Village in Kerala
Town in Kerala, India
Poovar
is a tourist town in
Neyyattinkara (tehsil)
in the
Thiruvananthapuram
district of
Kerala
state,
South India
. This village is almost at the southern tip of
Thiruvananthapuram
while the next village,
Pozhiyoor
, marks the end of Kerala.
Geography
[
edit
]
Poovar lies very close to
Vizhinjam
, a natural harbour. The beach of
Pozhiyoor
, named
Pozhikkara
is located near Poovar. The 56 km
Neyyar River
passes through Neyyattinkara Taluk into the
Arabian Sea
near Poovar.
[1]
History
[
edit
]
Poovar was a trading centre of timber,
sandalwood
,
ivory
and spices. It is believed that ships owned by
King Solomon
of Israel landed in
Ophir
, which is identified by some sources as Poovar,
[2]
[3]
The village was one of the ancient Muslim settlements along the western coast of India. The central mosque in Poovar was built by
Malik Deenar
, an eighth century Muslim preacher. During the reign of the
Chola dynasty
, Poovar was a major port. The explorer
Megasthenes
, Roman writer
Pliny the Elder
and Venetian traveller
Marco Polo
mention connections with
Greece
and
Rome
.
[
citation needed
]
The origin of the name "Poovar" has a story related to Marthanda Varma. Before that it was called Pokkumoosapuram.
There were a merchant named Pokku Moosa Maraikkar who lived in Poovar during the 18th century in a house called Kallaraickal Tharavad, which many times gave shelter to
Marthanda Varma
(1706?58), king of
Travancore
from his enemies.Pokku Moosa Maraikkar is believed to have migrated from Malabar somewhere around Kozhikode for trade and finally settled in Poovar.He is believed to be in the lineage of Kunjali Maraikkars.Poovar also had trade relations with international markets at this time as well as a well trained army and some ships. At the
Battle of Colachel
and Battle of
Kayamkulam
the forces of Kallaraickal assisted the Travancore army against the
Dutch East India Company
during the
Travancore?Dutch War
.
[
citation needed
]
During internal riots in Travancore and while escaping from the
Ettuveetil Pillamar
(Lords of the Eight Houses), the king reached Poovar. It was a spring season and the trees on both sides of the
Neyyar
were full of flowers. These flowers fell into the river making it more attractive. On seeing this pleasant scenery, Marthanda Varma commented that this was
poo-var
, a conjunction of the
Malayalam
words for "flower" and "river".
[4]
Trivandrum shipyard
[
edit
]
Poovar is a location for Thiruvananthapuram Shipyard Project, the nation's significant contribution to the construction and repair of ultra-large vessels in the maritime industry. With a natural depth of 23 meters, the Shipyard project boasts a distinct advantage for the assembly and testing of massive vessels. Its strategic location, merely 10 nautical miles from the international shipping channel and a mere 10 kilometers from the
Vizhinjam International Seaport Thiruvananthapuram
, ensures seamless connectivity and global accessibility. This combination of deep waters and proximity to key shipping routes positions the Shipyard project as a pivotal hub for the construction, repair, and testing of vessels on a grand scale, solidifying India's standing in the maritime sector.
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Poovar
.
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Geography
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