Tirunelveli

Tirunelveli (Tamil: திருநெல்வேலி ) (tirOOnel‘velē) is a city and a municipal corporation in Tirunelveli district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the sixth largest city in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is also the headquarters of Tirunelveli District.

Tirunelveli is a 2000 year old city, located on the banks of the perennial Thamirabarani River. It is situated 80 km to the north of Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of India. The Thamirabarani contains traces of copper, hence its name (Thamiram means copper in Tamil).

Name

The name 'Tiru-Nel-Veli' comes from a Hindu mythological story where Lord Shiva is said to have protected the nel (paddy) by creating a veli (fence). It grew into prominence during the Pandya Regime , and served as their capital for some time and was once an imperial city of the Chola kingdom (c.900–1200). The city also goes by the name Nellai and sometimes called as Halwa city. Tirunelveli is also spelt Thirunelvelli.

• Earlier the city was anglicized as Tinnevelly or Tinnevelli.

Geography

Tirunelveli is located at 8.73°N 77.7°E / 8.73; 77.7. It has an average elevation of 47 metres (154 feet).

Climate

The Agasthiyamalai hills, cut of Tirunelveli from the southwest monsoon, creating a rainshadow region

Tropical climate - hot and humid. Average Temperature during the hot season (March to September) is 38°C and during the mild season (October to February) is 32°C. The average annual rainfall is 68cm, most of which occurs through the North-East monsoon (October-December).

Date	Sunrise	Sunset	Length	Change	Dawn	Dusk	Length	Change
Today	06:11	18:32	12:21		05:50	18:53	13:03
+1 day	06:11	18:31	12:20	00:01 shorter	05:50	18:53	13:03	00:00 equal length
+1 week	06:11	18:28	12:17	00:04 shorter	05:50	18:49	12:59	00:04 shorter
+2 weeks	06:10	18:24	12:14	00:07 shorter	05:49	18:45	12:56	00:07 shorter
+1 month	06:08	18:15	12:07	00:14 shorter	05:48	18:36	12:48	00:15 shorter
+2 months	06:07	18:00	11:53	00:28 shorter	05:46	18:21	12:35	00:28 shorter
+3 months	06:14	17:56	11:42	00:39 shorter	05:52	18:18	12:26	00:37 shorter
+6 months	06:36	18:30	11:54	00:27 shorter	06:15	18:51	12:36	00:27 shorter

The city and its twin

The twin city of Tirunelveli is Palayamkottai, known for its educational institutions and sometimes referred to as South Indian Oxford. The Church of South India Diocese is located here. Palayamkottai is also knows for its famous Central Prison which has housed a lot of freedom fighters during the struggle for Indian Independence.

Palayamkottai is a town in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. It is on the southern bank of the Thamirabarani river, while its twin city Tirunelveli is on the northern bank.

The city is a main place in south for Christian missionaries and there are quite a few churches, the major church being The Holy Trinity Cathedral, part of Church of South India Synod.

It also has several Hindu temples: The Gopalaswamy temple, Siva Temple, Ramar Temple, Uchini Makali temples and a number for the goddess Amman. The most famous of them all is the Nellaipar temple along with the Gandhimathi temple. Both temples are connected by 'mandapams' which is famous for its 'musical' pillars. The pillars are made from stones of different densities, so emanates different sounds when tapped on. The area occupied by both temples combined is larger than the famed Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple.

It has two play grounds: the Anna Stadium and the VOC maithanam. The latter holds field hockey and Kabbadi matches at both district and state level. Republic day and Independence day ceremonies are also conducted here.

Almost all the colleges and institutions of higher education for the area are in Palayamkottai, some of which date back more than a century. These include the Tirunelveli Medical College, Siddha College, Engineering College, St. Xavier's College, St. John's College and Sarah Tucker College. The Palayamkottai people consider it is the "Oxford of South India".There is a large market in Palayamkottai, along with the Ulavar Santhai where farmers sell their products directly.

Palayamkottai is also known for its jail, which housed several dignitories during the pre-independence era. Tamil language poet Subramanya Bharathy spent a part of his life here. The district Central jail is notable for its capacity and security.

Origin of Tamil

Main article: Tamil language

Tamil is believed to have originated from the Pothigai Malai, a hill situated in the Papanasam (a small village in Tirunelveli district). Legends say that Lord Shiva sent the two saints Vyasa and Agatyar (in Sanskrit Agastya) to create the divine languages Sanskrit and Tamil. Agatyar came to Papanasam and established the Tamil culture from Pothigai Malai.

The accent of Tamil spoken in Tirunelveli district is considered to be very lucid. It is generally thought that the kind of Tamil spoken here is generally loved and enjoyed by all Tamilians. Their accent really seduces all Tamil speaking people.

Tamil songs & music

Hear the melodious sound and music of Tamil.

Civic administration

Tirunelveli City officials
Mayor	Tmt. A Jeyarani B.E
Deputy Mayor	Thiru S. Viswanathan
Collector	G.Prakash I.A.S
Police Commissioner	Umaganapathi Sastri
Member of Parliament	Dhanushkodi Athitan

Total Voters in Tirunelveli Municipal Corporation as per 2001 census.

Tirunelveli City voters
Number of Wards	55
Total Voters	411,831
Male Voters	203,232
Female Voters	208,599

Demographics

As of 2001 India censusTemplate:GR, Tirunelveli had a population of 411,298. Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%. Tirunelveli has an average literacy rate of 78%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 83%, and female literacy is 73%. In Tirunelveli, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Projected Population

Year	Population	Type	Source
1991	345,772	census	official
2001	431,603	census	official
2006	467,413	calculation

Sl.No	Domain]]	Rank in population	Rank in agglomeration	Source
World	not-defined	not-defined
2	Asia	434	398	,
3	India	90	87	,
4	Tamil Nadu	6	7	,

Halwa

The city is noted for the sweet halwa (pronounced alva) which is made from wheat and sugar. Tirunelveli halwa is said to owe its peculiar taste to the water from Thamirabarani river. Some of the hot spots to buy halwa is said to be around the Nellayappar temple and near the city railway station.The Irutu Kada halva (Dark Store halva) is one of the local specialities.The other famous ones are Lakshmi Villas near the Tirunelveli Railway Junction and Shanthi Sweets in the same locality.

Media

Print

• Tamil newspapers (dailies)

Dina Thanthi,Dina Malar,Dinakaran,Dina Mani,Kathiravan,Tamil murasu,Malaimalar (Eveninger)are the prominent Tamil news dailies being printed in the city.

Local cable TV media

Air Media Network,Karan TV,Sathya,Krishna TV are the local cable Television Network, updating the local news in and around the city and its developments.

Radio station

Suriyan FM - Freqeuncy 93.8 MHz run by the Sun Network and Tirunelveli Vanoli Nilayam (AIR) by the Government of India

Online services

Gospel Junction one of the leading Web Hosting service in India provides top class service at unbeatable price.

Pincode

Pincode is the postal numbering system used in India.

Location	Pincode
Tirunelveli Junction	627 001
Palayamkottai	627 002
Varnarpettai	627 003
Pettai	627 004
Melapalayan	627 005
Nellai Town	627 006
Perumalpuram	627 007
Gandhinagar	627 008
Kokkirakulam (Collectorate)	627 009
Industrial Estate, Pettai	627 010
Maharajanagar	627 011
Abisheikapatti	627 012
Karungulam	627 117

Transport

Roads

Tirunelveli is well-connected by roads. The city is located on the NH 7, 150 km to the south of Madurai and 80 km to the north of Kanyakumari. NH 7A, an extension of NH 7, connects Palayamkottai with Tuticorin Port. Tirunelveli is accessible by road from Madurai (3 hours) or Nagercoil (1 1/2 hours). Tirunelveli is also connected by major highways to Quilon, Tiruchendur, Rajapalayam, Ambasamudram and Nazareth.

The Tirunelveli sub-division of the TNSTC (Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation), Madurai Division services the district's road transport needs with a string of local and mofussil (out-of-town) services. The State Express Bus Corpn. (SETC) operates express services to Chennai, Bangalore, Salem, Coimbatore, Nagapattinam, Erode, Villupuram, Tirupati originating from Tirunelveli.

The Bus station has 4 platforms for each direction and 17 buses can be accommodated per platform. Totally 68 buses can be stationed at a time.

Railways

A majestic looking structure with a high elevated façade, the Tirunelveli Junction Railway station is an extremely busy and important one in Tamil Nadu. It connects to major stations in all four directions, Madurai to the North, Nagercoil to the South, Tenkasi/Senkottai to the west and Tiruchendur to the East.

The Railway station invariably produces profit for the Madurai Railway division. Nellai Express — a superfast train connecting Tirunelveli and Chennai Egmore — runs almost jam packed throughout the year. It is one of the trains in India which always seems to run on time. The Rail way station has 6 platforms, of which first three for Metre gauge and the remaining for Broad gauge. Tirunelveli junction is coded as TEN.

Railway stations in Tirunelveli city are:

MAJOR RAIL STATION

• Tirunelveli Junction

MINOR RAIL STATIONS

• Palayamkottai
• Town
• Pettai
• Melapalayam
• Talaiyoothu

The major trains which run through Tirunelveli Juntion are:

• Nellai Express
• Kanniyakumari Express
• Ananthapuri Express
• Koodal Nagar Express
• Nagarcoil-Mumbai Express
• Quilon Mail

Airport

The nearest airport is the Tuticorin airport, located at Vaagaikulam, about 28 km from Tirunelveli city. The Madurai and Trivandrum airports are about 150 km away by road. An unused run way at Kayatar, which is 30KM away from the heart of the city will be operational once the IT park at Gangaikondan is setup.

Tirunelveli District

Tirunelveli District 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 state to the west. The chief towns are Tirunelveli, Courtallam also called as Kuttalam, Sankarankoil and Tenkasi.

The famous Courtallam waterfalls are located in Tirunelveli district along such rivers as the Chittar River. It is said that a dip in any of the nine waterfalls rejuvenates the body and the mind. The water is supposed to have healing properties due to the herbs which grow in the area. The waterfalls are often dry and August is considered to be the best time to go. Thamira Sabhai is located in Courtallam. Special fruits like Mongostaan and Ramtaan are available only in Courtallam.

Advancing monsoon clouds and showers in Aralvaimozhy, near Nagercoil, India

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. 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, religions, and cultures.

Tirunelveli is also one of the Ayyavazhi populated districts in Tamil Nadu.

Mukkudal is one of the famous village,located in this Tirunelveli District. This village is famous for Beedi(Tobacco) Industries and the Tamirabarani River. Some of the famous textile showrooms of Tamil Nadu are also in Tirunelveli.

Temples

The Nellaiappar Temple with Kanthimathi is situated in the centre of the town and at a distance of two km. from the Railway station. The very name of the town, Tirunelveli which was known in the past as Then Pandyanagaram is a part of the town which has developed around the temple of Nellaiyappar. There are many sculptures in and on the various temples. The Nellaiappar Temple is in fact bigger than the Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple, but the latter is more famous due to its historical imporatance and tourist attraction.

This is a twin temple dedicated to Goddess Parvathi and Lord Shiva. Rare Jewels, the Golden Lily Tank, Musical Pillars, the hall of thousand pillars are worth seeing. Like other Siva temples Tirunelveli is also popular among the 'Saivites'(vegetarians who worship lord Siva)

From the distance itself one can have a beautiful view of the great gopuram tower. Both the gopurams were built according to the rules laid down in the agamasastras by Rama Pandyan.

Nindrasir Nedumaran who reigned in the Seventh century A.D. also contributed by constructing and renovating important parts in this temple. A beautiful flower garden originated in 1756 A.D. next to this Chain mandapam welcomes us with many colourful fragrant flowers. This garden had been designated by Thiruvengadakrishna mudaliar. A square vasantha mandapam with 100 pillars is found in the midst of this garden. In this area one famous place called AVUDAYANOOR.

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 Manonmaniam Sundaranar University is located in Nellai, on the Tenkasi road, about 11 km from the junction. The university is named after a famed poet who was the author of the "Tamil thai Vazhthu" (Praise to Mother Tamil), which is the official state song.

Sl No	Educational Institutions	No of Institutions
1	University	1
2	Arts and Science College	21
3	Medical College	2
4	Sidha Medical College	1
5	Engineering College	12
6	Law College	1
7	Pre Primiary School	201
8	Primary School	1521
9	Middle School	394
10	High School	114
11	Higher Secondary	148
12	Teacher's Training Institute	6

Many students from various schools have been consistently performing in state public academic examaniation into state ranks.

The city has government and private colleges in Medical run by , Law, Engineering, Arts, Pharmacy and Physiotherapy fields.

Tirunelveli medical college and Tirunelveli Engineering college are the professional colleges run by the government of Tamil Nadu

Reputed Arts Colleges include St. Johns College, St. Xaviers College (both in Palayamkottai), M.D.T Hindu College and Sadakathulla Appa College.

Science

The city is fortunate to have a District Science Centre, a satellite unit of Visvesvaraya Industrial & Technological Museum, Bangalore. The centre is committed to the cause of science education through fun and entertainment. The Centre has an evergreen science park in sylvine surroundings and is located adjacent to the perennial river Tamirabharani, along the highway to Kanyakumari. Permanent exhibition halls, science shows, interactive guide tours, mini-planetarium, sky observation through telescope etc are some of the activities of the Centre.

Cuisine

Some of the unique and popular dishes in Tirunelveli are Sodhi, Mutton Varuval and Kootan Choru. Sodhi is a delicious gravy made of coconut milk and vegetables. This is served in marriage feasts, especially during the Maruveedu(return marriage) ceremony which is the day after the marriage. Kootan Choru is a hot spicy vegetable rice made with dhal, rice, vegetables and a mixture of coconut and red chillies.

Tirunelveli is also famous for producing a sweet snack called alvaa, which is more commonly known as halva.

Interests

Thiruvalluvar Two Tier Bridge
The two tier over bridge, namely Thiruvalluvar Bridge at Tirunelveli Junction was constructed to avoid the railway line crossing. The total length of bridge is 800 metres. This type of two tier bridge constructed in Tirunelveli is the first of its kind in India. This bridge was opened for traffic in 1972. This two tier over bridge consists of 25 spans of which 13 are of bow string arch, each with a width of 30.30 metres and 12 are single tier R.C.C girder each having a width of 11.72 metres.

District Science Centre at Vannarpet.

V O Chidhambaram Pillai Memorial hall at Exhibition ground - Town

Criticism

Although Tirunelveli is one of the major cities in Tamil Nadu, the dearth of industries and the climate result in many people migrating to other parts of Tamil Nadu such as Chennai, Coimbatore, and Tirupur both for higher education and for job oppurtunties. It has been speculated that the negligence of the government to create job opportunities could also be a cause for this migration.

People here are normally considered as rough and tough, which may be due perhaps to out break of communal violences, murders etc in the outskirt of the city in late 80's and early 90's even though it has been controlled well with in the limitation, apart from few stray incidents.

IT Park

The state and Central government has agreed a bid to set up a Information Technology park in the view to develop this district. Time has now riped for the development part in the lower part of Tamil Nadu. [20].The government of India has approved Naguneri, a town which is 28KM away from the city as Special Economic Zone (SEZ)(Earlier known as Hi-tech Industrial Park) for the promotion of Electronic/Telecom/Computer Hardware manufactures,Manufacture of white goods/entertainment electronics,Software development,Agro based Industries,Food Processing and Precision Engineering Industries.The promoter for this project are M/s. INFAC India Group, USA., and Axes Technologies Inc., USA.The estimated cost of this project is around Rs 7000 million. More than 2500 hectares of lands were earmarked for this project; 90% of the land had already be acquired. Utilities viz Water at 6.77 Million Gallons per Day from the river Tamiraparani and Uninterrupted Power supply assured by TNEB by stalling a dedicated sub-station in the vicinity, are tied up for this project. A company viz. ATMAC Ltd was incorporated to implement the project. It is reported that JTC, Singapore has prepared the Master Plan.

Once the IT park is in full-fledged operation, it is expected to provide a colossal opportunity for about 100 thousand jobs directly and 200 thousand indirectly in Tirunelveli district and the adjoining districts such as Tuticorin, Nagarcoil, Virudhunagar.

This city is expected to be upgraded to cosmopolitan city due to the new establishment of IT sector in this area and fast development of industries in and around the city centre.

External links

• Tirunelveli district government website
• Tirunelveli Medical College
• Government college of Engineering
• Web Hosting Services