Covelong

Last updated

Covelong
Kovalam
Suburban Village
Covelong beach.jpg
Covelong Beach, view from south
India Tamil Nadu location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Covelong
Location in Tamil Nadu, India
India location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Covelong
Covelong (India)
Coordinates: 12°47′33″N80°15′11″E / 12.7925°N 80.2530°E / 12.7925; 80.2530
CountryFlag of India.svg  India
State Tamil Nadu
District Chengalpattu
Metro Chennai
Languages
  Official Tamil
Time zone UTC+5:30 (IST)
Nearest cityChennai

Covelong (Kovalam) is a fishing village in Chennai, India, 40 kilometres south of Chennai, on the East Coast Road en route to Mahabalipuram. Covelong (Cabelon in French = Kovalam) was a port town developed in the 1720s by the Ostend Company on a place provided by the Nawab of Carnatic Saadat Ali (the port was then also known as Sa‘adat Pattan, or Sadatpatnam, according to the name of the nawab). The factory was inaugurated in 1719 by Sir Godefroid Gollet de La Merveille (a Frenchman), and the building of a fort started at that time. After the closing down of the Imperial Company in 1731, the port was taken over by the French in 1746, and destroyed by the British in 1752.

Contents

The fort built by the Belgian in Covelong during the Ostend factory times has been made today the Taj Fisherman's Cove, a private luxury beach resort. Another attraction is the ancient Catholic church on the beach, built in the 1770s. There is also a Dharga & temple nearby the beach.

Chennai Covelong Beach is one of the few places in the East Coast where surfing takes place. There is a surf school with resort in the beach and samudra community yoga school in front of the beach.

Kovalam has a river mouth opening that flows almost throughout the year.

Landmarks

Big Rocks in Beach Big Rocks in Beach.jpg
Big Rocks in Beach
Kovalam Beach,Chennai - Mid Sea Diving Kovalam Beach, Chennai - Mid Sea Diving.jpg
Kovalam Beach,Chennai - Mid Sea Diving

Remnants of the Belgian fort can be seen in Fisherman's Cove, a luxury Taj hotel in Covelong, while a fort and cemetery built by the Dutch are still to be seen in Sadras, south of Mahabalipuram.

Apart from being a popular tourist destination because of the wide beaches, the shallow ocean and the peaceful backwaters, history has influenced the existence of important places of worship for Hindus, Christians and Muslims. The construction of the Catholic Church, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, begun some time between 1770 and 1780 but it was left incomplete. It was a wealthy Portuguese merchant-prince who was a major land-owner in early 19th Century Madras, Sir John de Monte, who completed it between 1800 and 1808. According to the legend, his only son Christopher died at the age of twenty-two on his way back from Germany. As a result, Sir John's wife Mary, fell into a depression. One night, Sir John had a dream that if he completed the building of the church his wife would be cured. He did; and his wife was cured. He, his wife and his son are buried in the church.

Another benefactor in Covelong was the Armenian Catholic, Sarquis Satur, who built a "chatram" in Covelong (a place where pilgrims could rest, free of charge). A Latin inscription commemorating him is still visible there. It is not clear how long Christianity has been in existence in Covelong. There are three wells that have crosses and cross-bones on their interiors, and this fact seems to pre-date the advent of the Portuguese, because they carved crosses on the exterior of wells, not the interior. Other wells of the same type are to be found on St Thomas Mount, St Thomas Convent and St Bede's School in Mylapore, Chennai.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biarritz</span> City on the Bay of Biscay, France

Biarritz is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located 35 kilometres (22 mi) from the border with Spain. It is a luxurious seaside tourist destination known for the Hôtel du Palais, its seafront casinos, and its surfing culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Melbourne</span> Suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Port Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km (2 mi) south-west of the Melbourne central business district, located within the Cities of Melbourne and Port Phillip local government areas. Port Melbourne recorded a population of 17,633 at the 2021 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torquay, Victoria</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Torquay is a seaside resort in Victoria, Australia, which faces Bass Strait, 21 km south of Geelong and is the gateway to the Great Ocean Road. It is bordered on the west by Spring Creek and its coastal features include Point Danger and Zeally Bay. At the 2021 census, Torquay had a population of 18,534.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelambakkam</span> Place in Tamil Nadu, India

Kelambakkam is a suburban and residential neighbourhood of Chennai, India. It is located in the south-eastern portion of the city along the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), and is about 5 km from Siruseri IT park and 12 km from Sholinganallur junction. It is another important junction after Sholinganalur, which connects GST road (Vandalur) and ECR road (Kovalam). Kelambakkam is considered as the Southern Gateway to Chennai city on OMR Road and comes under Zone-2 of OMR Road.

Taj Hotels is a chain of luxury hotels and a subsidiary of the Indian Hotels Company Limited, headquartered in Mumbai, India. Incorporated by Jamsetji Tata in 1902, the company is a part of the Tata Group. The company employed over 20,000 people in the year 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santhome</span> Neighbourhood in Chennai District, Tamil Nadu, India

Santhome is a locality in Mylapore in Chennai city in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Hotels Company Limited</span> Hotel hospitality company

The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) is an Indian hospitality company that manages a portfolio of hotels, resorts, jungle safaris, palaces, spas and in-flight catering services. The company is part of India's Tata Group. IHCL was founded in 1902 by Jamsetji Tata and is headquartered in Mumbai where its flagship hotel Taj Mahal Palace Hotel is also located. The company's hotel chains include Taj, SeleQtions, Vivanta, and Ginger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Coast Road</span> Road in Tamil Nadu, India

East Coast Road (ECR), combination of SH-49, NH-332A, NH-32, officially known as Mutthamizh Arignar Kalaignar Road without public voting, is a two-lane highway in Tamil Nadu, India, built along the Bay of Bengal coast. It connects Tamil Nadu's state capital Chennai with Kanyakumari via Puducherry, Cuddalore, Chidambaram, Sirkali, Thirukkadaiyur, Tharangambadi, Karaikal, Nagore, Nagapattinam, Thiruthuraipoondi, Muthupet, Adirampattinam, Manora,Peravurani,Manamelkudi, Mimisal, Ramanathapuram, Rameswaram,Thoothukudi, Tiruchendur, Uvari, Kudankulam. The total length of the road is about 777 km between Chennai and Kanyakumari.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Falaknuma Palace</span> Palace in Hyderabad, India

Falaknuma is a palace in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It originally belonged to the Paigah family, and was later owned by the Nizam of Hyderabad. It is on a hillock and covers a 13-hectare (32-acre) area in Falaknuma, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from Charminar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alamparai Fort</span>

The ruins of Alamparai Fort lie near Kadappakkam in India, a village 50 km from Mamallapuram on the land overlooking the sea. Constructed in the late 17th century during the Mughal era, the Alamparai Fort once had a 100-metre long dockyard stretching into the sea, from which zari cloth, salt, and ghee were exported. During 1735 AD it was ruled by Nawab Doste Ali Khan. In 1750, for the services rendered by the famous French commander Dupleix to Subedar Muzaphar Jung, the fort was given to the French. When French were defeated by the British, the fort was captured and demolished in 1760 AD. More recently the structure was damaged in the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Salai</span> Arterial road in Chennai, India

Anna Salai, formerly known as St. Thomas Mount Road or simply Mount Road, is an arterial road in Chennai, India. It starts at the Cooum Creek, south of Fort St George, leading in a south-westerly direction towards St. Thomas Mount, and ends at the Kathipara Junction in Guindy. Beyond the Kathipara Junction, a branch road arises traversing westwards to Poonamallee to form the Mount-Poonamallee Road while the main branch continuing southwards to Chennai Airport, Tambaram and beyond to form Grand Southern Trunk Road. Anna Salai, which is more than 400 years old, is acknowledged as the most important road in Chennai city. The head offices of many commercial enterprises and public buildings are located along Anna Salai. It is the second longest road in Chennai, after EVR Periyar Salai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chennai Lighthouse</span> Lighthouse in India

There have been at least four lighthouses named Chennai Lighthouse or Madras Lighthouse, which face the Bay of Bengal on the east coast of the Indian Subcontinent in Chennai, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Munger Fort</span> Fort in Munger, Bihar, India

The Munger Fort, located at Munger, in the state of Bihar, India, is built on a rocky hillock on the south bank of the Ganges River. Its history is not completely dated but it is believed that it was built during the early rule of Slave dynasty of India. The Munger town where the fort is situated was under the control of Muhammad bin Tughluq of Delhi. The fort has two prominent hills called the Karnachaura or Karanchaura, and the other a built up rectangular mound deduced to be the location of a citadel of the fort with historical links. The fort had a succession of Muslim rulers (Khaljis, Tughlaqs, Lodis, Nawabs of Bengal, followed by Mughal rulers, till it was finally acceded to the British by Mir Quasim, after unseating his father-in-law Mīr Jafar on the grounds of old age, for a monetary reward negotiated by Vansittart. This deal involved payment by the East India Company's merchants of an ad valorem duty of 9 percent, against an Indian merchant's duty of 40%. The fort became a place of considerable importance to the British in Bengal till 1947.

Taj Fisherman's Cove Resort & Spa, commonly called Fisherman's Cove, is a luxury beach resort near the coast of the Bay of Bengal in Chennai, India. Categorized as a 5-star deluxe resort by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, it is a part of the chain of Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces and is classified under the group's leisure/resort hotels section. Owned by the Covelong Beach Hotels Limited, an associate of the Taj Group, the hotel is built on the ramparts of a ruined 18th-century Belgian castle.

The Entertainment Corridor is a stretch along East Coast Road, Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It runs between Thiruvanmiyur and Mudaliarkuppam and is dotted with a number of theme parks, boat houses, beaches, 5-star hotels and pubs. The corridor is termed "Entertainment Corridor".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tangasseri</span> Neighbourhood in Kollam, Kerala, India

Tangasseri or Thangassery (Thangi) is a heavily populated beach area on the shores of the Arabian Sea in Kollam city, Kerala, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surfing in India</span>

India has over 7,500 km of coastline, including that of the island groups, and this provides many opportune places for surfing. The largest waves are usually seen between May and September, the pre-monsoon and monsoon season. Some of the spots for surfing in India are Mangalore, Manipal, Kapu Beach, Sasihithlu and Murdeshwara in Karnataka, Mahabalipuram, Covelong and Manapad in Tamil Nadu, Kovalam and Varkala in Kerala, Little Andaman and Lakshadweep.

References