Tirunelveli district

Tirunelveli District (திருநெல்வேலி மாவட்டம் in Tamil) is a of   in. The city of is the district headquarters. A unique feature of this district is that it consists of all five geographical traditions of ; Kurinji (mountains), Mullai (forest), Marudham (paddy fields), Neithal (coastal) and Palai (desert).

History
On its acquisition from the in 1801, the British named it as Tinnevelly district though their headquarters was first located in Palayamkottai the adjacent town, where they had their military headquarters during their operations against the Palayakars. There are three reasons attributed for naming the district after Tirunelveli. The prime one is that it has been serving as the chief town of the district and the second one is that it has been called called as Tirunelveli Seemai under the Nayaks and Nawabs. Finally it served as the south capital in the period of Pandyan Kingdom. Both Tirunelveli and Palayamkottai grew as the twin towns of the district.

In 1986, Tirunelveli district was split into two districts for administrative purpose such as Chidambaranar (present-day ) and Nellai-Kattabomman (later Tirunelveli-Kattabomman, present-day Tirunelveli) districts. This is one of the populated districts of Tamil Nadu. The was announced as a holiday for the district.

Geography and Climate
The district is located in the southern part of Tamil Nadu and surrounded by in the North, Western Ghats in the West,  in the south and  in the East. The district covers an area of 6,823 sq.km. It lies between 8°.05’ and 9°.30’ of the Northern latitude and 77°.05’ and 78°.25’ of Eastern longitude.The district has diverse geographical and physical features. It has a lofty mountains a stretch of and low plains. It has a perennial river and various other small seasonal rivers. This district is blessed with beautiful water falls and cascades. Its diverse features include sandy soil and fertile alluvium, a variety of flora, fauna and protected wild life. To add its beauty it has inland and mountainous forests.

The district has peculiar climate and receives rainfall in all the seasons which represent 953.1 mm in 2005-2006. Tirunelveli District benefits from both the North East Monsoon and the South West Monsoon. The maximum precipitation is contributed by the North East Monsoon at 548.7 mm followed by the South West Monsoon at 147.8 mm and the Summer 184.2 mm. The district is irrigated by several rivers originating in, like the which soon mergers with the. The Tambaraparani River and the both have many  s and  with reservoirs that provide water for both agriculture irrigation and power generation. The Tamiraparani River provides consistent irrigation to a large agricultural area. The also originates in this district. and Manimuthar Waterfalls are the two major waterfalls in the district.

Demographics
It had a population of 2,723,988 in 2001. It is 48.03% urbanised. is the main language spoken here. As per the 2001 Census, form the majority of the population (79.76%), followed by  (10.89%),  (9.26%) and others (0.09%). .

Basic Infrastructure
The district is criss-crossed by a network of and. Tirunelveli city is the main transit hub of the district. At present the district is not served by Air transport, for which people have to utilize the nearby airports of, and. The district ha a total of 27 Railway stations. Given below are tables listing the length of roads and railways in the district.

Canals, Wells, Tanks and Reservoirs are the sources of irrigation for the farmers in the state. As of 2005 - 2006, the district has total of 151 Canals with a length of 499 km, 85,701 Wells used for irrigation, 640 Tube Wells, 8 Reservoirs and 2,212 Tanks. Moreover the district has 21,776 Wells used for domestic purposes. Electricity supply is provided by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB). The district has Hydro-Electric power plants and Wind Mills with an installed capacity of 1,089.675 MW. The district is one of the major producers of Wind energy in the state. The project is being undertaken in Koodankulam, which on completion will not only boost the district's electricity production, but also the state's and country's.

Education and Social Development
Tirunelveli is known for its education system and prowess. is also known as 'Oxford of South India', because of the number of educational institutions it has. The district has a literacy rate of 76.97%, higher than the state average. As of 2005 - 2006, the district had a total of 2,494 schools. Tirunelveli has one University in Mononmaniam Sundaranar University. The district has 1 Government College, 11 Aided colleges and 7 Self - Financed Colleges.

Tirunelveli had a poverty ratio of 31.8%, higher than the State's and National figure. The district has a good record in terms of religious harmony. The three main religious groups of Hindus, Christians and Muslims have lived in harmony till now. It has a poor record when it comes to caste discrimination and caste based violence. The 1999 killing of 17 striking dalit tea plantation workers in the river Thamiraparani is one such incident which was condemned by the Human rights watch observers.

Economic Profile
Tirunelveli has been an agricultural state right through the ages. The district is a major producer of (Rice),, ,  and forestry based products. The district's and  data is given in the table below.

Tirunelveli, being a coastal district, is also involved in development and production. For the period 2005 - 2006, the total inland fish catchment stood at 1,874 tonnes while the total marine fish catchment was 7,014 tonnes. The district is also rich in wealth. It has a total 407 Mining and Quarrying units. ,, and  are some of the minerals mined/produced here. The major industries in the district include, and  products. A Special Economic Zone was started at  in 2001. A pharma park, Windmill spare parts units and a television manufacturing unit has been planned in this SEZ. TIDCO planned to set up a Rs 700-crore Hi-Tech Industrial Park in Nanguneri in association with INFAC Group and Axes Technologies Inc, US. The State Government is planning to have light manufacturing, design and assembly facilities, modern infrastructure facilities and amenities in this SEZ to attract workforce from across the globe.

Courtallam is the most famous tourist spot in the district. The natural water falls, pleasant weather and intermittent drizzling really gives an unusual charm to the visitors. The rapturous scene of the falls gets heightened by cool breeze. Usually, the season is in between May to September. The water falls down in eight places with varying force depends on the height of the cliff.
 * 1) Main Falls
 * 2) Small Falls (Sitraruvi)
 * 3) Five Falls
 * 4) VIP Falls or (Palathotta Falls)
 * 5) Tiger Falls
 * 6) old Courtallam Falls
 * 7) SenbahaDevi Falls
 * 8) Honey Falls (thean aruvi)

The Tamil Nadu Tourism Department has arranged facilities for the visitors to take bath at any time. All the falls, except Honey falls, have been properly illuminated. One can bath at anytime in a day and one would not get sneezing or cold as the water is said to possess medicinal qualities of the herbal plants grown in this mountain. Those suffering from rheumatic joints, chronic headache, nerve disorder get cured by a long stay at Courtallam.

Manimuthar Waterfalls
Manimuthar Falls is a natural water falls flowing through out the year situated above the Manimuthar dam. Really it is an adventorous feeling, if people drive there by bike. The falls near by has a pond which has a depth of 90 feet. It is really a picturesqe place. It is just in 35kms from Tirunelveli city. There is no public transport service to go this place. The private cabs are offering the service from Tirunelveli.

This 1.29 km² sanctuary at tiny village situated 35 km away from the city in the far south of  is emerging as a new favorite spot for migratory birds. The village is sparsely populated. Migratory birds arrive here in the month of December end and lay eggs. After hatching and growing the new borns, it flies back in the month of July to its destination with the younger ones. The bird observers found around 35 species of birds in this sanctuary. Some s come from East Eurpeon countries. To create a friendly environment to migratory birds, the state government makes plenty of activities.

Ambasamudram (38 km)
A small town (a.k.a Ambai) in the foothills of Western Ghats is one of the five taluk headquarters of the district. Ambasamudram serves as the main transit point for Papanasam, Manimuthar, Courtallam and for Sabarimala devotees going through Shengottai. Situated in the banks of the perennial river Tamirabarani, it is one of the most pristine and fertile towns of the district. The town is famous for its Wooden Handicrafts (Kadasal). There is not much industrial presence in the town except for an ailing Madura Coats. There is a famous temple named Agasthiyar Kovil and it was named because of some true incidents. Welcome to Ambai

Deivacheyalpuram (21 km)
Deivacheyalpuram is a small village situated at 21 km from Tirunelveli enroute to Thoothukudi. The Rajarajeswari temple and the Ramar temple are situated here. Also a 75 foot statue of constructed in the temple premises, to attain world peace, is here. are performed in these temples everyday with special poojas performed every Fridays and on festivals. On every full moon day, the temple conducts Annadanam (free food to the poor).

Tenkasi (53 km)
The name itself implies that this town is ' of the South'. The flag staff of the temple is noteworthy for its sculptural beauty and is 400 years old. Tenkasi is also the nearest place to Courtrallam (just 6 km away), which is well known for its waterfalls. The water of these falls is considered to cure several diseases owing to the different herbs on its path.

Manapad (70 km)
The Holy Cross Church at Manapad was built in. Thousands of worshippers congregate during the festival season from 1st to 14th September every year. The church is associated with.

Krishnapuram (13 km)
The temple in Krishnapuram is dedicated to. The presiding deity is Thiruvenkatanathar. There are a number of life-size sculptures in this temple with intricate workmanship.

The 900 km² Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve was established in 1962. Central location: 8.65°N, 77.38333°W is about 45 km west from Tirunelveli Town.

Kulasekarapattinam (68 km)
The Mutharamman temple 20 km from Tiruchendur (Thoothukudi Dist) is known for the popular festival where folk dance artists from all over the state participate in the festival. More than 1500000 devotees gather togather and celebrate Navarathiri in this village. This coastal village used to be a port in its earlier days. This place has other two famous temples including Katchiappar temple and Chidarambeswar temple

Sankarankovil (54 km)
This temple depicts the concept of and  being one God. There is a deity by the name Sankara Narayanan, which is half Lord Shiva and the other half Lord Vishnu. Also, there is another deity, named Avodai ambal or Gomathi Ambal. There is a sacred sand available in Gomathi Ambal temple, which is believed to cure the diseases. There is a famous festival Adi Thabasu in the month of June which is observed in this temple. Another one history is in that temple, this temple was built by Ukerama Pandiyan in 900 AD.

One of the famous temples in Tamilnadu is located here. The is deeply connected with tradition and history and also known for its musical pillars and other splendid sculptured figures. The nearest airport is Tuticorin Airport (TCR) at Vagaikulam in 30 minutes drive, which is 28 km from Tirunelveli.

(31 km)
This temple town siutated 31 km south of Thirunelvei famous for the large Vishnu temple. The prime deity in the temple is Thotathri Nathan. The temple is run by the Vanamamalai and houses the famous Ennai Kenaru (oil well). About 515 years back ( ie in Tamil calendar, in the year 665) ERULAPPA THEVAR (son of THEIVANAYAGA THEVAR ) of MARUGAL KURICHI offered many villages ( like, Aalan kulam village etc )  and 100s of acres of wet land (near Nanguneri area) of his own to this temple for "the free food to the poor scheme" of this temple (Even today these land are called as ERULAPPA KONE (KING) LAND. he also constructed the KAL PANDAL-the stone roofed entrance and the MANIMANDAPAM - the present NELKALANGIYAM (STORE OF PADDY) and many SEVA  to this temple and in turn, (in English year 1499 ie. in Tamil Calender on 09-Iyeppasi month- year 674, i.e. about 508 back from now), he laid the scalpture of  his parents & with his wife and himself as a first footing entrance stone of this temple so that vishnu devotees entering this temple could keep their foot (which -according to ERULAPPA THEVAR  - THE FOOT OF LORD VISHNU) on their scalpture. He was having the SATHA SEVA right of this temple. Nanguneri is the headquarters and has a considerably large railway station. The town also has a Lord Shiva temple. There is a naval base name VIJAYA NARAYANA PURAM

Mukkudal (20 km)
This temple village situated 20 km west of Tirunelveli famous for the large Muthumalai Amman Temple. This Village is famous for its Beedi Industries and Tamirabarani river.

Animal husbandry
The district is home to almost 50% of the buffalo population of Tamil Nadu.