Thirunelveli – History
Under
the rule of the Pandyan
Dynasty, the district was known
as Thenpandiyanadu. The Chola
dynasty then named
it Mudikonda Chola Mandalam. The Madurai
Nayaks called
it Tirunelveli Seemai. Under the British East India Company, it
was Tinnevelly district, which included the modern Tirunelveli and
Thoothukudi districts and parts of the Virudhunagar and Ramanathapuram Districts.
The
history of Tirunelveli was researched by Robert
Caldwell (1814–91), a
Christian missionary who visited the area. Tirunelveli was under the
rule of Pandya kings as their secondary capital; Madurai was the empire's primary capital. The Pandya
dynasty in the region dates to several centuries before the Christian
era from inscriptions by Ashoka (304–232 BCE) and mention in the Mahavamsa, the Brihat-Samhita and the writings of Megasthenes (350–290 CE).
The
province came under the rule of Cholas under Rajendra
Chola I in 1064 CE; however,
it is unclear whether he conquered the region or obtained it
voluntarily. Tirunelveli remained under control of the Cholas until the early
13th century, when the second Pandyan Empire was established with
Madurai as its capital. The Nellaiyappar temple was the royal shrine of the
later Pandyas during the 13th and 14th centuries, and the city benefited from
dams constructed with royal patronage during the period.
After
the death of Kulasekara Pandyan (1268–1308), the region was occupied by
Vijayanagara rulers and Marava chieftains (palayakarars, or poligars)
during the 16th century. The Maravars occupied the western foothills and the
Telugas, and the Kannadigas settled in the black-soil-rich eastern portion.
Tirunelveli was the subsidiary capital of the Madurai
Nayaks; under Viswanatha
Nayak (1529–64), the city
was rebuilt about 1560. Inscriptions from the Nellaiyappar temple indicate
generous contributions to the temple.
Nayak
rule ended in 1736, and the region was captured by Chanda
Sahib (1740–1754), Arcot Nawab and Muhammed Yusuf Khan (1725–1764)
during the mid-18th century. In 1743 Nizam-ul-mulk, lieutenant of the Deccan
Plateau, displaced most of the
Marathas from the region and Tirunelveli came under the rule of the Nawabs
of Arcot. The original power lay
in the hands of the polygars, who were originally military chiefs of the
Nayaks.
The city
was the chief commercial town during the Nawab and Nayak era. The city was known as Nellai Cheemai,
with Cheemai meaning "a developed foreign
town". The polygars built forts in the hills, had 30,000
troops and waged war among themselves. In 1755, the British government sent a
mission under Major Heron and Mahfuz Khan which restored some order and
bestowed the city to Mahfuz Khan. The poligars waged war against
Mahfuz Khan seven miles from Tirunelveli, but were defeated.
The
failure of Mahfuz Khan led the East India Company to send Muhammed Yusuf for
help. Khan became ruler, rebelled in 1763 and was hanged in 1764. In 1758,
British troops under Colonel Fullarton reduced the polygar stronghold
under Veerapandiya Kattabomman. In 1797, the first Polygar war broke out between the
British (under Major Bannerman) and the polygars (headed by Kattabomman).
Some polygars (such as the head of Ettayapuram) aided the British; Kattabomman
was defeated and hanged in his home province of Panchalaguruchi.
Two
years later, another rebellion became known as the Second Polygar War.
Panchalankuruchi fell to the British, after stiff resistance. The Carnatic
region came under British
rule following a treaty with the Nawab of Carnatic. After acquiring Tirunelveli
from the Nawab of Arcot in 1801, the British anglicised its name to
"Tinnevelly" and made it the headquarters of Tinnelvelli District.
The administrative and military headquarters was located in Palayamkottai
(anglicised as "Palankottah"), from which attacks against
the polygars were launched.
After
independence both cities reverted to their original names, and Tirunelveli
remained the capital of Tirunelveli district. In 1910, Ramanathapuram District
was formed from portions of the Madurai and Tirunelveli Districts, which
comprised portions of the modern Virudhunagar District. After the Independence
of India, Tirunelveli District was bifurcated on 20 October 1986
to Nellai-Kattabomman district (Tirunelveli) and Chidambaranar
district (Tuticorin).
Subsequently,
the Government of Tamilnadu decided to name each district according to the name
of the headquarters town, so the region's name changed
from Tirunelveli-Kattabomman to Tirunelveli. And now 30 April
2015 by BJP government it's known to be said as the one of the 100 smart cities
of India.
