Covelong
Kovalam | |
|---|---|
Suburban Village | |
 Covelong Beach, view from south | |
  Covelong Location in Tamil Nadu, India  Covelong Covelong (India) | |
| Coordinates: 12°47′33″N 80°15′11″E / 12.7925°N 80.2530°E | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| District | Chengalpattu |
| Metro | Chennai |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Tamil |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| Nearest city | Chennai |
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.
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.