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Kollam Travel Guide
Kollam or Quilon, an old sea port town on the Arabian coast , stands on the Ashtamudi
lake. Kollam, the erstwhile 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 Batuta, as one of the five ports , which he had seen in the
course of his travels during a period of twenty four years, in the 14th century.
Kollam District which is a veritable Kerala in miniature is gifted with
unique representative features - sea, lakes, plains, mountains, rivers, streams,
backwaters, forest, vast green fields and tropical crop of every variety both
food crop and cash crop, so called The Gods Own Capital.
 The
rulers of Kollam (Desinganadu) and China , exchange embassies and there was flourishing
Chinese settlement at Kollam. Merchant Sulaiman of Siraf in Persia ( 9th Century)
found Kollam to be the only port in India , touched by the huge Chinese junks
, on his way from Carton of Persian Gulf. Marco Polo, the great Venician traveller,
who was in Chinese service under Kublahan in 1275, visited Kollam and other towns
on the west coast, in his capacity as a Chinese mandarin.
The Portuguese
were the first Europeans to establish a trading center at Kollam in 1502. Then
came the Dutch followed by the British in 1795. A British garrison was stationed
at Kollam in pursuance of a treaty between Travancore and the British.
Velu Thampi Dalawa of Travancore, did much for the improvement of the Kollam town.
He build new bazaars and invited merchants from Madras and Thirunelveli to settle
here. Kollam later became the capital of the enlightened and liberal rulers of
Desinganad.
Once a city of palaces, Kollam has been known to the outside
world, by the time honoured proverb, "Once you have seen Kollam you would
no more need your illam (Home)"
The history of the district as
an administrative unit can be traced back to 1835, when the Travancore state consisted
of two revenue divisions with headquarters at Kollam and Kottayam. At the time
of the integrating of Travancore and Cochin in 1949, Kollam was one of the three
revenue divisions in the state. These three revenue divisions were converted into
districts. Shencottah taluk was merged with Madras state consequent on the implementation
of the state Reorganisation Act of 1956.
When Alappuzha district was
formed in 1957, Cherthala, Ambalapuzha, Mavelikkara, Karthikappally. Chenganuur
and Thiruvalla Taluks were united to the new district. When Pathanamthitta district
was formed on 1st July 1983, the entire Pathanamthitta Taluk and nine villages
of Kunnathur Taluk of the district were also removed. Now the district has a single
revenue division with headquarters at Kollam. Pathanapuram, Kunnathur, Kottarakkara,
Karunagappally and Kollam are the five taluks in the district.
Kollam Travel Guide , Kerala Destinations
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