Cantonment Maidan, Kollam

Cantonment Maidan, also called Peeranki or Peeringee Maidan, is an open ground on the east side of old Kollam, close to S.N. College. Two centuries ago a British garrison was posted here because of the town's port, trade and public offices; it was later cut down to a native regiment protecting the Maharaja of Travancore. In 1809, following Velu Thampi Dalawa's lead, Travancore troops and local militia attacked it. The British under Col. Chalmers won the six-hour Battle of Quilon, and the rebels were court-martialled and hanged on the ground.

The maidan stayed at the centre of public life. A 1915 compromise meeting in the Kallumala agitation, attended by Ayyankali, took place here, and his statue stands on the ground. Mahatma Gandhi spoke here on 11 October 1927, and on 2 September 1938 police fired on a Chingam 17 gathering, killing six. Today it hosts fairs, rallies, conventions and cricket and football matches.