THE EMPIRES THAT CAME AND WENT

Kollam was a coveted prize for European imperial powers. The Portuguese arrived in the late 15th century, establishing the Saint Thomas Fort in 1517 to secure their spice trade interests. In 1641, the Dutch wrested control from the Portuguese, only to be ousted in 1741 by Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma, the first king of Travancore. By 1795, the British had entrenched themselves in Kollam, constructing the British Residency at Asramam between 1811 and 1819, which later became the Government Guest House. The British also developed key infrastructure, including the Post and Telegraph Office (1864), the Punalur Hanging Bridge (1877), the Kollam railway station, and the Tangasseri Lighthouse (1902), which remains an iconic landmark of the city today.