Not to be confused with Covelong, a fishing village in Chennai.
Kovalam is a beach and seaside resort in the city of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, India. Kovalam is located 12.6 km (7.8 mi) southeast of the city center. The beaches around Kovalam are popular vacation destinations for both domestic and international travellers.[1]
Kovalam means "coconut grove," after the coconut trees which are common there.
Historyedit
Kovalam first received attention when the Regent Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi of Travancore constructed her beach resort, Halcyon Castle, here towards the end of the 1920s. Thereafter the place was brought to the public eye by her nephew the Maharaja of Travancore.[2] The European guests of the then Travancore kingdom discovered the potential of Kovalam beach as a tourist destination in the 1930s. In the early 1970s many hippies came on their way to Ceylon in the Hippie Trail, beginning the transformation of a casual fishing village of Kerala into a significant tourist destination.[3]
Geographyedit
Beachesedit
Kovalam has three beaches separated by rocky outcroppings in its 17 km coastline, the three together form the crescent of the Kovalam beach.[4][5]
Lighthouse Beach - the southernmost beach, the Lighthouse Beach, is named after the 118 feet (36 m) Vizhinjam Lighthouse located on top of the Kurumkal hillock.[6][7]
Hawah Beach - also known as Eve's Beach, consists of a high rock promontory and a bay, and is used by local fishermen.
Samudra Beach - separated from the Lighthouse Beach by a large promontory, it is also used by local fishermen.
Ashoka Beach - sea-wall to see the sea above the rocks and swimmable shallow waters
Places to visitedit
Karamana River - Karamana River originates from the southern part of Sahyadri Range. The river predominantly flows through an outskirt region of Kovalam called Karmana, hence the nomenclature.
Vellayani Lake
Halcyon Castle
Kovalam Art Gallery
Valiyathura Pier
Neyyar Dam
Aruvikkara Dam
Thiruvallam Parasurama Temple
Vizhinjam Rock Cut Cave Temple
Tourist facilitiesedit
There are a large number of beach resorts in and around Kovalam.[citation needed] The sea port of Vizhinjam is about 3 km away and famous for its special varieties of fish, old Hindu temples, churches and a mosque.[citation needed] The Proposed International Trans shipment Terminal at Vizhinjam is also close to Kovalam.[citation needed]
Kovalam was among the most prominent tourist spots in India during the hippie era.[citation needed] It still has a high status among tourists, who arrive mostly from Europe and Israel.[citation needed] Kovalam is finding a new significance in the light of several Ayurvedic salons, and recuperation and regeneration resorts which provide a wide variety of Ayurvedic treatments for tourists.[8] One of the first hotels to open there was the Kovalam Beach Resort, which was designed by Charles Correa from 1969–74.[9][10]
Vizhinjam's strategic location, with its proximity to pristine beaches, historical sites, and cultural attractions, makes it an ideal base for exploring Kerala's rich heritage. Visitors can embark on tours to nearby destinations such as Kovalam, Thiruvananthapuram, and the famous Padmanabhaswamy Temple.
In the Vizhinjam Cruise Terminal is currently under construction by Adani Ports
Galleryedit
Kovalam Light House
Kovalam Light House beach
Lighthouse beach
Hawwah beach (Eves beach)
Samudra beach
Kovalam beach - view from lighthouse
Fishermen and bystanders bringing a fishing boat ashore on Kovalam (Lighthouse) beach (May 2002)
kovalam, confused, with, covelong, fishing, village, chennai, beach, seaside, resort, city, thiruvananthapuram, kerala, india, located, southeast, city, center, beaches, around, popular, vacation, destinations, both, domestic, international, travellers, locali. Not to be confused with Covelong a fishing village in Chennai Kovalam is a beach and seaside resort in the city of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala India Kovalam is located 12 6 km 7 8 mi southeast of the city center The beaches around Kovalam are popular vacation destinations for both domestic and international travellers 1 KovalamLocalityFrom top to bottom 1 View of Kovalam Harbour 2 The Kovalam lighthouse 3 Development along the Karamana RiverKovalamShow map of KeralaKovalamShow map of IndiaCoordinates 8 24 01 N 76 58 43 E 8 4004 N 76 9787 E 8 4004 76 9787CountryIndiaStateKeralaDistrictThiruvananthapuram districtGovernment TypeMunicipal Corporation BodyCorporation of ThiruvananthapuramLanguages OfficialMalayalam EnglishTime zoneUTC 5 30 IST Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 3 Geography 3 1 Beaches 3 2 Places to visit 3 3 Tourist facilities 3 4 Transport 4 Politics 5 Trivandrum International Cruise Terminal 6 Gallery 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksEtymology editKovalam means coconut grove after the coconut trees which are common there History editKovalam first received attention when the Regent Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi of Travancore constructed her beach resort Halcyon Castle here towards the end of the 1920s Thereafter the place was brought to the public eye by her nephew the Maharaja of Travancore 2 The European guests of the then Travancore kingdom discovered the potential of Kovalam beach as a tourist destination in the 1930s In the early 1970s many hippies came on their way to Ceylon in the Hippie Trail beginning the transformation of a casual fishing village of Kerala into a significant tourist destination 3 Geography editBeaches edit Kovalam has three beaches separated by rocky outcroppings in its 17 km coastline the three together form the crescent of the Kovalam beach 4 5 Lighthouse Beach the southernmost beach the Lighthouse Beach is named after the 118 feet 36 m Vizhinjam Lighthouse located on top of the Kurumkal hillock 6 7 Hawah Beach also known as Eve s Beach consists of a high rock promontory and a bay and is used by local fishermen Samudra Beach separated from the Lighthouse Beach by a large promontory it is also used by local fishermen Ashoka Beach sea wall to see the sea above the rocks and swimmable shallow waters nbsp Evening time view of the beach Places to visit edit Karamana River Karamana River originates from the southern part of Sahyadri Range The river predominantly flows through an outskirt region of Kovalam called Karmana hence the nomenclature Vellayani Lake Halcyon Castle Kovalam Art Gallery Valiyathura Pier Neyyar Dam Aruvikkara Dam Thiruvallam Parasurama Temple Vizhinjam Rock Cut Cave Temple Tourist facilities edit There are a large number of beach resorts in and around Kovalam citation needed The sea port of Vizhinjam is about 3 km away and famous for its special varieties of fish old Hindu temples churches and a mosque citation needed The Proposed International Trans shipment Terminal at Vizhinjam is also close to Kovalam citation needed Kovalam was among the most prominent tourist spots in India during the hippie era citation needed It still has a high status among tourists who arrive mostly from Europe and Israel citation needed Kovalam is finding a new significance in the light of several Ayurvedic salons and recuperation and regeneration resorts which provide a wide variety of Ayurvedic treatments for tourists 8 One of the first hotels to open there was the Kovalam Beach Resort which was designed by Charles Correa from 1969 74 9 10 Transport edit The nearest train station is Thiruvananthapuram Central railway station about 16 km 9 94 mi away The nearest airport is Trivandrum International Airport about 10 km 6 21 mi away Politics editKovalam assembly constituency is part of Trivandrum Lok Sabha constituency 11 In 2016 Kerala Assembly elections M Vincent of the Indian National Congress defeated incumbent Jameela Prakasham by over 2 500 votes 12 Trivandrum International Cruise Terminal editVizhinjam s strategic location with its proximity to pristine beaches historical sites and cultural attractions makes it an ideal base for exploring Kerala s rich heritage Visitors can embark on tours to nearby destinations such as Kovalam Thiruvananthapuram and the famous Padmanabhaswamy Temple In the Vizhinjam Cruise Terminal is currently under construction by Adani PortsGallery edit nbsp Kovalam Light House nbsp Kovalam Light House beach nbsp Lighthouse beach nbsp Hawwah beach Eves beach nbsp Samudra beach nbsp Kovalam beach view from lighthouse nbsp Fishermen and bystanders bringing a fishing boat ashore on Kovalam Lighthouse beach May 2002 See also editA few other beaches in Kerala Kollam Beach Varkala Beach Shankumugham BeachReferences edit Kovalam KTDC Archived from the original on 21 September 2012 Retrieved 31 August 2018 Paradise of South India Kovalam kovalam com Archived from the original on 11 October 2007 Retrieved 7 January 2008 Kovalam kovalam hotels com Retrieved 7 January 2008 Kovalam video travel trends360 wordpress com Retrieved 7 January 2016 Ayub Akber ed Kerala Maps amp More 2006 edition 2007 reprint p 97 Stark World Publishing Bangalore ISBN 81 902505 2 3 Kovalam Travel Guide Archived 2015 02 22 at the Wayback Machine kovalam org kovalam org Archived from the original on 4 January 2014 Retrieved 6 November 2013 Ayurveda Archived 15 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine Ayurveda in Kovalam Kovalam Beach Resort by Charles Correa Open to sky space Approach 16 January 2021 Kovalam Beach Resort 13 March 2022 Assembly Constituencies Corresponding Districts and Parliamentary Constituencies PDF Report Election Commission of India Archived from the original PDF on 4 March 2009 Retrieved 5 August 2016 Election trends Archived from the original on 9 March 2021 Retrieved 5 August 2016 External links edit nbsp Kovalam travel guide from Wikivoyage nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kovalam Kovalam at Wikipedia s sister projects nbsp Definitions from Wiktionary nbsp Media from Commons nbsp News from Wikinews nbsp Quotations from Wikiquote nbsp Texts from Wikisource nbsp Textbooks from Wikibooks nbsp Resources from Wikiversity nbsp Travel guides from Wikivoyage nbsp Data from Wikidata Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Kovalam amp oldid 1220666993, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,