Chinnakada

Chinnakada or Chinnakkada is considered as the heart of the city of Kollam in Kerala, India. Chinnakada is a busy junction where 5 city roads and one National highway interconnect at a traffic roundabout. The city's symbolic clock tower is located in Chinnakada. To reduce the traffic congestion in Chinnakada, Kollam Municipal Corporation constructed an underpass near to clock tower.[1] Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA)'s Kollam sub-regional office is situated at Chinnakada.[2]

Chinnakada
Chinnakkada
CBD & Neighbourhood
From top clockwise: Clock Tower, RP Mall, Bishop Jerome Nagar, Residency Road
From top clockwise: Clock Tower, RP Mall, Bishop Jerome Nagar, Residency Road
Chinnakada is located in Kollam
Chinnakada
Chinnakada
Location in Kollam, India
Chinnakada is located in Kerala
Chinnakada
Chinnakada
Chinnakada (Kerala)
Coordinates: 8.887°N 76.591°E / 8.887; 76.591
Country India
StateKerala
DistrictKollam
Government
 • BodyKollam Municipal Corporation(KMC)
Languages
 • OfficialMalayalam, English
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
691001
Vehicle registrationKL-02
Lok Sabha constituencyKollam
Civic agencyKollam Municipal Corporation
Avg. summer temperature34 °C (93 °F)
Avg. winter temperature22 °C (72 °F)
Websitehttp://www.kollam.nic.in

Toponymy

The name Chinnakada may be derived from China-Kada, which means China bazaar. Chinese coins and other artefacts in enormous quantities were found near the Kollam port, proving Kollam was a significant Chinese trading hub.[3] Another explanation is that due to the presence of a large number of Tamil people in Kollam, they named the area Chinnakada, which means "small market" in the Tamil language. This derivation fits with the toponomy of Valiakada adjacent to Chinnakada, which means "big market" in Malayalam.[4]

Other areas in Kollam ending with the word kada in the name

History

The ancient city of Kollam, then known as Quilon, was an important center for trade with the Chinese.[5]

The Chinese traders were one of the oldest foreign communities to settle in Kollam. That was during 8th century AD or even before. That was during the period Kollam evolved as a major trade centre ( of spices ) and an important port in the Malabar coast. Chinnakada could be the corrupted form of China-Kada , means China Bazaar ( or Chinese market). That argument should be taken with a pinch of salt , as Chinnakkada also means small market (in Tamil). That stands complementary to the Valiakada adjacent to Chinnakada, which means big market in Malayalam. [6]

Chinnakada Underpass
Aerial view of Chinnakada in 2008

The Chinnakada Underpass is a public road infrastructure project for the city of Kollam as part of the Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to ease traffic congestion at Chinnakada, the city CBD of Kollam.[7] The presence of an existing Railway over bridge and three close intersections with heavy traffic limits the option for traffic management measures including junction improvement. That caused the authorities to think about this underpass at Chinnakada. Chinnakada is a complex junction where roads from Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha, Downtown, Sengottai, Ashramam, Kollam Beach and the City bus stand road meets.

Preliminary design for underpass was prepared by NATPAC (NATPAC - National Transportation Planning and Research Centre)[8] involving the acquisition of 0.08 hectares (0.20 acres) of government land on a temporary basis.[9] Height of the road passage above the underpass was increased to 5.5 metres (18 ft) from 5 metres (16 ft) to facilitate movement of modern container trucks through the underpass. Underpass has been thrown open to the public by the end of May 2015.[10][11]

Panorama of Chinnakada, the CBD of Kollam (Quilon) city in India in September 2015
  • Upcoming Pulimootil Silks building at Chinnakada, Kollam
    Upcoming Pulimootil Silks building at Chinnakada, Kollam
  • Chinnakada Roundabout, Kollam
    Chinnakada Roundabout, Kollam
  • Bishop Jerome Nagar: One of the popular shopping destinations in Kollam city
    Bishop Jerome Nagar: One of the popular shopping destinations in Kollam city
  • RP Mall, off Chinnakada
    RP Mall, off Chinnakada
  • Front view of Bishop Jerome Nagar
    Front view of Bishop Jerome Nagar
  • Clock tower in Chinnakada
    Clock tower in Chinnakada
  • Chinnakada bus stop
    Chinnakada bus stop
  • Renovated Chinnakada flyover and Clocktower
    Renovated Chinnakada flyover and Clocktower

See also

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chinnakada.
  1. "It's traffic nightmare in Kollam as underpass work resumes". The Times of India. 15 May 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  2. "MPEDA". Archived from the original on 26 January 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  3. "Allusions and Artifacts of Chinese Trade from Kollam, South Kerala, India". Research Gate.
  4. "History of Kollam - Everything about Kerala!". Archived from the original on 2 June 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015. History of Kollam
  5. Archived 2 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine Short History - Kollam
  6. "History of Kollam". Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  7. Chinnakada underpass: dispute settled
  8. "NATPAC". Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  9. "ADB Resettlement Planning Document - Chinnakada underpass" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  10. Chinnakada underpass work to be over by September
  11. "Traffic remains messy at Chinnakada - The Hindu". The Hindu. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
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