page_title: Kollam
section_title: Geography
hierarchical_section_title: Kollam / Geography
caption_attribution_description: English: Kollam Canal or Quilon Canal is a 7.7 km long canal system passing through the city of Kollam, India. The Kollam canal was built on 1880 and is a bustling part of 560 long Thiruvananthapuram–Shoranur canal(TS Canal) waterway project, also used as a means for transport of both people and goods, as an avenue for leisure and the water even used for irrigation and drinking.
context_page_description: Kollam, also known by its former name Quilon and Coulão, and Desinganadu, is an old seaport and city on the Laccadive Sea coast of the Indian state of Kerala. It is situated 66 kilometers north of the state capital Trivandrum. The city is on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake. Kollam has a strong commercial reputation since the days of the Phoenicians and Romans. Fed by the Chinese trade, it was mentioned by Ibn Battuta in the 14th century as one of the five Indian ports he had seen during the course of his twenty-four-year travels. Desinganadu's rajas exchanged embassies with Chinese rulers while there was a flourishing Chinese settlement at Kollam. In the 9th Century, on his way to Canton, China, Persian merchant Sulaiman al-Tajir found Kollam to be the only port in India visited by huge Chinese junks. Marco Polo, the Venetian traveller, who was in Chinese service under Kublai Khan in 1275, visited Kollam and other towns on the west coast, in his capacity as a Chinese mandarin. Kollam is also home to one of the seven churches that were established by St Thomas.
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context_section_description: Kollam city is bordered by the panchayats of Neendakara and Thrikkaruva to the north, Mayyanad to the south, and Thrikkovilvattom and Kottamkara to the east, and by the Laccadive Sea to the west. Ashtamudi Lake is in the heart of the city. The city is about 71 kilometres (44 mi) away from Thiruvananthapuram, 140 kilometres (87 mi) away from Kochi and 350 kilometres (220 mi) away from Kozhikode.
  The National Waterway 3 and Ithikkara river are two important waterways passing through the city. The 7.7 km long Kollam Canal is connecting Paravur Lake ans Ashtamudi Lake. The Kallada river, another river that flows through the suburbs of the city, empties into Ashtamudi Lake, while the Ithikkara river runs to Paravur Kayal. Kattakayal, a freshwater lake in the city, connects another water-body named Vattakkayal with Lake Ashtamudi. In March 2016, IndiaTimes selected Kollam as one of the nine least polluted cities on earth to which anybody can relocate. Kollam is one among the top 10 most welcoming places in India for the year 2020, according to Booking.com's traveller review awards.
caption: Kollam Canal near Paravur
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