| Kollam (കൊല്ലം) कोल्लम Quilon |
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| Coordinates | |
| Country | India |
| State | Kerala |
| District(s) | Kollam |
| Mayor | Prasanna Earnest |
| City Police Commissioner | T.J.Jose IPS |
| Population |
349,033[1] (2011[update]) • 5,936 /km2 (15,374 /sq mi) |
| Sex ratio | 1069 ♂/♀ |
| Official languages | Malayalam, English, Hindi |
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| Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) |
| Area |
58.18 square kilometres (22.46 sq mi) • 3 metres (9.8 ft) |
| Website | www.kollam.gov.in |
Kollam (Malayalam: കൊല്ലം, कोल्लम, Kollam), often anglicized as Quilon, is a city in the Indian state of Kerala. The city lies on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake on the Arabian sea coast and is situated about 71 kilometres (44 mi) north of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram. It is the headquarters of Kollam district and a prominent trade and commercial city.
Kollam is the fourth-largest city in Kerala, based on population after Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, and Kozhikode and is the smallest corporation (58.18 square kilometres (22.46 sq mi)) in Kerala on the basis of area. It is known for cashew processing and coir manufacturing. It is considered to be the southern gateway to the backwaters of Kerala and is a prominent tourist destination. The Kollam urban area comprises the fast developing suburban towns such as Kottiyam in the south, Kundara in the east, and Chavara in the north of the city. Other important towns in the city suburbs are Paravur, Kannanalore, and Anchalumoodu. Karunagapally, Chathanoor, and Kottarakkara are major towns within a distance of 25 km from Kollam city centre towards north, south, and east respectively.
Kollam appeared as Palombe in Mandeville's Travels, where he claimed it contained a Fountain of Youth.[2][3] During the rule of the Chera monarchy in southern Kerala, Kollam emerged as the focal point of trade. Kollam continues to be a major business and commercial centre in the central Travancore region of Kerala.
The Malayalam calendar, or Kollavarsham, was created in Kollam at meetings held in the city in 825 CE.[4] The name Kollam is believed to have been derived from the Sanskrit word Kollam, meaning pepper.
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.
Kollam shares fame with Pattanam (Muziris) as an ancient seaport on the Malabar Coast of India from the early centuries of Before the Christian era.
Kollam had a sustained commercial reputation from the days of the Phoenicians and Ancient Rome. Pliny the Elder (23–79 AD) mentions Greek ships anchored at Muziris and Nelcynda. There was also a land route over the Western Ghats. Spices, pearls, diamonds, and silk were exported to Egypt and Rome from these ports. Pearls and diamonds came to Chera Kingdom from Ceylon and the southeastern coast of India, then known as the Pandyan kingdom.
Cosmas Indicopleustes, a Greek Nestorian sailor,[5] in his book the Christian Topography who visited the Malabar coast in 550 CE, mentions an enclave of Christian believers in Male (Chera Kingdom). He wrote, "In the island of Tabropane (Ceylon), there is a church of Christians, and clerics and faithful. Likewise at Male, where the pepper grows and in the farming community of Kalliana (Kalliankal at Nillackal) there is also a bishop concecrated in Persia in accordance with the Nicea sunnahadose of 325 AD ."[6] The Nestorian Patriarch Jesujabus, who died in 660 CE, mentions Kollam in his letter to Simon, Metropolitan of Persia.
In 825 CE, the Nestorian monks Mar Abo and Mar Proth arrived in Kollam on the invitation of the ruler of the Venad-a feudatory under the Chera kingdom.[7] The two monks received a Royal sanction called "Tarsish-a-palli" near "Korukenikollam" from Chera ruler Rajashekara varman Ayyanadikal Thiruvadikal, as described on the Tharisapalli plates. Special privileges were given to the Ezhavas in the Tarisapalli sasanam. The two monks were instrumental in founding Christian churches with Syrian liturgy in the Malabar coast area distinct from ancient Hinduism. Mar Abo lived his last years at Thevalakkara, and his remains were buried there in the Martha Mariam Orthodox Church.
Kollam sea port was founded by Mar Abo with sanction from Udayamarthandavarma the Tamil king from Venad otherwise called Ay kingdom in 825 AD instead of re opening the inland sea port(kore-ke-ni kollam) near Backare (Thevalakara) also known as Nelcynda and Tyndis to the Romans and The Greeks and Thondi to the Taamils and is also the foundation of the new city. It is also believed that Mar Abo actually volunteered to the Chera king to create a new sea port town near at Kollam instead of his request for renewing the almost vanishing Tyndis or Nelcynda inland sea port(kore-ke-ni) at Kollam,lying idle without trade for a few centuries because of the Cheras being over run by pallavas in the 6th century AD ending the spice trade from Malabar coast. This allowed Mar Abo to stay for many decades in Chera kingdom and streamline Christian faith in the St.Thomas tradition with Syrian liturgy replacing the Sanskrit and Vedic prayers.
The Malayalam Era began in 825 CE; it is named 'Kolla Varsham' after Kollam, because of the importance of Kollam in the 9th century CE. Ayyanadikal Thiruvadikal granted the Tharisapalli plates copper plate grants in 825 CE to Nestorian Monk Mar S(abo)r Iso who he invited to Kollam, transferring to the Tarsish Church and the community in the St. Thomas tradition of Quilon.[8]
A merchant, Soleyman of Siraf of Persia, visited Malabar in the 9th century and found Quilon to be the only port in India used by the huge Chinese ships as their Transhipment hub for their goods on their way from China to the Persian Gulf. The rulers of Kollam (formerly called 'Desinganadu') had trade relations with China and exchanged embassies. According to the records of the Tang Dynasty (618 AD to 913 AD),[9] Quilon was their chief port of call before 7th century AD. The Chinese trade decreased about 600 AD and was again revived in the 13th century.
In 1291, John of Montecorvino, a Franciscan monk, became a priest at Quilon. Friar Jordanus Catalini, who arrived in 1321, effected large-scale Latin Catholic conversions and was appointed Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Quilon in 1329. Friar Jordanus built a church, called St. Georges Church, with the patronage of Nestorian spice merchants at Jona-ka-puram (the seat of Jordanus Catalini )in Kollam and wrote Mirabilia Descripta. However, after Giovanni de' Marignolli in 1353, this Latin church was converted to a Nestorian church by the Nestorian Christians, and when Portuguese arrived in 1498, only Nestorian Christianity existed in Kerala in a visible way.
Marco Polo, who visited China's Kublai Khan's court, traveled in 1292 through Kollam on his return journey to Venice, and gave an interesting account of the flourishing port of Kollam (coilum, as he called it) and its trade relations inter connectivity with China in the east and Europe to the west. Chinnakada, (China-kada), the city center, was so named after the Chinese merchants. The increase in commercial activity resulted in establishment of a flourishing Chinese settlement at Kollam.
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to establish a trading center in Tangasseri, Kollam in 1502, which became the centre of trade in pepper. In the wars with the Moors/Arabs that followed, the ancient church of St Thomas was destroyed. In 1517, the Portuguese built the St. Thomas Fort in Thangasseri, which was destroyed in the subsequent wars with the Dutch. The ruins of the Fort can still be seen in Thangasseri. In 1661, the Dutch took possession of the city. The remnants of the Dutch forts can be found at Thangasseri. In the 18th century, Travancore conquered Kollam, followed by the British in 1795. Thangasseri remains today as an Anglo-Indian settlement, though few Anglo-Indians remain. The Infant Jesus Church in Thangasseri, an old Portuguese-built church, remains as a memento of the Portuguese rule of the area.
Velu Thampi Dalawa of Travancore worked to improve Kollam. He helped build new markets and invited merchants and traders from Madras (now Chennai) and Tirunelveli to set up trade in Kollam. Kollam, to this day has a thriving business in cashew nuts, coir and spices.
The history of the district as an administrative unit can be traced back to 1835, when the state of Travancore consisted of two revenue divisions with headquarters at Kollam.
At the time of the integrating of Travancore and Cochin districts in 1949, Kollam was one of the three revenue divisions in the state. Later these three revenue divisions were converted into districts. But Shencottah taluka was merged with Madras state consequent to the implementation of the States Reorganisation Act of 1956. Now the district has a single revenue division with its headquarters at Kollam Taluk Cutcherry.
Kollam city is bordered by the panchayaths of Neendakara and Thrikkadavoor to the north, Mayyanad to the south, Thrikkovilvattom and Kottamkara to the east and Arabian sea to the west. Ashtamudi lake is in the heart of the city. The city is about 63 kms away from Pathanamthitta,82 kms from Alappuzha,71 kms from Thiruvananthapuram,142 kms from Kochi,350 kms from Kozhikode and 226 kms from Thrissur.
As of 2011[update] India census,[1] Kollam city has a population of 349,033 and a population density of 5900 persons per square kilometre. The sex ratio (the number of females per 1000 males) was 1070 during the census year of 2001. The district of Kollam ranks sixth with respect to the population in the state. The city of Kollam ranks fourth in terms of population in Kerala. Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%. Kollam has an average literacy rate of 91.47%,[10] higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 84%, and female literacy is 80%. In Kollam, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age. Malayalam is the most spoken language. Hindi, English and Tamil are also widely understood in the city.
Kollam city is governed by a Municipal Corporation which is elected by the residents of the city. The corporation is divided into 55 divisions. Each division is represented by a councilor elected by the people and the Mayor is elected from among the councilors representing the political party with majority seats. There is a corporation Secretary who is the head of the office staff of the corporation. The present Mayor of Kollam Corporation is Mrs. Prasanna Earnest of the CPI(M). The police administration of the city is under the City Police Commissioner who is an IPS(Indian Police Service) officer and he reports to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Thiruvananthapuram Range. The police administration is under the State Home Department of the Government of Kerala. Kollam City is divided into three sub divisions namely Karunagappally, Kollam and Chathannoor, each comes under an Assistant Commissioner of Police. There is a City Traffic Police wing for controlling the road traffic of the city. The present Kollam City Police Commissioner is Shri.T.J Jose IPS (DIG).
Kollam Railway Station is the second largest railway station in Kerala in terms of area after Shornur Junction with a total of 8 platforms. 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.
Mainline Electrical Multiple Unit (MEMU) services are expected to start from Kollam to Ernakulam from the 2nd week of January 2012.[11][12] A MEMU maintenance shed along with an upcoming Service building will change the face of Kollam Junction Railway Station. Kollam also boasts the longest railway platform in Kerala: which is more than 1 KM long.
The city is connected to other parts of Kerala and India through the National Highways 47, NH 220 and NH 208 and by the railway network. Transport is provided by State owned Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and private transport bus operators. Road transport is also supported by private taxis and autorickshaws, also called autos.
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.
Kollam Port (Thankasseri Port) is the second largest port in Kerala after Cochin Port Trust, as of 2010. The port is undergoing infrastructural development. 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.
Kollam, like other districts in the state, is moderately industrialised. Some of the major employers in the public sector are Indian Rare Earths Limited (IRE) at Chavara, Kerala Metals and Minerals Limited at Chavara, Kerala Primo pipe factory at Chavara; Union Electrical Industries (popularly known as the Meter Company) and Parvathi Spinning at Kollam.
Kundara was known as an industrial area with aluminium, ceramics, starch factories, .Now a SEZ Techno park is been Notified to bring in cutting edge Nano and Information Technology to develop these industries here
Cashew industry and cashew board Cashew processing and coir production are the two most important sources of employment in the private sector. Cashew processing and sorting employs a large share of women workers who manually peel and sort cashews into different categories by size. The Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation Limited (KSCDC), Kollam, a Government Company, has 30 cashew factories and employs 20,000 people. Another important source of employment is tile manufacturing using clay. It is expected that a Cashew Board will be set up at Kollam for the development of cashew processing and exporting.
Clay tiles Clay tile manufacturing continues to be a mix of both large scale units and small informal units.
Infant Jesus and Mount Carmel at Thangasseri were set up during the British Raj as India's leading Anglo-Indian schools while St.Joseph's convent Girls Higher secondary school,Tuet, Govt.Boys Higher secondary school, Thevally and St.Aloysius Higher secondary school have already celebrated the centenary years of cherished existence with over 5,000 students studying in each school. Trinity Lyceum, Krist Raj Boys Higer secondary and Vimala Hridaya Girls Higer secondary schools at Pattathanam are the other three Big Schools in Kollam with over five thousand students studying. Other large schools in Kollam include S.N.Public, S.N. trust, Kendriya Vidyalaya, St. Jude Higher Secondary School, Mukhathala.Other schools in the city include:
Kollam Pooram, part of the Ashramam Sree Krishnaswamy Temple Festival, is the biggest cultural celebration in south Kerala. Kollam Pooram is usually held on April 15, and occasionally on April 16. The pooram is held at the Ashramam maidan.
Chittumala Theerthatanam is an annual march held on Thiruvonam, to promote communal harmony; it started in 1968. It starts from Munroe Island 25KM from Kollam and ends at Chittumala. The King's School is the first IGCSE school in the district. The course is offered by Cambridge International Examinations (CIE)
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.
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, is of outstanding literary importance. Paravoor Kesavan Asan, the founding editor of Sujanandini, wrote Saratchandrika a study of Ayurvedic system of medicine.
Coming to modern times, Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai and Soornadu 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.
Leaders like T. M. Varghese, C. Kesavan, Kumbalathu Sanku Pillai, N. Sreekantan Pillai, 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.
Kasthoorba Gandhi TTI, Mathilil, Mathilil. Kollam, Kerala was started during 2004. It is owned by Kasthoorba Gandhi memorial women’s charitable society registered under Travancore Cochin Charitable Society’s Act. About 50 women irrespective of caste, creed or politics are members of the society. This is the only TTI in the state which is run by a women’s organization.
There are a number of temples, ashrams and holy sites in the city, including Sree Subramanya Swami Kshethram Poojappura, in Keralapuram near Kundara. The Mata Amritanandamayi Math is situated at Parayakadavu in this district, about 20 km from the Kollam. Aasramam Sreekrishna Swamy temple is in the city where the annual Kollam pooram takes place. The Mukhathala Murari (Sree Krishna Swamy) Temple[13] at Mukhathala is about 10 km from the city. Sree Mahaganapathy temple at Kottarakara about 25 km from Kollam. Koonambaikulam(വലിയകൂനംബായ്കുളം) temple is very popular. Deity there is a Goddess,named 'Koonambaikulathu Amma'.
Other temples in the city include Kottarakulam Mahaganapathy temple, Mulamkadakom Devi temple, Rameswaram temple, Mahavishnu temple at Thirumullavaram, Ammachiveedu temple, Ashtamudi Veerabhadraswami temple, Pattathanam Ammannada temple, Dharmasastha temple at Kadappakkada,Peroor sree meenakshi temple at Punthalathazham,Mangalathu temple[14] at Punthalathazham etc.
Some of the famous mosques are Valiyapalli at Jonakappuram, Chinnakada juma Masjid, Juma-'Ath Palli at Kollurvila, Juma-'Ath Palli at Thattamala, Muslim Juma-'Ath Palli at Karuva, Kalamala Palli at Kalamala, Muthirapparambu Palli at Muthirapparambu and Siyavathummodu Palli at Kilikolloor.
The 300 year old Juma-'Ath Palli at Karuva houses the mortal remains of a Sufi saint-Syed Abdur Rahman Jifri in its premises.
The Karbala Maidan and the adjacent Makani mosque serves as the Eid gah for the city's. Muthirapparambu Palli is the most important masjid in Kollam District. This masjid is situated in Vellaitambalam. One of the oldest masjid in Kerala, the mosque was built by an Labba family. The Maqbara of Muthirapparambu Uppa is famous in this masjid. Many people, Muslims and non-Muslims, are visiting this maqbara. Other important places are Asthamudi, Thirumullavaram, Mamootilkadavu and Thoppilkadavu, which are located near this masjid. The place has beautiful backwaters, which connect it to Kollam and Allapuzha. Several famous temples and churches are situated in this area.[15]
The Apostle Thomas founded one of his "seven and a half churches" in Truth & spirit immersed in Ancient Vedic Vaishnavism in First Century AD at Thevalakara in Kollam, and there is a strong Christian presence in the town to this day.
This are some of the hospitals in Kollam. Organizations on this list should either have an accompanying existing article link which verifies their association, or reliable sources as footnotes against the name showing they are notable and in Kollam.
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