Thangasseri

Located 5 km from Kollam, Thangasseri is a picturesque seaside village and has a three kilometer long beach on which stands a 144 feet tall lighthouse - a silent sentinel warning seamen of the treacherous reefs of the Thangasseri, since 1902. The main attractions are Ruins of Portuguese / Dutch forts and 18 century churches, a three km long beach and a century old lighthouse. Thangasseri was once a favourite settlement of the Portuguese, the Dutch and the English in succession, as Kollam was one of the oldest and most important port for international cashew trade on the Malabar coast. Today, it showcases a few ruined forts built by the Portuguese, and the Dutch and some 18th century churches.