Chamakada or Chamakkada is one of the trade hubs of the city of Kollam,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It is an important neighbourhood in the city and is located at the core

Downtown Kollam Downtown Kollam is the primary central business district in the city of Kollam, Kerala, India. Located entirely within the former municipality of old Quilon, it is approximately bounded by Chinnakada to the east, Thangassery to the West, Cutchery ...

area. The area is very famous for wholesale dealers and rice merchants. The local retail dealers are filling the stocks regularly from Chamakada-based wholesale dealers. So many bank branches, godowns, store rooms, printing presses, automobile spare parts stores, courier services etc. are located at Chamakada area. Chamakada is the second main commercial centre of Kollam city after

Chinnakada Chinnakada or Chinnakkada is considered as the heart of the city of Kollam in Kerala, India. Chinnakada is a busy junction where 5 city roads and one National highway interconnect at a traffic roundabout. The city's symbolic clock tower is loca ...

. So many famous restaurants also located at Chamakada.

Chamakada: The Export & Commercial Hub of Kollam

Chamakada is an export and commercial hub of Kollam city. The ancient Kollam city was one of the famous trade centers. Marco Polo, the great Venician traveller, who was in Chinese service under Kublahan in 1275, visited Kollam and other towns on the west coast, in his capacity as a Chinese mandarin. He pointed out that Old Kollam is the only town in west coast with multi-story buildings. We can see those buildings in the downtown area of Kollam even now. He found

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

and

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

living in ''Coilum'' ( Kollam). He also found merchants from China and

Arabia The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plat ...

. He has given a detailed account of Kollam in his writings, extracts of which are reproduced in the Travancore Manual. Remnants of stone age also found from Kollam city, that reveals the importance of Kollam city. Because of the importance of Chamakada as a trade & export hub, Export Inspection Council of India (EICI) runs a Sub office with lab facility at Chamakada. It is one among the 7 Sub offices of EICI in

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territ ...

. As an important commercial centre in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

, Kerala Fire Force is running a Fire Station at Chamakada.

Chamakkada course of Kollam Canal

Kollam Canal is a bustling part of Trivandrum-Shornur Canal (TS Canal) system, ideal for tourism and container transportation. The Inland Navigation Department is having jurisdiction over Kollam Canal. Kollam Canal was an arterial inland waterway of old

Quilon Kollam (), also known by its former name Quilon , is an ancient seaport and city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The city ...

city. It was the major trade channel of

Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...

state that time. Giant cargo vessels ferrying different types of goods through this canal were a common view of

city those days. Chamakada served as a harbour for unloading the goods brought by these vessels to Kollam. Processed cashew from various factories in the ''Cashew Capital'' along with other goods from the wholesale markets of old

city for export was the major export material handled at Chamakada that time. These activities has made Chamakada an important business-export hub of

and that gave way for various institutions like Export Inspection Council of India (EICI) to start branches at Kollam city.

References

{{Kollam , state=expanded Neighbourhoods in Kollam

Chamakada: The Export & Commercial Hub of Kollam

Chamakkada course of Kollam Canal

See also

References