It is an ancient city, 71 kms from Trivandrum by road or rail. The  ancient dating back to the 9th century AD. It is one of the most picturesque spots in Kerala. Quilon has a flourishing trade in Cashewnuts and Ceramic industries. It lies on the Ashtamudilake (lake with eight creeks) heavily fringed with coconut groves. Quilon had an eventful past in ancient times. Phoenician, Persian, Greek, Roman and Chinese ships touched the port. During the period of the Tang dynasty, Chinese trade settlements flourished here and during the region of Kulblankhan, the king of Quilon exchanged with China.
Quilon figured prominently in the early history of Christianity in India. It was in Quilon in 1330 that friar jerdanese was consecrated Bishop of the first Roman Catholic Sea in India. Before its surrender to the Raja of Travancore in 1742, Quilon had its independent dynastic his tory. The the vally palace, one of its ancient and famous land marks, has been submerged by the Arbian Sea. Quilon is the beginning of the magnificent backwater of kerala.
The pounding of hammers and the pouring of concrete have forever altered the calm landscape of Kovalam's black sands and turquoise waters. Since the arrival of the first sun seekers back in the 1930s, Kovalam has become kerala's most touristed beach resort and probably the most popular in India. The busy bachfront has been consumed by hotels, swallowed by touts, and spat out again by thieves dressed up as tailors and handicraft sellers. Enjou the carnivalesque atmosphere created just for you. Beyond the tourist enclave, fishing boats still prowl the bays and life continues as it always has, amid thatched huts and rice paddies.