View source for Crowther Masonic Hall

{{WikipediaImport}}{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2018}}
{{Infobox building
| name                = Crowther Masonic Hall, Kollam
| native_name         = '''ക്രൗതര്‍ മസോണിക് ഹാള്‍, കൊല്ലം'''
| image               = File:Kollam Crowther masonic hall.JPG
| caption             = The [[Freemasonry|Freemasons]]' Crowther Masonic Hall in [[Kollam|Quilon]]
| former_names        = 
| building_type       = 
| architectural_style = [[Architecture of the United Kingdom|British]]
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| location            = Near DCC Office, [[Kochupilamoodu]]<br />[[Kollam]], [[India]]
| owner               = [[Freemasonry|Freemasons]] of [[Kerala]] <br />(''Lodge Vanchinad'')
| current_tenants     = 
| landlord            = 
| coordinates         = 
| start_date          = 
| completion_date     = 1806
| demolition_date     = 
| height              = 
| diameter            = 
| other_dimensions    = 
| floor_count         = 2
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}}
'''Crowther Masonic Hall''' or '''Freemasons' Hall''' in [[Kollam]] is a part of the [[Grand Lodge of India]] and it was a meeting place for many [[Masonic Lodge]]s in the [[Quilon|Quilon (Kollam)]] area. It is near [[Kochupilamoodu]] in [[Kollam]] city and has been a Masonic meeting place since 1806.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/land-identified-for-kollam-court-complex/article157844.ece |title=Land identified for Kollam court complex - The Hindu|website=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=21 February 2015}}</ref> The building is now considered as a historic monument of [[Freemasonry]] activities in ancient [[Travancore]] area.

==History==
[[File:Free mason Logo in the gate of Kollam masonic hall.JPG|thumb|right|[[Freemasonry|Freemasons]] Logo in the gate of [[Kollam]] Crowther Masonic Hall]]

The Crowther Masonic Hall, Quilon [[Kollam]] (formerly known as ''[[Quilon]]'') was there in the map of [[Grand Lodge]] of [[Freemasonry|Freemasons]] even before the constitution of [[Grand Lodge of India]]. The first [[Freemasonry|Freemasons]] lodge was established at [[Calcutta]] in 1730 and first [[Irish people|Irish]] [[Grand Lodge of Ireland|Lodge]] was established at [[Madras]] in 1754. Incidentally the first [[Grand Lodge of India|Lodge]] in [[Kerala]] was founded in the year 1806 by the name "Travancore Union" at [[Quilon]]. It was actually the relocation of Lodge [[Minden, Louisiana|Minden]] (Lodge Minden no. 464) to [[Quilon]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/land-identified-for-kollam-court-complex/article157844.ecehttp://www.irishmasonichistory.com/260-years-of-irish-freemasonry-in-india-1754-2014-by-v-w-bro-aniruddha-pradhan.html |title=260 years of Irish Freemasonry in India, 1754-2014 - Irish Masonic History and the Jewels of Irish Freemasonry|website=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=21 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lodgetvm168.org/history168.html |title=Freemasonry in Kerala before 1965 - Lodge Trivandrum|access-date=21 February 2015}}</ref> Crowther Masonic Hall was constructed during that time by Richard F. H. Crowther, who received Roll of Honour repeatedly in the year 1934, 1935 and 1941.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.lchr.org/a/54/6y/Chapter_History.htm |title=A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHAPTER MINCHIN no |access-date=15 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604031914/http://www.lchr.org/a/54/6y/Chapter_History.htm |archive-date=4 June 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.lchr.org/a/54/6y/Principals_Roll.htm |title=Past First Principals |access-date=15 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604034004/http://www.lchr.org/a/54/6y/Principals_Roll.htm |archive-date=4 June 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1822 another Lodge by name ‘Hibernia and Union’ was started and that too at [[Quilon]]. In 1941, Lodge Quilon was established, nearly 135 years after the first Lodge in [[Quilon]] was constituted. Now the [[Kollam]] [[Freemasonry|Freemasons]] are active in Lodge Vanchinad No. 273 [[Kollam]], which is near Anandevalleeswaram temple in the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lodgetvm168.org/argm2004/argmapr.htm |title=Report on Activities of Lodges - Lodge Trivandrum|access-date=21 February 2015}}</ref> A [[Freemasonry|Freemasons]] hall is there in Anandevalleeswaram.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.masonindia.org/roll_events.htm|title=Report on Activities of Lodges - Lodge Trivandrum|access-date=21 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150215161232/http://www.masonindia.org/roll_events.htm|archive-date=15 February 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> They are conducting meetings on 1st Sunday of every month<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.masonindia.org/Roll_CRAFT3.htm|title=Roll of Craft Lodges - Mason India|access-date=21 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405202949/http://www.masonindia.org/Roll_CRAFT3.htm|archive-date=5 April 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Threat of Demolition==
In 2009, the district authorities had taken a decision to demolish Crowther Masonic Hall to build Kollam's court complex. Mr. Shajahan, the then district collector have directed the authorities to initiate the land inspection as a preliminary to the land transfer proposal. But later they dropped the project because of protests from the local population to demolish an ancient pride of the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/land-identified-for-kollam-court-complex/article157844.ece |title=Land identified for Kollam court complex - The Hindu|website=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=21 February 2015}}</ref>

==Location==
* [[Kollam Junction railway station]] - 700&nbsp;m
* [[Kollam KSRTC Bus Station]] - 1.9&nbsp;km
* [[Andamukkam City Bus Stand|Andamukkam City Bus Station]] - 800&nbsp;m
* [[Chinnakada]] - 1&nbsp;km

==References==
{{Reflist}}

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'''[[Geographic coordinate system|Lat. <small>and</small> Long.]] {{Coord|8|52|43.9|N|76|35|43.0|E|display=inline}}'''
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{{Kollam |state=expanded}}

[[Category:Tourist attractions in Kollam]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Kollam]]
[[Category:History of Kollam]]
[[Category:Masonic buildings]]