An enchanting town, on the shores of the Arabian Sea, Kollam is famous for being an amazing kaleidoscope of lakes, backwaters, beaches, mountains, plains, forests and places of historical importance. Kollam is better known to the rest of India as the Cashew Capital of the country because of being home to naturally grown and organically processed cashew nuts, known for their tempting taste and quality.

The entire district of Kollam is strewn with traditional and modern cashew processing plants and it exports cashew worth Rs. 15,000 million every year. Located about 71 km from the State capital of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam lies on the banks of the Ashtamudi Lake and is the Southern Gateway to the famous Backwaters of Kerela. Generously embellished by nature and adorned with man made developments in Trade and Commerce, Kollam is one of the major tourist attractions of the state.

Known formerly by the name of Nelcynda and Thondis or Tyndis, the town of Kollam is supplemented with a rich historical and cultural heritage. Not only was it the focal point of trade during the Chera rule in the Southern part of Kerela, but the rulers of Kollam are even found to have trade relationswith Chinaand they even exchanged embassies. According to the reports of the Tang Dynasty, Kollam or Quilon was the most important port of trade and was given the name of “Mahlai” by them. The Portugese were the first Europeans to build up a trading centre at Kollam in 1502. Then came the Dutch and this array of foreign rule finally ended with the British. Today, Kollam is one of the important commercial hubs of South India that not only excels in the production of Cashew, but also coir, spices and marine products.