KOLLAM

Kollam was the capital of powerful kingdom called Venad (in the 9^th century).Kollam has been known by different names at various times. If the Arabs called it’ Kaulam’, it was ‘coilum’ for the 13^th century Venetian traveler Marco Polo and ‘Desinanad’ for its rulers in the 15^th century. Kollam , in its many aliases , finds a mention in even earlier writings; those of people like pliny – The Roman senator, and Rabi Benchamin – the Jewish traveler.  It is known that the Chinese established a trading settlement here as far back as 9^th century and there was  even an exchange of envoys during the time of Kublai Khan traces of a one prosperous trade with China are evident in the Remnants of China ware that have been exacavated in and around Kollam this was the time when merchant boats piled its back waters , loading valuable cargo.

Lured by the lucrative trade in the region, various kinds of people came to Kollam. The 16^th century Portuguese writer, Duarte Barbossa described it has a ‘very great city with a  right good heaven’, which was visited by ‘moors ,Christians and Heathens  in great numbers, where ‘a great store’ of pepper was to be found.

 

Though Kollam’s reputation as a commercial centre dates back to the times of the Romans, the movement for its trade came with its first European settlers, the Portuguese- who set up a factory here in 1502, followed by the Dutch who dominated the scene from 1662. Later, the British came and stationed garrison in pursuance of a treaty with the Travancore Raja in the 18^th century for, by 1835, Kollam was prominent part of the erstwhile Travancore state.

Kollam came to be known in history as the nerve centre of the rebellion organized by freedom fighter, Velu Thampi Dalawa, of Travancore, Kollam’s political prominence was evident much earlier when Udaya Marthanda Varma was the Raja of Kayamakulam. He built the new bazaars and invited merchants from neighboring Tamil Nadu to settle here. The king convened a special council at Kollam to introduce a new era. After extensive astronomical calculations the new era was established to start in 825 AD, and so the Malayalam calendar starts from Kollavarsham, or 825- the year the town was founded by the Persian immigrants, who had received a charter of privileges from the then Raja of Venad of the 9^th century.

The Portuguese came to the Kerala cost, they brought with them a fruit called cashew. Though cashew now grows all over Kerala, it was in Kollam that it really took root. Called the Parangiandi, or the Portuguese nut, it flourished here. But as an economic activity, cashew processing remind in the hands of Europeans till a local business man called T K Musliar so the potential and began purchasing raw cashew from small scale farmers. He set up an independent factory, the first full fledged cashew factory ion Kerala. Subsequently, with more and more people getting in to the sector, Kollam became the hub of cashew processing. There were 552 cashew processing units in the district. The largest processor of cashew in the world, the Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation, is located in Kollam. it is also the centre of the fisheries industry and home to the indo Norwegian fisheries project. Aside from this, over 20000 factories and industrial units churning out products as varied as coir, chemicals and ceramics, to minerals and sea food makes it the most industrialized district in the state.

 

Sights

Police Museum

            The only such establishment in the state, it traces the history and development of the Police force. B.Sandhya, an IPS officer, is the driving force behind this unique museum. There is the display of human bones ,guns  heavy and light weapons, charts and diagrams detailing  DNA finger printing , photos of individual police dogs and the dog squad , Medals and  Police arms of the 18^th and 19^th centuries. The star attraction of the museum is the Martyr’s gallery. There is also meditation hall and traffic guidance. 

Thevally Palace

            It stands on a promontory in central Kollam, over looking the scenic Ashtamudi Lake is best viewed from the lake. Built during the reign of Gowri Parvathy Bai, between 1811 and 1819, it was the residence of the erstwhile Maharaja, whenever he visited Kollam for meeting with the British resident. They built the late rite and lime plaster and is a blend of Dutch , Portuguese and English architectural style.  Today the palace is the headquarters of NCC.

Adventure Park

A kilometer from the Kollam city near the Govt. guest house , This is a village that contain an adventure park, a boat club , a children’s traffic park and yathri nivas all housed in a sprawling campus . We can also see the 200 year old guest house  where Lord Munroe once stayed the ‘Parambarya Museum’ in the same premises .It has on display paintings from different parts of the country including Warli Kalamkari, Madhubani and Kerala mural art.

Ochira Temple

            This temple has neither a structure to house an idol nor an idol to worship. Ochira is dedicated to the formless, infinite Para Braham, the absolute supreme principle .The annual festival OchiraKali, is held during June July, in commemoration of the historic battle fought between Kayamakulam and Chempakasseri soldiers. During the festival, men dress up as warriors and enact mock wars wielding wooden sticks, brandishing swords and shields enacting a kind of Marshal Dance, Standing knee deep in water. To days of this ritual is followed by few days of brisk trading in cattle and agricultural produce, an old tradition now being revived .Beside this , the 12 day ‘Panthrandu Villakku’(12 lamps) festival held in November- December .

Sree Venkatachalapathy Temple

            One of the most famous temples in Kollam, It was established in1892. It is the southern most temple of the Gowda Sara swath Brahmins. Originally from Karnataka, these Brahmins who came to the region long ago form a sizable community, which is largely clustered around this temple. The deities in the sanctum sanctorum here are placed on three steps .The main deity, Venkatachalapathy, is on the first step. There is also a two ponds.

Shasthamkotta Dharmasastha Temple

            It is dedicated to Lord ‘Ayyappa’. The monkeys of Shasthamkotta that colonize the towering trees nearby, are believed to be the loyal followers of the ruling deity, Dharmasatha.That explains why they are revered by devotees and fed with nuts and fruits. To prevent the monkeys from staying out of the temple premises, a Philanthropist has set up funs to feed the monkeys daily twice. The 10 day annual festival is punctuated by a colorful Kettu Kazcha ritual procession, various folk art forms and culminates in an elephant procession

            The extensive Shasthamkotta fresh water lake   near the temple is flanked by hills on three sides. The lake, the biggest of its kind in Kerala, is the source of drinking water for the entire district.

Mayyanad

            Mayyanad is famous for its shrines and temples, about 10Km south of Kollam .Subramanya temple at Umayanallur, the most important among the 9 temples in this area .It is said to have been consecrated by the great philosopher Sri Adhi Shankaracharya.

            The Rameswara Temple has obvious Dravidian characteristics .The Pandyan influence in its design and we can see inscriptions dating between 12^th and 16^th centuries.

Alumkadavu

            Alumkadavu:  The northern backwaters of Kollam. We can see here, the crafting of KettuVallom at the house boat building yard. For long it has been a boat-building centre. Traditional house boats are still built and repaired here and also visit coir- making units and learn how rope is mad.

Mata Amritananda Ashram   

            This is the place known as spiritual guru was born-on a narrow strip of land between the sea and backwaters. The original hamlet of Vallikkavu in its new avatar, Amritapuri has became a beehive of activity; it as an ashram that is the headquarters of Mata Amritanandamayi Trust. The 5 acre plot holds a self contained township that also includes a post office, bank, library and charitable   dispensary. Accommodation and vegetarian food is free.

Elephant pageant   

            In March, the Sree Krishna temple at ashram near Kollam celebrates its annual elephant festival. The highlight is the colorful pageantry, involving over 40 elephants, on the grounds opposite the ashram tourist village, 2 km away on the Kottarakkara road.

Munroe Island

            It is an islet or Thuruthu. Formed by the backwaters of Ashtamudi Lake and Kallada River, the island is named after colonel Munroe, the British resident of erstwhile Travancore state. He is credited with having integrated several backwater regions by digging canals. Cruise in a typical country craft for the three hours criss crossing the intricate canals, drinking in the scenic charm and experience the simple lives of the villagers.

Thangasseri   

It is located to the south of Kollam, is Thangasseri, meaning ‘gold village’, for this was the hub of a flourishing trade that used gold as currency. A 99 acre of land, it has a history that goes back to the early 14^th century when the Portuguese invited by Rani of Kollam to set up a trading centre here. Subsequently Thangasseri became a colonial settlement.

There are old churches and cemeteries and a crumbling fort. Thangasseri also has very old printing press the San Salcador Seminary. There is a 144- foot lighthouse built in 1519by the British and renovated in 1942. It is tallest in the Kerala. Once there is the stronghold of Anglo Indian community. But now it has only a few families lived here. The community made many catholic churches and schools. In 1999 Thangasseri celebrated its 500^th anniversary.

Thenmala

            Thenmala: the honey laden hills are situated 500 meters above sea level in the foothills of the Southern part of the Western Ghats. It is believed that the honey collected from this region is medicinal quality. Thenmala was India’s first planned eco tourism destination. The Thenmala Ecotourism Promotion Society (TEPS), made Thenmala as the environment without causing disturbance to the delicate balance of the eco system. a well kept garden with a musical foundation, boating in the reservoir and an amphitheater constitute here.

Nakshatravanam

            A nursery of trees considered sacred to the 27 constellations, located inside one of the zones; this is a novel concept. Visitors can take back a sampling of the tree relevant to their birth stars. The project is based on the ancient belief that it is auspicious for one to plant a tree corresponding to one’s asterism. Once you buy the sapling of your lucky tree, pictures of the tree at different stages of growth will be sent to you.

Deer rehabilitation centre

            Here, we can see sambar, spotted and barking deer. The animals are fed a rehabilitated in an enclosure surrounded by a natural trail. The centre also has a children’s eco park with swings and treetop hunts.

Palaruvi falls

            Palaruvi, which means milky stream, hurtles down from a height of 300 feet and collects in a small pond beneath. The Palaruvi falls is managed by local community.

Rock shelte

            This is a cave that was inhabited during pre historic times. The cave rock engravings similar to Edakkal dating to Mesolithic times, that which is 4000BC. Microliths, small stone tools made of milky white quartz can be seen around the shelter.

 Temple circuit

            We can see Ayyappa in three different incarnations in three different temples. Kulathupuzha, Aryanakavu and Achancovil are the three temples. Located by the side of the Kollam-Chenkotta road, 35 feet below road level, the temple at Aryanakavu depicts Ayyappa as a bachelor. At the Achancovil temple we can see Ayyappa as Dharmasastha with his consorts, Poorna and Pushkala. It is constructed by the Pandalm Raja. The idol in this temple is Manikanda. A unique feature of the temple is the feeding of fish.

Shenduruney wildlife sanctuary

            Located in the southern part of the Western Ghats, this sanctuary is a part of Agastyamala biosphere reserve. The name derives from an endemic tree spice called Gluta travancoria, known locally as Shenkurney or Chenkuruney. The landscape includes a reservoir of the Parappar dam, built at the confluence of the Shenduruney and Kulathupuzha rivers. This, artificial lake, irrigates the districts of Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha. There is many rivers run through namely, Umayar, Shenduruneyar, Aruviyar and Parappayar .the area is hill, interspersed with ravines, and rugged peaks. The highest peak, Alvarkurinchi, measures 1500 meters. The Chenkurinji, or the red kurinji, an endemic and endangered species, towering about 60 meters, grows only in the rock wood area of the sanctuary. It is also known as royal tree (rajakeeya maram), as its wood was used for making furniture for the royal family. It is believed that a cot made out of Chenkurinji wood would protect a person from at least 7 different types of deceases including blood pressure and arthritis.

            The list of fauna include 34 species of mammals, 245 species of birds, 36 species of reptiles, 22 species of amphibians and 42 species of fish.

Different types of birds and animals are also seen in this region.