Kollam district

In 825 CE, the Malayalam calendar, or Kollavarsham, was created in Kollam at meetings held in the city.[4] The present Malayalam calendar is said to have begun with the re-founding of the town, which was rebuilt after its destruction by fire.

The city was known as Koolam in Arabic,[5] Coulão in Portuguese, and Desinganadu in ancient Tamil literature.

Kallada Boat race is one of the famous festival events of the district. Even though it is a competition between two land sides of the river, many boat clubs from various places, even beyond the district participate in the event. Kollam is known as the capital of Kerala's cashew industry. Plains, mountains, lakes, lagoons, and backwaters, forests, farmland and rivers make up the topography of the district. The area had trading relationships with Phoenicia and Ancient Rome.

Kollam's temperature is almost steady throughout the year. The average temperature ranges from 25 to 32 degrees Celsius. Summer usually runs from March until May; the monsoon begins by June and ends by September. Kollam receives an annual average rainfall of around 2,700 millimetres (110 in).

It receives both southwest and northeast monsoons. Winter is from November to February; the temperature is moderately cool, ranging from 18 to 25 degrees Celsius.[6]

According to the 2011 census Kollam district has a population of 2,635,375,[10] roughly equal to the nation of Kuwait[11] or the US state of Nevada.[12] This gives it a ranking of 155th in India (out of a total of 640 districts).[10] The district has a population density of 1,056 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,740/sq mi) .[10] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 1.72 percent.[10] Kollam has a sex ratio of 1113 females for every 1000 males. The total literacy rate of Kollam district was 94.09%. The male literacy rate was 96.09% and the female literacy rate was 92.31% in Kollam district. 45.05% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 12.46% and 0.41% of the population respectively.[10]

Malayalam is the predominant language, spoken by 99.10% of the population. Small minorities of Tamil speakers live in Koovakkad village and bordering areas[13]

Religion

Religions in Kollam district (2011)[15]
Religion			Percent
Hinduism			64.42%
Islam			19.30%
Christianity			16.00%
Other or not stated			0.28%

Anandavalleeshwaram Sri Mahadevar Temple in Kollam

Hinduism (64.42%) is practised by majority of the people in Kollam district of which Nair (32%) and Ezhava (30.5%) are the largest sub groups. Islam (19.3%) is the second largest religion. Kollam is the only district in Southern Kerala where Muslims outnumber Christians. Despite this Kollam has a significant Christian population too (16%) among this the Latin Catholics (36.7%) and Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Christians (34.24%) form the majority. The Marthoma Church from 19.06% of the Christians in the district.[15]

Largest cities or towns in Kollam district of Kerala (Indian state) [16]
	Rank		Taluk	Pop.
Kollam* Punalur	1	Kollam*	Kollam	397,419	Chavara Mayyanad
	2	Punalur	Punalur	46,702
	3	Chavara	Karunagappally	42,655
	4	Mayyanad	Kollam	40,039
	5	Paravur	Kollam	37,245
	6	Kundara	Kollam	33,959
	7	Kottarakkara	Kottarakkara	29,788
	8	Ochira	Karunagappally	28,412
	9	Chathannoor	Kollam	28,029
	10	Karunagappally	Karunagapally	25,336

*In 2015, the area of Kollam City Corporation increased by merging Thrikkadavoor panchayath.

Lighthouse, Thangasseri, Kollam

The history of the district's administration can be traced back to 1835, when the Travancore state consisted of two revenue divisions with headquarters at Kollam and Kottayam. When Travancore and Cochin were combined into Travancore-Cochin, Kollam was one of the three revenue divisions. When the state of Kerala was formed in 1957, half portion of Chenkotta taluk was merged with the state of Madras. Later in 1957, the Cherthala, Ambalapuzha, Mavelikara, Karthikapalli, Chengannur and Thiruvalla taluks (formerly in Kollam district) were united to form the new district of Alappuzha. In 1983, Pathanamthitta taluk and Adoor taluk and seven villages of Kunnathur taluk were removed from Kollam district to form the new Pathanamthitta district.[17]

The major towns in the district include:

• Karunagapally taluk: Oachira, Karunagapally, Chavara, Thazhava, Kulashekharapuram, Thevalakara, Clappana
• Kunnathoor taluk: Sooranad North, Sooranad South, Mynagappally, Kunnathoor, West Kallada, Sasthamkotta
• Kollam taluk: Kollam, Mayyanad, Chathanoor, Paravoor, Kalluvathikkal, Kallambalam, East Kallada
• Kottarakara taluk: Kottarakkara, Valakom, Mylam, Kulakkada, Chadayamangalam, Nilamel
• Pathanapuram taluk: Pathanapuram, Piravanthoor, Pattazhy
• Punalur taluk: Anchal, Punalur, Thenmala, Aryankavu, Kulathupuzha

Administratively Kollam District is composed of two Revenue Divisions, viz Kollam and Punalur with three Taluks each under them.

Taluks

Talukwise map of Kollam district

Kollam is administratively divided into 6 taluks. They are Kollam, Karunagappally, Kunnathur, Kottarakkara, Punalur and Pathanapuram, which are subdivided into 104 villages. The tahsildar is the revenue official in charge of each taluk.

Taluk	Headquarters
Kollam Taluk	Kollam
Karunagappally Taluk	Karunagappally
Kunnathur Taluk	Sasthamkotta
Kottarakkara Taluk	Kottarakkara
Punalur Taluk	Punalur
Pathanapuram Taluk	Pathanapuram

Municipalities

Corporations & Municipalities in Kollam district

There are four municipalities in Kollam District. Punalur, Paravur, Karunagappally and Kottarakkara are the municipalities. There is a long-standing demand for upgrading Pathanapuram & Anchal panchayaths into municipal status.

Kollam district has three Lok Sabha (lower house) constituencies. They include the Chavara, Kundara, Eravipuram, Kollam, Chathannoor, Chadayamangalam and Punalur assembly constituencies. While the Kunnathur, Kottarakkara and Pathanapuram constituencies are in the Mavelikara Lok Sabha constituency, the Karunagapally assembly constituency is in the Alappuzha Lok Sabha constituency.

The cashew industry is centralised in this district. Kollam is approved by the central government as a "centre of cashew industry". Most workers in this industry are women; among them, a majority comes from the poorer sections of the society. There are several cashew-processing units in the district. The Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation Ltd., a Government of Kerala undertaking, has its headquarters in Kollam and serves as a model agency for the cashew-processing industry. The corporation has 30 cashew factories and employs more than 20,000 workers. Another government organisation in this field is CAPEX, which is part of the cooperative sector and has 10 cashew factories.[32] Coir production, handloom industry, clay and wood-based industries contribute to the industrial health of the region.[33]

According to the Government of Kerala estimates 81,438 hectares (314.43 sq mi) of land is under forest cover, mainly in the eastern portion of the district (including the Thenmala, Punalur, and a portion of the Achencoil forest divisions). The Thenmala Range, Aryankavu Range, and Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary comprise the Thenmala division and the Achencoil, Kallar, and Kanayar Ranges make up the Achencoil division. The Pathanapuram and Anchal Ranges constitute the Punalur division.

The Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, 66 kilometres (41 mi) from Kollam, is situated on the southern part of the Western Ghats (8°50' and 8°55'N; 77°5'and 77°15'E) in the Punalur taluk of the district.[34] The name "Shenduruny" is derived from the name of a tree species locally called "Shenkuruny" or "Chenkuruny" (Gluta travancorica), a tree mainly found in this area. An artificial lake of about 26 square kilometres (10 sq mi) has developed following the construction of a dam across the Kallada River. Remnants of Stone Age culture from a large cave situated at the northwestern part of the Shenduruny River were excavated from this sanctuary.[34] These remains belong to the Mesolithic period.

This tropical rain forest has a wide variety of wildlife, and some endangered species are found here. Species found in the sanctuary include tiger, bonnet and lion-tailed macaques, Nilgiri langur, gaur (or Indian bison), sambar deer, muntjac (or barking deer), Indian spotted chevrotain (or mouse deer), wild boar, Indian elephant and different species of squirrels, such as the Indian giant and Indian palm squirrels.[34]

The western portion of Kollam is bordered by the Laccadive Sea. Kollam's coastline is 37.3 kilometres (23.2 mi), 6.3 percent of Kerala's total coastline. Neendakara and Sakthikulangara are important fishing villages. There are an estimated 26 villages whose livelihood depends entirely on fishing. Cheriazheekkal, Alappad, Pandarathuruthu, Puthenthura, Neendakara, Thangasseri, Eravipuram and Paravoor are among the prominent fishing villages.[35] One-third of Kerala's fish production (including 60 percent of its prawn catch) is contributed by Kollam, whose average fish production is estimated at 5,275 tonnes. Nearly 3,000 mechanised boats operate out of its fishing harbour.[35]

Tourism in Munroe Island

Thirteen-ring bridge, Punalur

Thenmala Dam

Thekkumbhagam bridge, Paravur

Jadayu earth centre, Palaruvi Falls, Thenmala (forests and reservoir), the Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve, Ashtamudi (backwater) and beaches at Kollam, Thirumullavaram and Thangassery are scenic areas.

Ashramam Tourist Village is a well-known tourist destination in Kollam city; the tourist village is located on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake. Ashramam is a hub of tourism activities in Kollam, and the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) office is located within the village.

The Asramam Maidan (Ashramam ground), adjacent to the tourist village, is the largest open space within a Kerala municipal corporation. It is used for events, sports, as a helipad, for Kollam Pooram and by driving schools. It covers over 60 acres (24 ha) in an oval.

Kottarakkara Palace

Suspension bridge at Thenmala

The first community tourism program in the state is being established on the Munroethuruth islands. Backwater tourism is an activity enjoyed in Kollam; Ashtamudi Lake, Paravur, Munroe Island, and Alumkadavu are the main backwater destinations. Accommodation is in resorts and on houseboats.

Thenmala, located 66 kilometres (41 mi) east of Kollam, is the first ecotourism project in India and run by the Thenmala Ecotourism Promotion Society.[36][37][38]

Kollam was the seat of the Desinganad kings. Kottarakara is well known as the place where a new version of the classical dance form of Kathakali was conceived. It was also the capital of the Elayidath Swaroopam. Kundara is known for the 1812 proclamation against the British by Velu Thampi Dalawa.[33]

Alappad village, located on the seashore, was impacted by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. Varkala Beach (also known as Papanasham) is 26 kilometres (16 mi) south of Kollam. The Duriyodana Temple is in Kunnathur Taluk. The Sakthikulangara Dharma Sastha Temple-Sree Ayyappa Swamy Temple is known for its Utsavam in the month of Makaram (between mid-January and mid-February).

Polachira, in Chirakkara Gramapanchayat, is a sightseeing destination. The Anathavalam is near here where one can see domestic elephants, touch and ride them. Mannathippara is at Polachira, 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) south of Chathannoor. Sasthamcotta Lake, about 19 kilometres (12 mi) from Kollam, is the largest freshwater lake in Kerala and a domestic tourist destination.[39] Jetayu Para, a large boulder, is located in Chadayamangalam; it is named for a mythical character in the Ramayana. It is believed that Jatayu fell here, after his failed attempt to stop Ravana.[39][40]

• U. Sivaraman Nair (1952), 1951 Census Handbook- Quilon District (PDF), Trivandrum: Travancore-Cochin Government Press
• M. K. Devassy (1965), 1961 Census Handbook- Quilon District (PDF), Directorate of Census Operations, Kerala and The Union Territory of Laccadive, Minicoy, and Amindivi Islands
• Government of India (2014–15), District Census Handbook - Kollam (Part-A) 2011 (PDF), Directorate of Census Operations, Kerala
• Government of India (2014–15), District Census Handbook - Kollam (Part-B) 2011 (PDF), Directorate of Census Operations, Kerala

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kollam district.

• Official website
• Official tourism website