Kollam Port is one of the historic ports situated 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) away from Downtown Kollam (formerly Quilon),14km north of Paravur and 24km north of Varkala Town It is the second largest port in Kerala by volume of cargo handled and facilities. Located on the south-west coast of India, under the name of Quilon Port it became one of the country's most important trade hubs from the ninth to the seventeenth centuries. Kollam was one of the five Indian ports visited by Ibn Battuta.