Thirunelveli – General Information
Tirunelveli
District is a district of Tamilnadu state in southern
India. The city of Tirunelveli is the district headquarters. Tirunelveli District
was formed on 1 September 1790 by the East India Company (on behalf of the
British government), and comprised the present Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts and parts of Virudhunagar and Ramanathapuram districts. It is the second-largest district (as of October
2008), after Villupuram district. As of 2011, the district had a population of
3,077,233.
Tirunelveli
also known as Nellai and historically (during British
rule) as Tinnevelly, is a city in the South
Indian state of Tamilnadu. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirunelveli District. It is the fifth-largest municipal corporation in the
state (after Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli). Tirunelveli is located 700 km (430 mi)
southwest of the state capital, Chennai and 58 km (36 mi) away from Thoothukudi. The city is located on the west bank of the Thamirabarani River; its twin city Palayamkottai is on the east bank.
Etymology
Tirunelveli
was known in Sambandar's seventh-century Saiva canonical work Thevaram as Thirunelveli. Nellaiyappar temple
inscriptions indicate that Shiva (as Vrihivritesvara) descended in the form of a
hedge and roof to save the paddy crop of a devotee. In Hindu legend, the place
was known as Venuvana ("forest of bamboo") due to the presence of
bamboo in the temple under which the deity is believed to have appeared. The
early Pandyas named the city Thenpandiyanadu, the Cholas Mudikonda
Cholamandalam and the Nayaks Tirunelveli Seemai; it was known as Tinnelvelly by
the British and Thirunelveli after independence. The
word Tirunelveli is derived from three Tamil words: Thiru, Nel and Veli,
meaning "sacred paddy hedge".
History
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Geography
The
district is located in the southern part of Tamilnadu. It borders Virudhunagar District to the north, Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Pathanamthitta districts of Kerala to the west, Kanyakumari District to the south and Thoothukudi District to the east. The district covers an area of 6,823
square kilometers (2,634 sq. mi). It lies between 8°05' and 9°30'
north latitude and 77°05' and 78°25' east longitude.
The
district contains mountains (a stretch of the Western Ghats) and lowland
plains, including sandy soil and fertile alluvium, and a variety of flora,
fauna and protected wildlife. The district also has inland and mountainous
forests. Tirunelveli is said to be the only district of Tamilnadu to have all
the five types of ecological zones as described in the ancient Tamil
Literature Kurunji (hilly), Mullai (Forest), Marutham (Flat fertile land), Neithal (area forming the seashore) and Palai (Dry desert lands).
Climate
The
climate of Tirunelveli is generally hot and humid. The average temperature
during summer (March to June) ranges from 25 °C (77 °F) to 41 °C
(106 °F), and 18 °C (64 °F) to 29 °C (84 °F) during
the rest of the year. Tirunelveli has rainfall in all seasons (953.1 millimeters
(37.52 in) in 2005 and 2006), and benefits from both the northeast and
southwest monsoons. Most precipitation came from the northeast monsoon (548.7 millimeters
(21.60 in)) followed by the southwest monsoon (147.8 millimetres
(5.82 in)) and summer rains (184.2 millimetres (7.25 in)).
The
district is irrigated by several rivers originating in the Western Ghats, such
as the Pachaiyar River, which flows into the perennial Tambiraparani River. The Tambiraparani and Manimuthar
Rivers have many dams, with
reservoirs providing water for irrigation and power generation. The Tambiraparani
River provides consistent irrigation to a large agricultural area. The Chittar
River also originates in
this district. The Courtallam and Manimuthar waterfalls are the two major falls
in the district.
Infrastructure
The
district is well-connected by a network of roads and railways. Tirunelveli city serves as the main
junction. It has no airports; the nearest airports are at Tuticorin (40 kilometers (25 mi) away), Madurai (150 kilometers (93 mi)) and Thiruvananthapuram (158 kilometers (98 mi)). The district has a
total of 27 railway stations. Canals, wells, tanks and reservoirs are the
sources of irrigation in the district. As of 2005–2006, the district had a
total of 151 canals with a length of 499 kilometers (310 mi), 85,701
irrigation wells, 640 tube
wells, eight reservoirs and
2,212 tanks. The district also has 21,776 wells used for domestic purposes.
Electricity
is provided by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB). The district has
hydroelectric power plants and windmills, with an installed capacity of
1,089.675 megawatt-hours (3,922.83 GJ); it is one of the major producers
of wind energy in the state. The Koodankulam Nuclear Power
Plant project is being
undertaken (with Russian aid) at the village of Koodankulam, 24 kilometers (15 mi) north-east of Kanyakumari,
36 kilometers (22 mi) from Nagercoil and about 106 kilometers (66 mi)
from Thiruvananthapuram.
Koodankulam
is also the location of hundreds of windmills used for power generation, eight
of which are located inside the grounds of the nuclear plant. These wind
turbines have currently a total capacity of 2000 MW and represent one of the
largest wind farms in India. Since the beginning of 2011, this place has been
embroiled in a nuclear plant controversy over fears of the plant safety.
Education
Tirunelveli
is known for its educational institutions, many of which are located at Palayamkottai (east of Tirunelveli). For this reason, Palayamkottai is known as the
"Oxford of South India". The district has a literacy rate of 76.97%,
which is above the state average. As of 2005–2006, the district had a total of
2,494 schools. It has one university, the Manonmaniam Sundaranar University.
There are also four government colleges, eleven government-sponsored colleges
and seven private colleges. During the 1790s, Tamil Christians established a
number of schools in Tirunelveli. The missionary educational system
included primary and boarding schools, seminaries, industrial schools,
orphanages and colleges.
The
first boarding school for girls was opened in 1821, but its efforts were
hampered by the emphasis on Christian education. Thomas Munro (1761 – 1827 CE) of the British East India
Company established a two-tier school system: district schools, teaching law, and
sub-district schools teaching vernacular languages in the Madras
Presidency. Tirunelveli had four
sub-district schools: two teaching Tamil and one each for Telugu and Persian. Tirunelveli
has 80 schools: 29 higher secondary schools, 12 high schools, 22 middle schools
and 17 primary schools; the city corporation operates 33 of these schools.
The city
has eight arts and science colleges and six professional colleges. The Manonmaniam Sundaranar
University is named for poet
Manonmaniam Sundaranar, who wrote "Tamil Thai Vazhthu" the
state anthem. Most Christian schools and colleges in the city are located
in the Palayamkottai area. Anna University of Technology Tirunelveli was
established in 2007, offering a variety of engineering and technology courses
for undergraduate and graduate students. Tirunelveli Medical College, Veterinary College and Research Institution and
the Government College of
Engineering, Tirunelveli are professional
colleges operated by the government of Tamil Nadu.
The Jesuit St. Xavier's College, and St.
John's College (operated by the Church of South India diocese), MDT Hindu College, Sadakathulla Appa
College and Sarah Tucker College are notable arts colleges. The Indian Institute of
Geomagnetism (IIG) operates a regional unit, the Equatorial Geophysical
Research Laboratory, conducting research in geomagnetism and atmospheric and
space sciences. The city has a District Science Centre (a satellite unit
of Visvesvaraya
Industrial and Technological Museum, Bangalore) with permanent exhibitions, science shows, interactive
self-guided tours, a mini-planetarium and sky observation. Tirunelveli and the
district have a high rate of child labour. The drop in female school
attendance between ages 15 and 19 is almost four times greater than that in the
rest of Tamilnadu.
Tirunelveli
has the following educational institutions:
·
Universities: 1
·
Arts and science colleges:
25
·
Medical College: 1
·
Siddha medical college: 1
·
Veterinary College and
Research institute
·
Engineering colleges: More
than 20
·
Law school: 1
·
Pre-kindergartens: 241
·
Primary schools: 1,501
·
Middle schools: 431
·
High schools: 114
·
Higher secondary schools:
185
·
Teacher-training
institutes: 28
University:
It
has Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (MSU), which was established in 1990. Named after
poet Sundaram Pillai, the university has a network of 102 affiliated colleges.
Many of these colleges have contributed to higher education for decades; five
colleges are more than 100 years old. The University campus is located at
Abishekapatti, 9 kilometers (5.6 mi) from Tirunelveli town. Advanced
studies are offered in a number of departments, and postgraduate programs in
Tamil, Management studies, Chemistry, Communications, Computer science, English,
Environmental studies, History, Mathematics, Physics, Sociology, Criminology
studies, Psychology and Statistics are offered.
The
university has introduced compulsory core courses in Indian studies. The
curriculum includes "History of Freedom Movement in India",
"Gandhian Thought", "Ecology, Environment and Pollution
Studies", "Status of Women in India", "History of
Science", "Indian Economy since Independence", "Rural
India", "Consumer Protection”, “Social Responsibility in
Business" and "Secularism". It has set up a centre for
environmental studies at Alwarkurichi in collaboration with the Amalgamations Corporation.
Eco-friendly ventures in aquaculture and fishing are encouraged. The centre has
developed organic manure, "Mano compost".
Collegiate Education:
In 1878,
there were two colleges in the district: the Madurai Diraviam Thayumanavar
Hindu College and St. John’s College. The first college for women (and third
college of the district), Sarah Tucker College, began in 1895. The fourth and
fifth colleges, St. Xavier’s and St. Ignatius Colleges of Education, were
established in 1923 and 1957, respectively. In 1963–64, two more colleges, the
Paramakalyani and Parasakthi Colleges, were added. The Ambai Arts and
Thiruvalluvar Colleges (1969), Muthuramalinga Thevar College and Government
Arts College for Women (1970), and the Sadaktathullah Appa and T.D.M.N.S.
Colleges (1971) followed. Except for the Government Arts College for Women, all
of the schools are private colleges run by educational trusts. There are three
self-financing colleges: Saratha College for Women (1986), Sattanathakarayalar
College (1994–1995) and Jayaraj Annabakkiam College (1997–1998).
Of the
17 arts colleges in the district, eight are coeducational institutions; five
are for women and four for men. The colleges in Tirunelveli district were
originally affiliated with the University of Madras. Upon the creation of Madurai Kamaraj University in 1966, they were affiliated with MKU from 1966
to 1990. In 1990, their affiliation transferred to Manonmaniam Sundaranar
University. The university has
granted autonomous status to St. Xavier’s College in Palayamkottai and Sri Parasakthi College for Women in Courtallam. The Regional Directorate of the Collegiate Education
in the district was formed on 10 September 1979 to regulate colleges in
Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Kanyakumari districts.
School Districts:
In 1986,
the Revenue District of Tirunelveli was divided into Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi
districts. A new post, District Educational Officer at Tenkasi, was created.
The office of "District Educational Officer, Tirunelveli Central" was
changed to "District Education Officer, Tirunelveli"; the
"District Educational Officer, Tirunelveli South" was redesignated
"District Educational Officer, Cheranmahadevi". The three District
Education Officers serve under the Chief Education Officer.
Education Officials
|
Jurisdiction
|
District Educational Officer, Tirunelveli
|
Taluks of Tirunelveli, Palayamkottai and Sankarankovil
|
District Educational Officer, Cheranmahadevi
|
Taluks of Ambasamudram, Nanguneri and Radhapuram
|
District Educational Officer, Tenkasi
|
Taluks of Tenkasi, Shenkottai, Alangulam, VK Pudur and
Sivagiri
|
District Adult Education Officer
|
Entire district
|
District Elementary Educational Officer
|
Entire Tirunelveli district (primary and upper-primary
schools)
|
Assistant Elementary Educational Officers (21)
|
One for each of the 19 Panchayat unions and two for
urban areas
|
Additional Assistant Elementary Educational Officers
(21)
|
One for each of the 19 Panchayat unions and two for
urban areas
|
Legal Education:
In 1996,
the Government Law College,
Tirunelveli was established to
meet the requirements of the people of the southernmost part of Tamilnadu. It
opened on 14 October 1996 with 80 students in its three-year law course
affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University as the fifth institution of its
kind in the state. Since the academic year 1997–98, the college is affiliated
with the Tamilnadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University, Chennai. At first, classes were
held at the Ponnusamy Pillai Bungalow on Tiruchendur Road in Palayamkottai
before its new building was constructed. The College has functioned in its own
new building in an area of 15 acres adjacent to District Court Buildings on the
Tiruchendur High Road since October 2000.
Another
milestone in the history of this college was when M.L Degree in Constitutional
Law and Human Rights was started in 1997. A five-year B.L. course was introduced in the academic year
2000–01. As directed by the Bar Council of India, a semester system was
introduced for both (three years and five years) Law Courses, beginning with
the academic year 2002–2003.
Medical Education:
The Tirunelveli Medical College and its teaching hospital are located on about 280
acres of land at High Grounds, Palayamkottai. It was established in 1965 and
affiliated with the University of Madras, with 75 students for the academic
year 1965–1966. These students took their first-year courses at local arts and
science colleges. In July 1966, the first group of second-year MBBS students attended the classes in the newly
constructed Anatomy Block. Other departments (such as pharmacology, pathology,
microbiology and social and preventive medicine) began in subsequent years and
the district-headquarters hospital was converted to Tirunelveli Medical College
Hospital.
The
college was affiliated with Madurai Kamaraj University after its inception in
1967. Since 1988, upon the formation of The TN Dr MGR Medical University,
Chennai, it has been affiliated with that university. The college was recognized
by the Medical Council of India, New Delhi in 1978. The number of seats for the
MBBS course was increased from 75 to 100 in 1980, and that year the state
government also authorized postgraduate courses. The college celebrated its
silver jubilee in 1990. The number of MBBS seats offered was increased to 150
seats in 2003 and was recognized in 2008 (like Madras Medical College,
Government Stanley Medical College, and Madurai Medical College).
The
Government Siddha Medical College was established at Palayamkottai on 30
November 1964. This was an affiliated College of the University of Madras until
March 1966; from then until 1988 it was an affiliate of Madurai Kamaraj
University, and since March 1989 of Dr. MGR Medical University.
Technical Education:
Technical
education in the district dates to 1844, when Mrs. Caldwell (wife of
Bishop Robert Caldwell) began a school to teach girls lace-making at Idyangudi.
The government of Tamilnadu set up a State Board of Technical Education and
Training and a separate Directorate of Technical Education, effective 1 October
1957. Since then, the Directorate of Technical Education has assumed the
administration of both engineering colleges and polytechnics.
The
Government College of Engineering was established in October 1981 to fulfill
the needs of people in the southern region. At first, the college met in a
bungalow near Tirunelveli Medical College, while new buildings were under
construction. In 1984, the college moved into the new buildings on its
25-hectare (62-acre) campus, about 8 km from Tirunelveli Junction on the
Tirunelveli-Trivandrum Highway.
From its
inception, the College admitted students in three undergraduate departments:
civil, electronics and communication and mechanical engineering; electrical and
electronics engineering was introduced during 1986–1987, and computer science
and engineering was added in 1989–1990. A postgraduate course in computer
science and engineering was introduced in 1994–1995. It also has post graduate
courses in engineering design and power electronics.
Culture
Nellaiyappar
Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva in the form of Nellaiyappar. The deity is revered
in the verses of Thevaram, a seventh-century Saiva work by Sambandar. The temple was greatly expanded during the
16th-century Nayak period and has a number of architectural attractions,
including musical pillars. The temple has several festivals, the foremost an
annual festival when the temple chariot is brought around the streets near the
temple. It is one of the Pancha
Sabhai temples, the five
royal courts of Nataraja (the dancing form of Shiva), where he
performed a cosmic dance. The Nataraja shrine in the temple represents copper,
and features many copper sculptures.
Tirunelveli
has its fair share of temples, dating back to ancient times. It also prides
itself as being the site where the Nellaiyappar Temple is located, the state’s
largest Shiva Temple. Tirunelveli is also known for halwa, a sweet made of wheat, sugar and ghee. It originated
during the mid-1800s at Lakshmi Vilas Stores, which still exist. The art of
sweet-making spreads to other parts of Tamilnadu, such as Nagercoil, Srivilliputtur
& Thoothukudi. Tirunelveli halwa was popularised by Irutukadai Halwa, a
shop opened in 1900 which sells the sweets only during twilight.
A number
of state- and national-level sports events are sponsored in Tirunelveli
annually. The VOC grounds (in central Palayamkottai) and the Anna Stadium (on
St. Thomas Road) are popular venues in the city, and some events are held at
scholastic sports facilities. As in India generally, the most popular sport
is cricket. Also popular are football, volleyball, swimming and
hockey, played on facilities provided by the Tirunelveli Division of the Sports
Development Authority of Tamilnadu. The Government Exhibition, an annual event
at Exhibition Grounds, attracts thousands of visitors from in and around
Tirunelveli.
Economy
Inscriptions
from the eighth to the 14th centuries (during the rule of the
Pandyas, Cholas and later Tenkasi Pandyas) indicate the growth of Tirunelveli
as a centre of economic growth which developed around the Nellaiyappar temple.
The drier parts of the province also flourished during the rule of the
Vijayanagara kings. From 1550 until the early modern era, migration to the city
from other parts of the state was common and the urban regions became hubs of
manufacturing and commerce. Tirunelveli was a strategic point, connecting the
eastern and western parts of the peninsula, as well as a trading centre.
Records
of sea and overland trade between 1700 and 1850 indicate close trading
connections with Sri Lanka and Kerala. During the 1840s, cotton produced in the region was in
demand for British mills. The chief exports during British rule were
cotton, jaggery, chillies, tobacco, palmyra fibre, salt, dried
saltwater fish and cattle. Occupations in Tirunelveli include service-sector
activities such as administration, agricultural trading, tourism, banking,
agro-machinery and educational services. In 1991, the Tirunelveli region ranked
second in the number of women workers.
Service
sectors such as tourism have developed, due to a growth in religious tourism.
Tirunelveli has beedi and cement factories, tobacco companies, workshops
for steel-based products and mills for cotton textiles, spinning and weaving;
there are also small-scale industries, such as tanneries and brick kilns. The
agricultural areas, hand-woven clothes and household industries contribute to
the economic growth of the city. Food-processing industries have developed
since the late 1990s; at the district level, it is the foremost industrial
segment.
Industries
involving rice-making, blue-jelly metal manufacturing and jem power generating
are located on the outskirts of the city. The major agricultural produce
in the region is paddy and cotton. Beedi production during the 1990s
earned annual revenue of 190 billion and a foreign exchange of 8 billion
across the three districts of Tirunelveli, Tiruchirappalli and Vellore. Tirunelveli
is a major area for wind-power generation. Most wind-power-generation units in
Tamilnadu are located in Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari Districts. In 2005 they
contributed 2036.9 MW to the state power-generation capacity.
Many
private, multinational wind companies are located on the outskirts of the
city. In June 2007 the Tata
Group signed a memorandum of understanding with the state government to open a titanium
dioxide plant, with an
estimated value of 25 billion, in Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi Districts. However, the state government put the project on hold
after increasing protests against it. Tirunelveli has been an agricultural area
throughout its history. The district is a major producer of rice, coconuts, bananas, spices and forest-based products.
The
district is home to almost 50% of the buffalo population of Tamilnadu. Since it
is a coastal district, Tirunelveli is also involved in fishery development and
production. For the period 2005–2006, the total inland fish catch was 1,874
tonnes, and the total marine fish catch was 7,014 tonnes. India Cements Limited
is the third largest cement company in India, and began at Sankarnagar in
Tirunelveli in 1949. The district is also rich in minerals, with a total of 407
mines and quarries. Limestone, granite and garnet sand are some of the minerals mined or
produced in the district. Major industries include textile, food and forestry products.
A
Special Economic Zone (SEZ) was
introduced at Nanguneri in 2001. A pharma park and windmill spare-parts
and television-manufacturing factories have been planned in this SEZ. The Tamilnadu Industrial
Development Corporation (TIDCO) has planned a Rs 700-crore high-tech
industrial park in Nanguneri in association
with INFAC Group and Axes Technologies Inc of the US. The state government
is planning light manufacturing, design and assembly facilities, modern
infrastructure facilities and amenities in this SEZ to attract a workforce from
around the world.
Places of
Interest
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Hotels
List
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Connectivity
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