Tirunelveli

Tirunelveli is a city in Tamil Nadu state of southern India. It is the headquarters of Tirunelveli District.

Location

It is located on the banks of the perennial Thamirabarani River, 75 km from Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of India. The Thamirabarani contains traces of copper, hence its name (Thamiram means copper in Tamil). Tirunelveli can be easily reached from Madurai (3 hours) or Nagercoil (1 1/2 hours). It is one of the Ayyavazhi populated districts of Tamil Nadu.

The city and its twin

The city also goes by the name Nellai. The district is known for its paddy fields. The name 'Tiru-Nel-Veli' owes to a Hindu mythological story where Lord Shiva protected the paddy ('nel') by creating a fence ('veli').

The other famous town is Palaymkottai, known for its educational institutions and sometimes referred to as South Indian Oxford. The Church of South India Diocese is located here. Palaymkottai is also knows for its famous 'Central Prison' which has housed lot of freedom fighters during the Indian independence fights.

Halwa

The city is noted for the sweet 'halwa' (pronounced alva) which is made from wheat and sugar. 'Tirunelveli Alva' is said to owe its peculiar taste to the Thamirabarani river water. The 'Iruttu Kadai' opposite the Nellayappar temple is the hot spot when it comes to Alwa. Also another two famous spots for 'alva' in Tirunelveli are Shanti sweets and Lakshmi vilas which are situated near the Tirunelveli Railway junction.

Tirunelveli District

Tirunelveli has an area of 6,838 km². It is bounded by Virudhunagar District to the north, Thoothukudi District to the east, the Indian Ocean to the south, Kanyakumari District to the southwest, and Kerala to the west. The chief towns are Courtallam also called as Kuttalam, Sankarankoil, Tenkasi, and Tirunelveli.

The famous Courtallam Waterfalls are located in Tirunelveli District. A refreshing dip in any of the nine water falls rejuevenates the body and the mind. The water is supposed to have healing properties due to the herbs in the hilly regions. The waterfalls are often dry, and August is supposed to be the best time to go. 'Thamira Sabhai' is located in Courtallam. Special fruits like 'Mongostaan', 'Ramtaan' are available only in Courtallam.

Many of the freedom fighters have originated from this land. 'Veera Pandiya Kattabomman', 'V O Chidambaram Pillai' and 'Bharathiar' are from Thoothukudi district which was a part of Tirunelveli District before 1990.

The great Tamil poet Subramanya Bharathy is from Ettayapuram in the erstwhile Tirunelveli district before the Thoothukudi district was carved out. He composed poems foreseeing India's freedom. He wrote many articles on many subjects. He also wrote about the unity of India in spite of its variety in languages, religion and cultures.

The famous textile showrooms of Tamil Nadu, RMKV and Pothys hails originally from Tirunelveli.

File:Nellai.jpg

Nellaiappar Temple

Nellayappar temple, a famous temple of the Hindu god Shiva, is situated here. The Goddess deity is called 'Gandhimathi Ambal'. There are many sculptures in and on the various temples. The Nellayappar temple is infact bigger than the Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple, but the latter is more famous due to its historical imporatance and tourist attraction. In addition to Panchappathi, Thiruchendur were Ayya Vaikundar incarnated from the sea is also considered sacred by the followers of Ayyavazhi.

Kanthimathi - Nellaiyapper Temple This temple is situated in the heart of the city. This is a twin temple dedicated to Parvathi and Siva. Rare Jewels, the Golden Lily Tank, Musical Pillars, the hall of thousand pillars are worth seeing. Like other Siva temples in places like Chidambram, Madurai Tirunelveli is also most popular among the 'Saivites'(vegetarians who worship lord Siva)

Education

Palayamkottai, the twin city of Tirunelveli is called the Oxford of South India. The town, surrounded by paddy fields, has a rich heritage in education dating back to the pre-independence era. Some of the schools and colleges are more than 150 years old.

The city has the following colleges

1. Medical College (Tirunelveli Medical College run by Government of Tamil Nadu)

2. Siddha Medical College (Government of Tamil Nadu)

3. Engineering Colleges(Government college of Engineering as well as many Private Colleges)

4. Arts Colleges (Government as well as private colleges)

5. Pharmacy College

6. Physiotherapy college (Private - Devendrar College of Physiotherapy)

Other Places

Papanasam (42 km)

This holy place is on the western ghat of Pothigai Hills. It is close to the Papanasam Falls, on the banks of the Thamiraparani river where Siva and Parvathi appeared before the great saint Agasthiya.Hence the falls is popularly called the "Agasthiya Falls". To commemorate the visit of the divine couple, the Agasthiya temple was built there.

Deivacheyalpuram (27 km)

This small village situated at about 27 km from Tirunelveli, enroute to Tuticorin, has a RajaRajeswari temple and a Ram temple. A 72 feet statue of Lord Anjaneyar (Hanuman) has been erected in front of the Ram temple, to attain World Peace. Poojas are held at these temples everyday, with devotees thronging to it on Fridays and other festivals.

Kazhugumalai

It was one of the important centres of the Jains, now in Thoothukudi District. The bas-relief found here are the contribution of Jains and are among the earliest of such works. The Vettuvan Koil (Siva Temple) the rock-cut cave temple is worth visiting .

Tenkasi (53 km)

The name itself implies that this town is 'Kasi (Varanasi) of the South'. The flag staff of the temple is noteworthy for its sculptural beauty and is 400 years old.

Srivaikuntam (37 km)

Srivaikuntam (now in Thoothukudi District) is famous for the temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu known as Srivaikuntapathi Swami with a lofty gopuram.The Thiruvengada Mudaliyar Mandapam is rich with sculptures of Yallis, Elephants and Warriors. The Ekadasi Mandapam which is opened on Vaikunta Ekadasi days, contains exquisite sculptures. During the conflicting days between the East India Company forces and Kattabomman, this temple served as a fort. The Kailasanathaswamy temple is an another important temple. It contains six inscriptions of the times of Veera Pandiya Kattabomman.

Manapad (70 km)

Holy Cross Church at Manapad is an ancient one. It was built in the year 1581. Thousands congregate during the festival season from 1st to 14th September every year. The church is associated with St. Francis Xavier.

Krishnapuram (13 km)

The temple in Krishnapuram is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The presiding deity is Thiruvenkatanathar. There are a number of life-size sculptures in this temple with intricate workmanship.

Kulasekarapattinam (68 km)

The Muthuraman temple 20 km from Tiruchendur is known for the popular 'Dasara' festival where folk dance artists from all over the state participate in the festival. It is a coastal village with a fine beach.

SANKARANKOVIL(54 km)

This temple depicts the concept of hari and haran being one god.There is a deity by name sankara narayanan, which is half shiva and the other part vishnu.Also , there is a deity , name GOMATHI AMBAL.There is a sacred sand available in Gomathi Ambal temple, which is believed to cure the disesases.There is a famous festival "ADI THABASU" in the month of June.

See Also

Thoothukudi District

External link

• Tirunelveli District government website
• schools, colleges, and universities in Tirunelveli (Indiastudycenter.com)
• Tirunelveli Medical College