QUILON

QUILON LOCATION

Quilon (also Kollam) is situated in the southwest corner of India in the state of Kerala. The district is encircled by Alappuzha in the north, Pathanamthitta in the northeast, Thiruvananthapuram in the south, Tirunelveli (Tamilnadu) in the east, and the Arabian Sea in the west. It extends latitude 9°28' and longitude 76°17' north.

BEST TIME TO VISIT

The climate is of tropical humid type with an oppressive summer and plenty of seasonal rainfall. The summer, lasting from March to May, is followed by the southwest monsoon from June to September. The northeast monsoon occurs from October to November. The rest of the year is generally dry.

HISTORY

Quilon is an old seaport town on the Arabian coast and a great trade center of Kerala. It stands on the Ashtamudi Lake. The city has changed its name frequently and known as Desinganadu, Kollam, and Quilon at various points of time. It has sustained commercial reputation from the days of Phoenicians and the Romans. Ibn Batuta identified it as one of the five ports he saw in the time span of 24 years during his travel in India. The rulers of Quilon and China had diplomatic relations in the 14th century and they exchanged embassies with each other. There was a flourishing Chinese settlement at Quilon during that period. Great Venetian traveler Marco Polo visited the city in 1275 in his capacity as a Chinese Mandarin. From the beginning of 16th century, the Portuguese, Dutch, and British came in quick succession to establish trading centers at Quilon. British stationed a garrison at Quilon in pursuance of a treaty between Travancore and British in the 18th century.