollam or Quilon, an old sea port and town on the Arabian coast in Kerala, India, on the Ashtamudi Lake.  Kollam town, the headquarters of Kollam district and Kollam taluk, has a hoary past.  It was an international emporium of trade and even now it is a prosperous commercial centre.  It is situated about 71 Kms. north of Thiruvavanathapuram and is linked by rail, road and backwater transport.

ATTRACTIONS

Thevally Kottaram
 

Thevally Palace is known for its architectural beauty. The palace is located on the banks of Ashtamudi Kayal. The palace built by the Maharaja of Travancore attracts a lot of tourists. There is a temple dedicated to Lord Sastha.The natural gift is set amidst scenic surroundings covered by hills on the three sides. Thevally Kottaram was the residence of the monarchs of erstwhile Travancore when they used to visit Kollam. The palace is about 200 years ago, during the reign of Gauri Parvathi Bai, between 1811 and 1819.The palace is at present the Kollam/Alleppey headquarters of the N.C.C. The Public Works Department also has its office here.

Thangassery

 

Thangassery is a place of historical importance situated 5 kms. away from Kollam town.  The churches here are pretty old, having been established in the 18th century.  The chief attraction of the place is the light house, built in 1902.  The 144 ft.  light house stands as a sentinel, warning seamen of the treacherous reefs of Thangassery.  The construction of a fishing harbour is in progress.  Thangassery was an enclave of the Portuguese, Dutch and British in succession.  The remnants of the Portuguese and Dutch forts still exits.

 Puthenkulam Elephant Village

 

The road to this village is not less traveled. But, it is a beaten track traveled by majestic elephants along with human beings. Bhoothakulam Panchayat in Kollam district has the largest number of captive elephants in Kerala and most of them are from the Puthenkulam village has roughly around 50 elephants in whole.. It is situated around 25 kms away from Kollam. Every Year this place attracts a large number of tourists from all over the world, more than 10000 tourists visit here.

Jetayu Para

 

 Jetayu Para, a huge rock, is another attraction in Kollam district. This huge rock is in the Chadayamangalam village on the M.C road. The name comes from the epic Ramayana. It is believed that Jatayu, the giant bird in the epic, fell after failing in its attempt to spot Ravana from taking sita away. The rock is ideal for trekking by the lovers of adventure. The rock can be seen from the Chadayamangalam junction. itself.

 

 Kottarakkara

 

Kottarakkara is the headquarters of Kottarakkara Taluk. It is linked by both rail and road, a distance of 27 kms. It was once the capital of Elayadathu Swarupam, a principality ruled by a branch of the Travancore Royal Family. The internationally famous dance drama-Kath kali had its small beginning in this town and it flourished under the patronage of Raja of Kottarakkara.

Neendakara

 

Situated about 8 kms north of Kollam , Neendakara is the Headquarters of the Indo-Norwegian Fisheries Community project, which was established in 1953.The important institutions under this project are the boat building yard at Sakthikulangara the Fisherman's Training Institute, the ice factory and the refrigeration Plant. Neendakara Port, the hub of fishing activities is here. 

Kulathupuzha

Kulathupuzha is situated on the Thiruvannathapuram - Sencottah road and is 10 kms south of Tenmala railway station. It is and important forest range, well known for its elephants. Reed, an essential raw materials for paper manufacture at Punalur Paper mill, is partly supplied from Kulathupuzha valley.

Palaruvi Waterfalls

Palaruvi which means "milky stream" makes its `milky way' down the rocks, falling from a height of 300 feet. The Palaruvi woods is a beautiful picnic spot. There are frequent buses to Ariankavu from Kollam. The PWD Inspection Bungalow and the KTDC Motel offer comfortable accommodation.

Thirumullavaram Beach

 

These secluded beaches are beautiful picnic spots. One can watch and experience the sunset from here. You can’t swim in Kollam beach because of big waves. Thirumullavaram beach is suitable for swimming here you can walk nearly half kilometer into the sea.

Sasthamcotta Lake

Sasthamcottah is an attractive village situated about 19 kms. from Kollam Town.  It is a beauty spot, a health resort and a centre of pilgrimage.  The extensive freshwater lake here, is said to be the biggest of its kind in Kerala.  Water supply to the Kollam town is met by purifying the water from this lake.  Buses are frequently operated to Sasthamcottah, which can truly be called as Queen of Lakes. A large part of the lake has been reclaimed for agriculture. The source of water is from the underground sprouts. The lake has a capacity to hold 22390 million litres of water and serves as the source of drinking water for half a million people of Kollam district.

Ashtamudi Lake 

Ashtamudi Lake (Ashtamudi Kayal) in the Kollam District of Kerala, India, is the second largest and deepest wetland ecosystem, a palm-shaped (also called octopus-shaped) large water body, next only to the Vembanad estuary ecosystem of the state. Ashtamudi means 'eight coned'(Ashta = 'eight'; mudi = 'coned') in the local language of Malayalam. This name is indicative of the lake's topography: a lake with multiple branches. The lake is also called the gateway to the backwaters of Kerala.Ashtamudi Wetland was included in the list of wetlands of international importance, as defined by the Ramsar Convention for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands.

IMPORTANT RELIGIOUS CENTRES

TEMPLES

Oachira

Situated ,32 kms north of Kollam on the Kollam Alappuzha National Highway and on the boundary of Kollam district, Oachira is a unique pilgrim center. The peculiarity of the temple here is that there is no temple building as such nor is there any idol. All classes of people workship the presiding deity the parabrahmam. Oachira draws thousands of Pilgrims for Oachirakkali, a festival held annually in June. It is also an important handicraft center where fancy articles of screw pine mats are manufactured.

Aryankavu

Situated about 73 kms east of Kollam is one of the important pilgrim centers of the district. From very early days, it was an important trade route for merchants from either sides of western Ghats. The chief attraction of Aryankavu is the shrine dedication of Lord Sastha. The temple has some fine sculptures and mural paintings. Thousands of pilgrims flocks of this temple during the Mandala Pooja in December. All trains towards Shencottah have a stop at Aryankavu. About 5 kms away from Aryankavu there is a big waterfall known as Palaravi meaning river of milk. It is one of the well-known waterfalls in the south India, falling from a height of 300 feet. It is situated 66kms from Kollam on Kollam-Shencottah road.

Achencoil

Situated about 80 kms from Punalur is an important pilgrim center. The Sastha temple here, situated amidst dense forest. The idol of Sastha is supposed to have been installed several centuries before the Christian Era. The two important festivals of this temple are Mandala Pooja (December-January) and the festival held at 'Revathi'(January-February). The two notable features of the festival are the Therotam (chariot festival) and Pushpabhishekam (offering of flowers). In no other temple of the South India are flowers offered to the deity so lavishly as at Achencoil. 

 

CHURCHES

Martha Mariam Church

Martha Mariam Orthodox Syrian Church of Thevalakara is located in Thevalakkara in Karunagapally. This church was believed to be built in 4th century. The festivals celebrated in this church are Mar Abo feast held on the 7th and 8th of February, the Feast of Saint Mary and the feast of Saint Gregorios. These are conducted annually.

Kollam Church

 

Saint Thomas who was an apostle of Jesus Christ established seven and half churches in India and was called as Seven and Half Churches or Ezharappallikal. One of these churches was in Kollam. Port Kollam church which was built by St Thomas is believed to be around 1000 years old. It is one of the great Catholic centers in India.

Pullichira Church

Pullichira Church is a famous Marian pilgrim centre which is situated on the banks of Pullichira Lake. Initially the church was built in the year 1572 by the Portuguese. Later in 1974, a new church was built and the altar was preserved. It was considered as a Marian pilgrimage shrine in the year 2004. The festival celebrated here is the feast of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception church that lasts for 10 days. Some other feasts are St. Sebastian's feast, Lourdes Matha feast, St. Joseph's feast etc.

MOSQUE 

Sheikh Masjid

 

Karunagappally Sheikh Masjid [Taj Mahal of Kerala] Sheikh Masjid in Karunagapally is designed like the Taj Mahal. The dome is semicircular, providing an area of 8,000 square meters where 3,000 devotees can offer namaz at a time.