Downtown Kollam is the primary

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

in the city of

Kollam 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 i ...

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 ...

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 ...

. Located entirely within the former municipality 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 ...

, it is approximately bounded by

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 ...

to the east,

Thangassery Tangasseri or Thangassery is a heavily populated beach area on the shores of the Arabian Sea in Kollam city, Kerala, India. Location Tangasseri is located about from the city centre and from Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital. Archaeologi ...

to the West,

Cutchery Cutchery or Taluk Cutchery or Taluk Kacheri is a neighbourhood of the city of Kollam. It is the 49th ward in Kollam Municipal Corporation. The place got the name ''Cutchery'' from a similar word in which means office/court. Kollam Taluk office ...

to the north, and

Mundakkal Mundakkal, also spelled Mundackal, is an important residential area and industrial hub situated in the city of Kollam, Kerala, India. The place is considered as the capital of India's cashew processing activities. Kerala State Cashew Developme ...

to the South. The area is popularly known for its business activities.

was formerly an international emporium of trade and today remains a prosperous commercial centre. The downtown area of Kollam has a long business history. Marco Polo, the Venetian traveller, who was in Chinese service under

Kubla Khan ''Kubla Khan'' () is a poem written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, completed in 1797 and published in 1816. It is sometimes given the subtitles "A Vision in a Dream" and "A Fragment." According to Coleridge's preface to ''Kubla Khan'', the poem ...

in 1275, visited Kollam and other towns on the west coast, in his capacity as a Chinese mandarin. He pointed out that Old Kollam was the only town on the west coast of India with multi-story buildings, some of which still stand today. He found Christians and Jews living in ''Coilum'' (Kollam) as well as merchants from China and Arabia. Polo left a detailed account of Kollam in his writings, extracts of which are reproduced in the '' Travancore State Manual''. Many clothing, vegetables, stationary, pharmaceuticals, and spice wholesale-retail dealers do business in the downtown area of this old industrial city and there are many hotels in the downtown area. The proximity to

Kollam Port Kollam Port is one of the historic ports situated away from Downtown Kollam (formerly Quilon),14 km north of Paravur and 24 km north of Varkala Town It is the second largest port in Kerala by volume of cargo handled and facilities. L ...

makes this area one of the biggest business centres in

. It also contains the buildings of the

Kollam Municipal Corporation Kollam Municipal Corporation (KMC) is an ISO 9001:2015 certified civic body that governs the city of Kollam in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the fourth-largest city corporation by population in the state, and the fifth-largest by area. Cons ...

Big Bazaar and Pharma City

Nowadays Downtown Kollam is one of the largest

s in the state of

. The area is noted for its rich trade history and culture. Kollam's main road runs through the center of this downtown business district of Old Quilon. The north-south area of this downtown is popularly known as ''Big bazaar''. As the name indicates, it is the biggest bazaar in city of Kollam. There are many rice, spice and cloth merchants doing business in the Big bazaar area. The area behind Kollam District hospital is known as ''Pharma city'' because of its large number of pharmaceutical and surgical distributors. The place is also a favorite destination of doctors and physicians in the city. There are also many electronics and laptop service centres.

Business centres

Arial view of off Chinnakada in Downtown Kollam

* Valiyakada * Lakshminada *

Chamakada Chamakada or Chamakkada is one of the trade hubs of the city of Kollam, India. It is an important neighbourhood in the city and is located at the core Downtown Kollam area. The area is very famous for wholesale dealers and rice merchants. The lo ...

Pullikada Pullikada or Pullikkada is a neighbourhood of Kollam city in Kerala, India. Pullikada is very close to Chinnakada - the city CBD of Kollam and is a part of Downtown Kollam. The Coconut Development Board of India is planning to start a Coconut P ...

* Paikkada *

Kadappakada Kadappakada or Kadappakkada is a neighbourhood and important junction in the city of Kollam, in the state of Kerala, India. NH 744 (Earlier NH 208), that connects Kollam with Tirumangalam meets the Asramam Link Road at Kadappakada junction. ...

* Kottamukku *

Kochupilamoodu Kochupilamoodu or Kochupilammoodu is an important neighbourhood and cashew hub in Kollam city, Kerala, India. It is one of the prominent business centres in the city. Kochupilamoodu is very close to Downtown Kollam area and is about 1 km awa ...

* Vadakkumbhagam *

Pallithottam Pallithottam is a neighbourhood of Kollam city situated at the coastal region. It is the 46th ward in Kollam Municipal Corporation. Pallithottam is totally depending on fishing activities and operations of Kollam Port. Significance Pallithottam ...

Kollam Beach Kollam Beach, also known as Mahatma Gandhi Beach, is a beach at Kollam city in the Indian state of Kerala. Kollam Beach is the first 'Beach Wedding Destination' in Kerala. The beach also features a park of international standard, the Mahat ...

* Vadayattukotta *

Thamarakulam Thamarakulam or Thamarakkulam is a business centre and neighbourhood of Kollam city in Kerala, India. Thamarakulam is a part of Downtown Kollam area and is near Chinnakada. Ganapathy temple in Thamarakulam is a very famous Hindu temple and worshi ...

Andamukkam Andamukkam or Aandamukkam is a neighbourhood of Kollam city in Kerala, India. It is a part of Downtown Kollam. Andamukkam is one of the prime commercial centres of Kollam city, which was once the most important port city of India. The city bus s ...

* Vaddy * Kaval *

* Port Kollam

Notable shopping centres

Bishop Jerome Nagar Bishop Jerome Nagar (BJN) is one of the largest shopping complexes in the city of Kollam in the Indian state of Kerala. It is owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Quilon, the first Catholic Diocese in India India, officially the Rep ...

References

External links

* {{coord missing, Kerala Neighbourhoods in Kollam Economy of Kollam Retail markets in Kollam Tourist attractions in Kollam