Kovalam in Kerala on the Arabian Sea is one of the most famous beach destinations in the state.

 The small fishing village of Kovalam in Kerala on the Arabian Sea is one of the most famous beach destinations in the state. 

The pristine spectacular beauty of the area inspired Travancore's Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi to choose Kovalam as the site for her beach resort Halcyon Castle in the 1930s. But Kovalam beach was finally put on the tourist map when it became part of the hippie trail linking India to Sri Lanka in the 1970s. Today, it remains a picturesque spot that rejuvenates Indian and international travellers who try Kerala's many famous Ayurvedic therapies. 

The beach is not contiguous but consists of three beach sections - Lighthouse Beach, Hawah Beach and Samudra Beach. While the first of these beaches takes its name from the Vizhinjam Lighthouse that towers over the landscape, it is rumoured that Hawah Beach or Eve Beach was so christened because of the many topless sunbathers who flocked to its shores. All three beaches converge at the famous Kovalam crescent, where the beach lives up to its name, which means a grove of coconut trees.