Vizhinjam is the fishing village immediately south of Lighthouse Beach, a 20-minute walk along the coast. It is where the working life behind the Kovalam tourist scene actually happens: the boats are built and maintained here, the nets are mended here, and the fish that ends up grilled on the restaurant terraces is auctioned here in the early morning. The village has its own Muslim and Hindu communities — fishing communities on the Kerala coast have historically been mixed — and the mosque near the harbour is worth noting as one of the older ones in the district.
The small rock-cut cave shrine near the village entrance contains 8th-century carvings attributed to the Ay dynasty — a Shiva figure and attendants carved directly into the rock face. It is easy to miss and not signposted for tourists, which means most people walk past it. Ask locally for the "rock temple" or "kallukovil."
Vizhinjam is undergoing significant change because of the new deep-water international seaport being constructed immediately to the south. The port construction has displaced some fishing families and is visible from the village. It will eventually become one of India's major container ports, which will change the character of this coast permanently. Visit while the fishing village character survives.