| Kovalam | |
| | |
| Coordinates | 8°18′N 77°12′E / 8.3°N 77.2°E |
| Country |  India |
| State | Kerala |
| District(s) | Thiruvananthapuram district |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
Kovalam is a beach town on the Arabian Sea in Kerala, a state in south India. It is located around 13 km from downtown Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum).
Etymology
Kovalam means a grove of coconut trees.
History
Kovalam was brought to the public eye by the Maharaja of Travancore. The European guests of the then Travancore kingdom discovered the potentiality of Kovalam beach as a tourist destination in the 1930s. However, Kovalam shot into limelight in the early seventies with arrivals of the masses of hippies. That started the transformation of a casual fishing village of Kerala into one of the most important tourist destinations in all India- the Kovalam beach. It is a beautiful place in Kerala.
Geography
Beaches
Kovalam has three crescent shaped beaches separated by rocky outcroppings. Shallow waters stretching for hundreds of metres are ideal for swimming. The beaches have steep palm covered headlands and are lined with shops that offer all kinds of goods and services.[3]
The larger of the beaches is called Light House Beach for its 35 metre high light house which towers over it atop Kurumkal hillock. The second largest one is Hawah Beach named thus for the topless European women who used to throng there. It was the first topless beach in India. Topfree bathing and parading is banned now except in private coves owned by resorts. Visitors frequent these two beaches. The northern part of the beach is known as Samudra Beach in tourism parlance. A large promontory separates this part from the southern side. Samudra Beach doesn't have tourists thronging there or hectic business. The local fishermen ply their trade on this part. The sands on the beaches in Kovalam are partially black in colour due to the presence of ilmenite and thorazite. The normal tourist season is from September to May. Ashoka beach is also the part of Kovalam beach.
Tourist facilities
There are a large number of beach resorts in and around Kovalam. The sea port of Vizhinjam is about 3 km away and famous for its special varieties of fish, old Hindu temples, big churches and a mosque. The Proposed International Trans shipment Terminal at Vizhinjam is also close to Kovalam.
Kovalam was among the most prominent tourist spots in India during the hippy era. It still has a high status among tourists, who arrive mostly from Europe and Israel. 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.
Politics
Kovalam assembly constituency is part of Trivandrum (Lok Sabha constituency).[4] The assembly constituency of Kovalam is represented by George Mercier of Congress. He defeated the independent A. Neelalohitadasan Nadar (who represented the constituency four times earlier), in the 2006 Kerala legislative assembly elections. The Left Democratic Front candidate, Rufus Daniel of the Janata Dal (Secular), came third.[5][6]
Gallery
 Light house beach |  Hawwah beach (Eves beach) |  Samudra Beach |  Foreign tourists in the international beach of Kovalam |
 Kovalam beach - view from lighthouse |  Muringa Vila, Samudra Beach |  Kovalam Jama Masjid on the Samudra beach |  Kovalam beach with Leela Kovalam in the background |
 Fishermen and bystanders bringing a fishing boat ashore on Kovalam (Lighthouse) Beach (May 2002) |  Sunset |  Fishermen pulling in the nets, Lighthouse Beach, 2008 |  going out on wooden catamaran boat, Leela/ Samudra Beach, 2008 |
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