Kovalam

Kovalam is a beach town by the Arabian Sea in Thiruvananthapuram city, Kerala, India, located around 16 km from the city center.

Kovalam means a grove of coconut trees and true to its name the village offers an endless sight of coconut trees. It is also known as the paradise of the south.

Kovalam first received attention when the Regent Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi of Travancore constructed her beach resort, Halcyon Castle, here towards the end of the 1920s. Thereafter the place was brought to the public eye by her nephew 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.Eventually the large and steady inflow of tourists started the transformation of a casual fishing village of Kerala into one of the most important tourist destinations in all of India.

Kovalam has three beaches separated by rocky outcroppings in its 17 km coastline, the three together form the famous crescent of the Kovalam beach.

The southernmost beach, the Lighthouse Beach is the one most frequented by tourists, Lighthouse Beach got its name due to the old Vizhinjam Lighthouse located on a rocky promontory here. Its intermittent beams at night render the beach with an unearthly charm.

Hawah Beach: Eve’s Beach, more commonly known as Hawah Beach, is a beehive ofactivities with fishermen setting out for sea. With a high rock cape and a calm bay of blue waters, this beach paradise creates a unique fairytale mood on moonlit nights.

Samudra Beach: A large cape separates this part from the southern side. Samudra Beach doesn’t have tourists cramming there or hectic business. The local fishermen conduct their trade around this area.

One has the option to walk along the sea-wall too.The sight of the waves lashing on the rocks below is awesome. Shallow waters stretching for hundreds of meters are ideal for safe swimming. The beaches have steep palm covered headlands and are lined with shops that offer all kinds of goods and services.

The larger of the beaches is called Light House Beach for its 35 meter high light house which towers over it atop Kurumkal hillock. The second largest one is Hawah Beach. Visitors frequent these two beaches.

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.[citation needed] However topless bathing is banned now except in private coves owned by resorts. Visitors frequent these two beaches.