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.

• This exodus started the transformation of a casual fishing village of Kerala into one of the most important tourist destinations in all India

• Karamana River - Karamana River originates from the southern part of Sahyadri Range. The river predominantly flows through an outskirt region of Kovalam called Karmana, hence the nomenclature.


• Vellayani Lake


• Kovalam Art Gallery


• Aruvikkara Dam


• Vizhinjam Rock Cut Cave Temple