Kollam
Kollam or Quilon, an old sea port and town on the Laccadive Sea coast in Kerala, India, on the Ashtamudi Lake. Kollam, once called Desinganadu, had a sustained commercial reputation from the days of the Phoenicians and the Romans. Fed by the Chinese trade, it was regarded by Ibn Battuta, as one of the five ports which he had seen in the course of his travels during twenty four years, in the 14th century. Kollam District is a veritable Kerala in miniature is gifted with sea, lakes, plains, mountains, rivers, streams, backwaters, forest, vast green fields and tropical crops of every variety.

History[edit]

An ancient trading town - trading with Chinese, Arabs and other Orientals - with historical citations of trade dating back to Biblical history and the reign of Solomon (supported with a find of ancient Roman coins). Internal trade occurred through the Punalur Pass connecting the ancient town to Tamil Nadu. The overland trade by bullock cart of its produce pepper and the trade over the waterways connecting Allepey and Cochin ensured trade linakges that grew into shaping it as a town playing host to one of the earliest industrial townships. The rail links established to Tamil Nadu supported firmer trade links. The marine exports processing factories and the processing and packaging of cashewnuts took the produce of these shores across the globe. The State of Kerala is looking at trade to drive development that is environment friendly and sustainable.
Kollam was a flourishing port of the Chera Dynasty until the formation of the Venad kingdom, when it became the capital of the independent Venad kingdom. Before that, Kollam was considered one of the four early entrepots in the global sea trade around the thirteenth century, along with Alexandria and Cairo in Egypt, the Chinese city of Quanzhou, andMalacca in the Malaysian archipelago language The official and administrative language of Kollam is Malayalam. As an off shoot of Dravidian language, Malayalam is rich and diverse. The word 'Malayalam' has been derived from a combination of two words, 'mala' meaning 'the mountain' and 'alam' meaning 'the land'. It is not only the official language of Kollam but is widely spoken by the majority of the population in Kerala.

History of Malayalam language clearly points out the fact that it bears a strong resemblance with the Tamil language. Certain Malayalam expressions were influenced by Tamil. Several words from Portuguese, English, Arabic, Marathi, Dutch, Sanskrit and Persian words have also been incorporated. Malayalam has 37 consonants and 16 vowels. It also has an independent script.
The spread of the language of Malayalam was initiated by a Nestorian Christia in 825 AD, who basically was a trading merchant and had settled down in Kollam. The era of Malayalam began in the year 825 A.D. Kollam, therefore plays a pivotal role in the evolution and development of this language.

As the native language of Kollam, Malayalam has evolved and developed under external influences. Contemporary Malayalam allows extensive use of English idioms and other lexical items. Other than Malayalam the other Kollam languages are Kannada, Telegu and Tamil. Small sections of the population also speak communal dialects, which are variations of Malayalam. English is the most popular foreign language in Kollam. Many people especially in offices and commercial centers understand and speak English.

Culture

Kollam, the capital of the erstwhile Venad, was a centre of learning and culture. It attracted distinguished scholars from all parts of South India. Leelathilakam and Unnuneeli Sandesam, two literary works of historical importance, are contributions of 14th-century Kollam. The dance form of Kathakali, in its new version of Ramanattam, was the creation of Kottarakkara Thampuran, who also translated Krishnanattam from Sanskrit to Malayalam.[citation needed]
Other notable figures are K. C. Kesava Pillai, a poet and playwright; he originated the musical play in Malayalam through his work Sadarma. His Kesaveeyam, a Mahakavyam[clarification needed], is of outstanding literary importance. Paravoor Kesavan Asan, the founding editor of Sujanandini, wrote Saratchandrika a study of Ayurvedic systemof medicine.
Coming to modern times, Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai and Sooranad Kunjan Pillai, noted literary historians and poets like O. N. V. Kurup, Thirunalloor Karunakaran, Punaloor Balan, novelist and poet Lalithambika Antharjanam are some of the literary luminaries hailing from this district.[citation needed]
Leaders like T. M. Varghese, C. Kesavan, Kumbalathu Sanku Pillai, N. Sreekantan Nair, R. Sankar and C. M. Stephen who played prominent roles in shaping the socio-political destiny of the State, are also from this district. The district gave birth to well known freedom fighters like Chandiran Kali Ambi, Kadakkal Manthri and Franco Raghavan Pillai.
Arts and festivals
In Kollam people from different castes and religion co exist and so the culture of Kollam also is a mixture of several cultures. The culture lies in the festivals, art, education etc. The language of people in Kollam is Malayalam which is the official language of Kerala as whole. People who speak Tamil, Telugu and Kannada are also found here and the foreign language spoken is English.

When it comes to festivals, people from each community celebrate different occasions which according to them are important based on their traditions. Some of the main Hindu festivals celebrated are Kollam Pooram, Onam etc and the other non Hindu festivals are Christmas, Easter and Ramzan. The main feature of the culture here is the tolerance of each religion as people from different communities take part in the religious festivals.

Besides the religious festivals there are also some festivals celebrated in Kollam that marks the cultural tradition of this place. Such festivals include Oachirakkali in which the sword fight conducted as part of this festival denotes the famous Kayamkulam battle that was fought between the Kayamkulam Raja and the Travancore Ruler. Some other festivals are Kottamkulangara festival, Kettukazhcha etc and are attracted by a large number of tourists.

The two main components of the Kollam culture are the dance and music. Several dance and music programmes are conducted in Kollam throughout the year and annually. The dance form which is practiced for a long time was Kathakali and a new version of it called the Ramanattam was created by Kottarakkara Thampuran. He also improved Krishnanattam by using Malayalam instead of Sanskrit so that the common man can also understand and enjoy it. Some other dance forms that are practiced here include Koothu, Ottamthullal, Kaikottikali etc. The music that is practiced mainly here is the folk music which includes Vadakkan Pattukal, Kalyana Pattukal, Thekkan Pattukal and Mappila Pattukal. A classical music form that is sung is the Sopanasangeetham.

Kollam was a centre of learning and the cultural contributions of Kollam are very important. Two main literary works that has got historical significance include Leelathilakam and Unnineeli Sandesham. Some of the famous personalities who have contributed to the culture of Kollam are Paravoor K.C. Kesava Pillai who was a poet and writer, E.V. Krishna Pillai, C.V. Kunjuraman, T.M. Varghese and Sanku Pillai. Kollam culture has always supremacy in education and at present the literacy rate of this district is 93.77%.
Tourist places
Ashtamudi Kayal

Ashtamudi Lake also called as the Ashtamudi Kayal is a large and deep wetland ecosystem in our state. It has the shape of a palm and is large next to the Vembanad lake. The word meaning of Ashtamudi is “eight coned “, ashta meaning ‘eight’ and mudi meaning ‘cone’. It has got its name due to the topography of the lake which has several branches. This lake is considered to be the gateway to the backwaters in Kerala.
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Thangasseri Beach

Thangasseri beach is a very beautiful beach with white sand and palm trees bordering the beach. The beach has a length of 3 kms. Thangasseri beach which is a part of the Thangasseri town was a small Portuguese colony which then became a Dutch colony and finally came under the control of the British.
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Thirumullavaram Beach

Thirumullavaram beach is a very beautiful with calm waves and golden colored sand. The cool blue color sea is liked by all the tourists and it makes it a famous tourist destination. This beach is ideal for morning walk and you can have a glimpse of the fisherman getting ready to catch fishes.
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Thangasseri Fort

Thangasseri fort was also called as ‘Dutch Quilon’. The word meaning of Thangasseri is ‘gold village’ as this was the place where trade was done using gold as the currency. This place was the favorite spot of the Dutch and the Portuguese
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Police Museum

Sardar Vallabhai Patel Police Museum is the only one of its kind in India. This museum shows various developments of the police force in our country. In this museum one can find different types of guns, bullets, machines and various other weapons. Besides there are charts showing the details about fingerprints, DNA tests, several snaps, medals given to Policemen etc.
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Palaruvi Waterfalls

Palaruvi waterfall is situated in Thenmala in Kollam and is near to Tamil Nadu border. It lies in the Thenmala ranges between dense forests and is across the Kallada river. The word meaning of Palaruvi is ‘stream of milk’ and this waterfall is given this name because it looks like a stream of milk. The water falls from a height of 300 ft and forms a small pool at the bottom
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Shenduruny Wildlife

Shenduruney wildlife sanctuary derives its name from the plant Chenkurinji. This wildlife is a part of the Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve and is at a height of 1550 m above sea level. It was considered as a wildlife sanctuary in the year 1984. One of the oldest river valley civilizations lies here and is famous for its wide range of biodiversity.
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Ashram Picnic Village

Ashramam Picnic village is located in the Guest House Complex in Kollam. This Guest House is around 200 years old and lies in an area of 48 acres. It was the residence of Lord Munroe and the architecture of this building is marvelous. The tourist village at Ashram along the backwaters is an ideal picnic destination
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Jetayu Para

A very huge rock which is a main attraction in Kollam is called as Jetayu Para. This rock is ideal for trekking purposes and is present in the Chadayamangalam village. According to the legend, this rock is believed to have appeared after the bird Jetayu of the epic Ramayana fell from the sky on its attempt to prevent Ravana from taking away Sita
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Kottarakkara Kathakali Museum

Kottarakkara Kathakali Museum is a museum which is established in memory of the father of Kathakali named Kottarakkara Thampuran. This museum is dedicated to the art form called Kathakali and various models of Kathakalo are kept here for exhibition. The other exhibits include models of Kathakali, costumes, ornaments, musical equipments and sculptures of kathakali, costumes and models of dance forms such as Mohiniyattom and other dance forms etc.
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Transport[edit]

Rail[edit]

Kollam Railway Station is the second largest railway station in Kerala in terms of area after Shornur Junction with a total of 6 platforms.Kollam also boasts the longest railway platform in Kerala: which is more than 1 km long.Though the total length of Kollam Junction's PF-3&4 combined is around 1180 meters which is more than the length of the existing longest platform in the world (Kharagpur - 1072.5 meters), but the PF-3 side length is about 900m while the PF-4 side length is about 880m. In a single stretch the total length is 1180ms.[14] The metre gauge track from Kollam to Punalur was converted to broad gauge under project Unigauge and was inaugurated by the Hon. Minister for State for Railways,E. Ahmed, on 12 May 2010. The Thiruvananthapuram – Ernakulam (via Kottayam and Alappuzha) line passes through Kollam. Kollam has completely electrified railway tracks. Two railway lines passing through Kottarakkara (Chengannur -Kottarakkara – Thiruvananthapuram) and Punalur (Erumeli – Punalur – Thiruvananthapuram) have been proposed and are awaiting survey.[citation needed]
Mainline Electrical Multiple Unit (MEMU) services have started from Kollam to Ernakulam via: Alappuzha and Kottayam from the 2nd week of January 2012.[15][16] A MEMU maintenance shed along with an upcoming Service building will change the face of Kollam Junction Railway Station.

Road[edit]

The city is connected to other parts of Kerala and India through the National Highways - NH 66 (Earlier NH 47), NH 183 (Earlier NH 220),NH 744 (Earlier NH 208) and other state PWD Roads and also by the Indian Railway Network. Road transport is provided by State ownedKerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and private transport bus operators. Road transport is also supported by private taxis and autorickshaws, also called autos.

Water[edit]

The State Water Transport Department operates boat services to West Kallada, Munroe Island and Alappuzha. Double decker luxury boats run between Kollam and Allepey daily. Luxury boats, operated by Government and private owners, operate from the main boat jetty during the tourist season. The West coast canal system, which starts from Thiruvananthapuram in the south and ends at Hosdurg in the north, passes through the city of Kollam and Karunagappally taluk. The Thiruvananthapuram-Shornur canal, which forms a part of the Thiruvananthapuram-Hosdurg system, runs a distance of about 62 km. The other canal systems include the Paravur Kayal, Kollam canal and Chavara canal.

Port[edit]

The Kollam Port (Thankasseri Port) is the second largest port in South Kerala after Cochin Port Trust, as of 2010. The port is undergoing infrastructural development.[citation needed] The port is located near the city of Kollam. Neendakara and Shakthikulangara are twin fishing harbours in Kollam. Neendakara is one of the busiest fishing harbours in South Kerala. Some port operations are carried out through Neendakara as well. The state government in 2012 has mooted the idea of carrying out the operations of the port through PPP basis. The project finds a mention under the state government's investor meet- Emerging Kerala.
Sea Plane
The First Sea Plane service of the Indian Mainland was officially launched on June 2, 2013 at Ashtamudi Lake. It will available for the tourists from August 2013.
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