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കൊല്ലം
Kollam is a city, a municipal corporation and headquarters of Kollam District in Kerala. Kollam is the fourth largest city of kerala after Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode . and is famous for cashew processing and coir manufacturing. Kollam District is named after this city. It lies 71 Kilometres north of the state capital Thiruvanathapuram (Trivandrum). The city lies on the shores of Ashtamudi Lake and is the southern gateway to the backwaters of Kerala, and thus, a prominent tourist destination.
Kollam was formerly called "Desinganadu" and even before its was known as Tarsish(Koreki ni-(sea pointed inland or a creek)Kollam). Later during the rule of the Travancore kingdom in southern Kerala, Kollam was the focal point of trade. Kollam, a Municipal Corporation is a major business and commercial centre in the central Travencore region of Kerala. Kollam Cargo port has been revived and expected to provide a bright future for the city.Kollam was a flourishing port of the Pandya Kingdom in ancient times until 825 AD. In 825 AD, Kollam became the capital of the independent Venad kingdom. 825 AD is known as the birth of the Malayalam era.
Kollam during Pandyan rule
Kollam shares fame with Kodungallur (Muziris) as an ancient sea port on the Malabar coast of India from early centuries of the Christian era. Periplus of the Erythraean Sea gives a detailed account of the ports of South India in the 1st century CE. It mentions Muziris ( identified with Kodungallur (ruled by the Chera Kingdom) and also mentions Nelcynda, Bacare (Purakkad) and Belita and Komari as the ports south of Muziris. Kollam is identified with Nelcynda. The historical accounts mentioned below indicate that Kollam had a sustained commercial reputation from the days of the Phoenicians and the Romans. Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD) mentions Greek ships anchored at Muziris and Nelcynda. Nelcynda was connected with the Pandyan port of Korkai (Kayal) on the East Coast of India. There was also a land route over the Western Ghats. Spices, pearls, diamonds and silk were exported to Egypt and Rome from these two ports on the South Western coast of India. Pearls and diamonds came from Ceylon and the South eastern coast of India, then known as the Pandyan kingdom.
Cosmas Indicopleustes, who visited Malabar Coast in 522 AD, mentions about Syrian Christians in Kollam. He wrote, "In the island of Tabropane (Ceylon), there is a church of Christians, and clerks and faithful. Likewise at Male, where the pepper grows; and in the town of Kalliana (Kallianpur) there is also a bishop concentrated in Persia. The Nestorian Patriarch Jesujabus who died in 660 A.D. makes special mention of Quilon in his letter to Simon, Metropolitan of Persia. In 825 A.D. Nestorian Monk Mar Abo on the invitation of kollam king Ayanadikal Thiruvadikal of Venad kingdom arrived in the famed kollam port of kor-ke-ni-kollam (Tarshish) along with Mar Peroz (Proth) who was the Founder Bishop of Kodungallur (Musriz). Mar S(abo)r who is also called as Mar Abo lived his last years at Thevalakkara (Tarsish-a-palli) whom he founded in Syrian liturgy after receiving the Tarsish-a-palli cheppadukal(Tharisapalli plates)written in Tamil Vatteluttu from kulshekara kings. His remains were buried in the Martha Mariam Orthodox Church at Thevalakara. This church which carries the tomb of Mar Sapor is at the ancient port of Tarshish in Thevalakkara(from Korekeni-kollam (sea pointed into inland or a creek) port at astamudi lake inside the neendakara basin of the Arabian sea)..Tharisapalli plates is signed by the Nestorian monks or traders, in Hebrew Pahlavi and Kufic languages indicating that the immigrants were Jews, Persians and Palestinians.
Kollam District is situated on the South west coast of kerala. The District is bound on the north by Alappuzha and north east by Pathanamthitta Districts on the east by Thirunelveli District of Tamilnadu, on the South by the Thiruvavanathapuram District and on the west by Arabian sea.
Two rivers Kallada and Ithikkara flows through this District. The Sasthamcotta lake, the only major fresh water lake in the state is in Kollam District.
Kollam, the capital of Venad 9th to 12 century AD
The Malayalam Era named after Quilon began in 825 AD. Malayalam Era is called 'Kolla Varsham' after Kollam, because of the importance of Kollam in the 9th century A.D. It signified the independence of Malabar from the Cheraman Perumals.King Stanu Ravi Gupta of Later Chera dynasty, granted the Tharisapalli plates copper plate grants in 825 A.D. to Nestorian priest 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, lands near the city with hereditament of low caste.
Merchant Soleyman of Siraf of Persia visited Malabar in the middle of the 9th century and found Quilon to be the only port in India touched by the huge Chinese ships on their way from Canton to the Persian Gulf. The rulers of Kollam (formerly called 'Desinganadu') ,then, also had trade relations with China and exchanged embassies. According to the records of the Tang Dynasty (618 AD to 913 AD), Quilon was their chief port of call and was given the name 'Mahlai' by them. The Chinese trade decreased about 900 AD and was again revived in the 13th century.
At 1291 John of Montecorvino a Franciscan Monk became a priest at Quilon. Friar Jordanus Catalini who arrived at 1321 effected a large scale Christian conversions and was appointed as the Bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Quilon at 1329.Friar Jordanus built a Church called St.Georges Church and wrote a book called Mirabilia Descripta. However after Giovanni de' Marignolliin 1353,the members of this Latin Church converted themselves to the Nestorian faith and when Portuguese arrived in 1498 only Nestorian Christianity existed in Kerala. Marco Polo, who visited China's Kublai Khan's court, on his return journey to Venice, traveled through Kollam and gave an interesting account of the flourishing port of Kollam (Coilum, as referred to by him) and its trade relations with China in the East and the Western countries. Chinnakada, (China-kada), the city center, was so named after the Chinese merchants. The increase in commercial activity resulted in establishment of flourishing Chinese settlement at Kollam.
Marco Polo, the great Venetian traveller, who was in Chinese service under Kublai Khan visited Kollam in 1293 A.D. on his return trip from China to Venice. He found Christians and Jews living in Coilum (Kollam). He also found merchants from China and Arabia. He has given a detailed account of Kollam in his writings, extracts of which are reproduced in the Travancore Manual. According to Ibn Batuta, Kollam was one of the five ports, which he had seen in the course of his travels, in the 14th century.
Kollam during Portuguese, Dutch and British conquests (16th to 18th centuries)
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to establish a trading center in Thangasseri, Kollam in 1502. Kollam 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. The fort 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. Many of the Anglo-Indian families migrated from this place and only a few remain. The Infant Jesus Church in Thangasseri stil remains as an old Portuguese-built church, as a reminder to the Portuguese rule of the area.
Kollam as part of Travancore
Velu Thampi Dalawa of Travancore, worked towards the improvement of the Kollam city. 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 Travancore state consisted of two revenue divisions with headquarters at Kollam and Kottayam.
Kollam, revenue district of Kerala (1949 onwards)
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.
കൊല്ലം
Kollam is a city, a municipal corporation and headquarters of Kollam District in Kerala. Kollam is the fourth largest city of kerala after Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode . and is famous for cashew processing and coir manufacturing. Kollam District is named after this city. It lies 71 Kilometres north of the state capital Thiruvanathapuram (Trivandrum). The city lies on the shores of Ashtamudi Lake and is the southern gateway to the backwaters of Kerala, and thus, a prominent tourist destination.
Kollam was formerly called "Desinganadu" and even before its was known as Tarsish(Koreki ni-(sea pointed inland or a creek)Kollam). Later during the rule of the Travancore kingdom in southern Kerala, Kollam was the focal point of trade. Kollam, a Municipal Corporation is a major business and commercial centre in the central Travencore region of Kerala. Kollam Cargo port has been revived and expected to provide a bright future for the city.Kollam was a flourishing port of the Pandya Kingdom in ancient times until 825 AD. In 825 AD, Kollam became the capital of the independent Venad kingdom. 825 AD is known as the birth of the Malayalam era.
Kollam during Pandyan rule
Kollam shares fame with Kodungallur (Muziris) as an ancient sea port on the Malabar coast of India from early centuries of the Christian era. Periplus of the Erythraean Sea gives a detailed account of the ports of South India in the 1st century CE. It mentions Muziris ( identified with Kodungallur (ruled by the Chera Kingdom) and also mentions Nelcynda, Bacare (Purakkad) and Belita and Komari as the ports south of Muziris. Kollam is identified with Nelcynda. The historical accounts mentioned below indicate that Kollam had a sustained commercial reputation from the days of the Phoenicians and the Romans. Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD) mentions Greek ships anchored at Muziris and Nelcynda. Nelcynda was connected with the Pandyan port of Korkai (Kayal) on the East Coast of India. There was also a land route over the Western Ghats. Spices, pearls, diamonds and silk were exported to Egypt and Rome from these two ports on the South Western coast of India. Pearls and diamonds came from Ceylon and the South eastern coast of India, then known as the Pandyan kingdom.
Cosmas Indicopleustes, who visited Malabar Coast in 522 AD, mentions about Syrian Christians in Kollam. He wrote, "In the island of Tabropane (Ceylon), there is a church of Christians, and clerks and faithful. Likewise at Male, where the pepper grows; and in the town of Kalliana (Kallianpur) there is also a bishop concentrated in Persia. The Nestorian Patriarch Jesujabus who died in 660 A.D. makes special mention of Quilon in his letter to Simon, Metropolitan of Persia. In 825 A.D. Nestorian Monk Mar Abo on the invitation of kollam king Ayanadikal Thiruvadikal of Venad kingdom arrived in the famed kollam port of kor-ke-ni-kollam (Tarshish) along with Mar Peroz (Proth) who was the Founder Bishop of Kodungallur (Musriz). Mar S(abo)r who is also called as Mar Abo lived his last years at Thevalakkara (Tarsish-a-palli) whom he founded in Syrian liturgy after receiving the Tarsish-a-palli cheppadukal(Tharisapalli plates)written in Tamil Vatteluttu from kulshekara kings. His remains were buried in the Martha Mariam Orthodox Church at Thevalakara. This church which carries the tomb of Mar Sapor is at the ancient port of Tarshish in Thevalakkara(from Korekeni-kollam (sea pointed into inland or a creek) port at astamudi lake inside the neendakara basin of the Arabian sea)..Tharisapalli plates is signed by the Nestorian monks or traders, in Hebrew Pahlavi and Kufic languages indicating that the immigrants were Jews, Persians and Palestinians.
Kollam District is situated on the South west coast of kerala. The District is bound on the north by Alappuzha and north east by Pathanamthitta Districts on the east by Thirunelveli District of Tamilnadu, on the South by the Thiruvavanathapuram District and on the west by Arabian sea.
Two rivers Kallada and Ithikkara flows through this District. The Sasthamcotta lake, the only major fresh water lake in the state is in Kollam District.
Kollam, the capital of Venad 9th to 12 century AD
The Malayalam Era named after Quilon began in 825 AD. Malayalam Era is called 'Kolla Varsham' after Kollam, because of the importance of Kollam in the 9th century A.D. It signified the independence of Malabar from the Cheraman Perumals.King Stanu Ravi Gupta of Later Chera dynasty, granted the Tharisapalli plates copper plate grants in 825 A.D. to Nestorian priest 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, lands near the city with hereditament of low caste.
Merchant Soleyman of Siraf of Persia visited Malabar in the middle of the 9th century and found Quilon to be the only port in India touched by the huge Chinese ships on their way from Canton to the Persian Gulf. The rulers of Kollam (formerly called 'Desinganadu') ,then, also had trade relations with China and exchanged embassies. According to the records of the Tang Dynasty (618 AD to 913 AD), Quilon was their chief port of call and was given the name 'Mahlai' by them. The Chinese trade decreased about 900 AD and was again revived in the 13th century.
At 1291 John of Montecorvino a Franciscan Monk became a priest at Quilon. Friar Jordanus Catalini who arrived at 1321 effected a large scale Christian conversions and was appointed as the Bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Quilon at 1329.Friar Jordanus built a Church called St.Georges Church and wrote a book called Mirabilia Descripta. However after Giovanni de' Marignolliin 1353,the members of this Latin Church converted themselves to the Nestorian faith and when Portuguese arrived in 1498 only Nestorian Christianity existed in Kerala. Marco Polo, who visited China's Kublai Khan's court, on his return journey to Venice, traveled through Kollam and gave an interesting account of the flourishing port of Kollam (Coilum, as referred to by him) and its trade relations with China in the East and the Western countries. Chinnakada, (China-kada), the city center, was so named after the Chinese merchants. The increase in commercial activity resulted in establishment of flourishing Chinese settlement at Kollam.
Marco Polo, the great Venetian traveller, who was in Chinese service under Kublai Khan visited Kollam in 1293 A.D. on his return trip from China to Venice. He found Christians and Jews living in Coilum (Kollam). He also found merchants from China and Arabia. He has given a detailed account of Kollam in his writings, extracts of which are reproduced in the Travancore Manual. According to Ibn Batuta, Kollam was one of the five ports, which he had seen in the course of his travels, in the 14th century.
Kollam during Portuguese, Dutch and British conquests (16th to 18th centuries)
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to establish a trading center in Thangasseri, Kollam in 1502. Kollam 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. The fort 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. Many of the Anglo-Indian families migrated from this place and only a few remain. The Infant Jesus Church in Thangasseri stil remains as an old Portuguese-built church, as a reminder to the Portuguese rule of the area.
Kollam as part of Travancore
Velu Thampi Dalawa of Travancore, worked towards the improvement of the Kollam city. 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 Travancore state consisted of two revenue divisions with headquarters at Kollam and Kottayam.
Kollam, revenue district of Kerala (1949 onwards)
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.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kollam_corporation
Nearby cities:
Coordinates: 8°53'23"N 76°35'30"E
- Thiruvananthapuram 42 km
- Tirunelveli 116 km
- Kochi 141 km
- Thoothukudi 163 km
- Kodungallur 172 km
- Thrissur 194 km
- Madurai 198 km
- Coimbatore 251 km
- Tiruppur 264 km
- Tiruchirappalli Metro Area 313 km
- CSI Nagar 0.3 km
- Asramam South 0.4 km
- Asramam Maithanam 0.5 km
- Upasana Nagar 0.5 km
- Kollam Railway Station 0.6 km
- Thamarakkulam 0.7 km
- Cantonment 0.7 km
- Chinnakkada Industrial Area 2 0.9 km
- Asramam North. 1.2 km
- Ashtamudi Lake (Salt water Lake) 6.5 km
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