Kanyakumari – General Information
Kanyakumari
district is the southernmost district in Tamil
Nadu state and mainland India. It stands second in terms of population density among
the districts of Tamilnadu and
the second most urbanized, next
only to Chennai district. It is also the richest district in Tamil Nadu in
terms of per capita income and tops the state in Human Development Index
(HDI), literacy and education. The district headquarters is Nagercoil. Kanyakumari district has a varied topography with sea
on three sides and the mountains of the Western
Ghats bordering the northern side.
Geologically,
the landmass of the district is much younger when compared to the rest of state
- faulted as late as 2.5 million years during the Miocene, after which numerous transgression, as well as regression of sea, had shaped the western
coast of the district. Surrounded by Majestic Hills and the plains bordered by
colourful sea-shores, fringed with coconut trees and paddy fields, here and
there are few elevated patches of red cliffs with undulating valleys and plains
between the mountainous terrain and the sea - coast, so closely interwoven with
Temples and Churches and other edifices lies the district, 'Kanyakumari'.
With an
area of 1672 sq.km. it occupies 1.29% of the total extent of Tamil Nadu. It is
situated between 77°15' and 77°36' east longitude and 8°03' and 8°35' north
latitude. The district has borders with Tirunelveli district, the Gulf
of Mannar, the Indian
Ocean, the Arabian
Sea and the Thiruvananthapuram District (Kerala). Kanyakumari includes the special grade village of Chinna
Muttom, located at the southernmost point
of the Indian Subcontinent.
History
For
brief details, please refer below link;
Administrative
Divisions
For
administrative purposes, the district comprises four taluks: Thovalai, Agastheeswaram, Kalkulam and Vilavancode. It has nine blocks - Agastheeswaram, Rajakkamangalam, Thovalai, Kurunthancode, Thuckalay, Eraniel, Thiruvattar, Killiyur, Munchirai
and Melpuram and four municipalities: Nagercoil, Padmanabhapuram, Colachel and Kuzhithurai. At the lower levels of administration, there are 99
village panchayats and
a further 56 special category village panchayats.
The major towns of the district include:
Agastheeswaram Taluk:
·
Nagercoil
·
Kanyakumari
·
Agastheeswaram
·
Suchindram
·
Rajakkamangalam
Thovalai Taluk:
·
Thovalai
·
Aralvaimozhi
·
Boothapandi
Kalkulam Taluk:
·
Padmanabhapuram
·
Thuckalay
·
Colachel,
·
Kalkulam
·
Thiruvithamcode
·
Kurunthancode
·
Thiruvattar
·
Kulasekaram
·
Thingalnagar
Vilavancode Taluk:
·
Karungal
·
Kuzhithurai
·
Marthandam
·
Vilavancode
·
Killiyur
·
Munchirai
·
Kollemcode
·
Manjalumoodu
·
Arumanai
·
Melpuram
Languages
Language
and culture of Kanyakumari district is very rich and various language accents
and dialects spoken in these areas. Most of the people speak Tamil and Malayalam. Tamil spoken here has influences of Malayalam.
Religion
During
2011, total population of the district is 1,870,374, among them 909,872
(48.65%) are Hindus, 876,299 (46.85%) are Christians, 78,590 (4.2%) are
Muslims, 438 (0.02%) are Buddhists, 160 (0.01%) are Sikhs, 156 (0.01%) are
Jains, 10 (0.001%) are Others and 4,849 (0.26%) are none of the above.
Religion in Kanyakumari District (2011):
·
Hinduism (49%)
·
Christianity (46.85%)
·
Islam (4.2%)
·
Other or not religious (0.3%)
Food
The main
source of food is coming from rice and rice products. Rice is the staple food
of the people, although for some people in the hilly areas, tapioca is the main food. Though there are some
vegetarians among the populace, most of the people use agro, meat and fish
products. Fish caught in the seas around the district during the night or early
morning hours reach the markets in the interior towns and villages in the early
morning. Oysters are used to prepare Chippi
appam. Also, they prepare a coffee made
by Karuppatti during the winter season. The food (for example, Chakkoli) is spicy, and the people in the district tend to use
more grated coconut in their curries and food-preparations.
Education
Colleges
of higher education are found throughout the district, mainly arts, science and
engineering colleges. The Scott Christian College, founded by William Tobias Ringeltaube in Nagercoil, is more than 120 years old and is
one of the earliest colleges in India and the oldest college in the Madras Presidency.
The South Travancore Hindu College is also an old college in Nagercoil
established in 1952.
The
state runs Kanyakumari Government Medical
College at Asaripallam, a Government
Engineering College and a Government Polytechnic at Konam, near Nagercoil. Many
private Engineering Colleges including a private university were
started-functioning in the recent past. No fewer than 30 engineering colleges
are functioning in the district which are currently affiliated to the Anna
University; arts and science colleges are affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar
University, Tirunelveli.
The
Manonmaniam Sundaranar University runs a research unit – Centre for Marine
Sciences and Technology at Rajakamangalam, Kanyakumari District. Noorul Islam
University is the only private university functioning at Thuckalay. Education
has changed the cultural, economic and social, scenario of the district Kanyakumari
in Tamil Nadu. People from Kanyakumari district occupy many senior level state
and central Government postings and have earned good reputations among
colleagues.
Rivers
The
major river in the district is Thamirabarani locally known as Kuzhithuraiar. This river has two
major tributaries, Kodayar and Paralayar, with the Pechiparai
Dam and Perunchani
Dam, respectively, built across them. There are many
tributaries for the Kodayar River of which Chittar I and Chittar II, with their dams, are the major
ones. The origin of Tambiraparani River is in the Western
Ghats and the river confluences
with Laccadive Sea near Thengapattanam, about 56 Kms (35 mi)
west of Kanyakumari town.
Valliyar,
another small river, along with its tributary Thoovalar, originates from the
Velimalai Hills, collects drainage from P.P. Channel and its branches,
ayacuts (irrigated area under a tank) and confluences with the Laccadive
Sea in Kadiapattanam. The Pazhayar River, another
small river, starts at Shorlacode, about 18 Kms (11 mi) north-west of
Nagercoil. This is polluted as it collects drainage of Thovalai, Ananthanar and
Nanjil nadu Puthanaar channel passing through Thazhakudi, Vellamadam villages.
The Pahrali River also flows
through the district. The Mathur Hanging Trough, the highest and longest aqueduct in Asia, was built
over it near Mathur.
Forests
The
forests in Kanyakumari District are about 75 million years old. Of the total
district area of 1671.3 km2, government forests occupy an area of
504.86 km2 which comes to about 30.2 percent of the geographical area
of the district. The forests of the district are administered through the
Kanyakumari Forest Division, with headquarters at Nagercoil, the capital of
Kanyakumari District. There are 14 types of forests from luxuriant tropical wet
evergreen to tropical thorn forests. This variety occurs in the district
because of diverse locality factors.
Rainfall
varies from 103 cm to 310 cm elevation from sea level to 1829 m. The
forest area is 30.2% of the total district geographical area which is next to
Nilgiris district with 59% and Dharmapuri District with 38% in Tamil Nadu
State. 52% of the district's forests are classified as dense forests, which is
second only to Dharmapuri District with 58%. The forests contain species such
as Mesua ferrea, Bischofia Javanica, Vitex altissima to
smaller trees of Dillini a species festooning climber, shrubs,
valuable herbs, variety of orchids, two types of canes, many indigenous palms
and cycas.
The
important timbers are teak, rosewood, vengai and aini. Various types of forest
products like bamboos, reeds, canes, soft wood, tamarind, lemon grass, rubber, coconut, are
canut, terminalia chebula, cinnamon
bark nelli, cardamom, mango and many medicinal plants
are harvested in this district. The Maruthuvalmalai, a hill located among green
paddy fields and coconut palms, is famous for valuable medicinal plants.
This is
the only district in Tamil Nadu where rubber and clove plantations have been
raised in reserve forests in an area of 47.857 km2 and
1.1 km2 respectively. The district is rich in wildlife with at least 25
types of mammals, about 60 species of birds including 14 species of migratory
birds and many species of fishes, reptiles and amphibians listed.
The
following are the reserve forests in Kanyakumari Forest Division:
·
Therkumalai East and West
- 17.4 km2
·
Thadagaimalai -
7.9 km2
·
Poigaimalai -
12.4 km2
·
Mahendragiri -
43.6 km2
·
Veerapuli - 281.9 km2
·
Velimalai - 11.2 km2
·
Old Kulasekaram -
6.9 km2
·
Kilamalai - 81.06 km2
·
Asambu - 43.10 km2
Flora
& Fauna
The
flora and fauna of Kanyakumari District are vast and diverse.
Fauna:
Animals
on the hills of the district include Bengal
tiger, elephant, sambar
deer, porcupines, hedgehogs and wild
boar, while pied
kingfisher, painted
stork and cranes are commonly found in the water bodies and
wetlands. Reptiles include monitor
lizards, pythons, blood viper and other snakes. In Mahendragiri hills
(about 4,000 ft (1,200 m) above sea level), one can find elephant, tiger, leopards and deer. Leopard cubs often stray onto the highway near the
hills and are sometimes run over by motorists.
The
Keeriparai and Maramalai hills are habitats for wild elephants and Indian
bison. The Kodayar hills are the
breeding centers for the Indian rock pythons and Indian bison. In the Theroor
wetlands, one can see several varieties of storks and migratory birds during
specific seasons. Trout and other varieties of freshwater
fish are found in the Pechiparai reservoir. The
district also has a wildlife sanctuary and a bird sanctuary.
Flora:
Kanyakumari
district is noted for its medicinal plants and herbs. The district also has a
huge forest cover, accommodating a wide variety of plants, trees, and shrubs. Commercial
varieties include various kinds of plantain (like Nenthiram, Palayamkotan, Thuluvam, Matti,
Singan, Robesta, Rasathali), jackfruit (like Varikila, Semparthi Varikila
and Koolan), mango (varieties like Alphonsa, Bangalora, Neelam,
Sunnakannan, Senga Varikka and Ottu) and coconut.
In
addition to fruits, a variety of flowers like roses and jasmine are also produced. Common garden varieties in the
district include crotons, lilies, and dahlias. Areas like Keeriparai are home to varieties of ferns, bamboos and other tropical plants. Flame
of the forest (Butea monosperma),
a tree with reddish and orange leaves and flowers, is found in the Pechiparai Reservoir. Rubber estates are found in the hilly areas
surrounding Arumanai, Kaliyal, and Kadayal.
Festivals
For
brief details, please refer below link;
Places of
Interest
Kanyakumari
district has beaches, water falls, temples, churches, mosques, historical
sites, forts, heritage structures, cave temples, Jain and Buddhist places,
various eco-systems, including beaches, mountain valleys and evergreen forests,
as well as rubber and clove plantations.
For
brief details, please refer below link;
Hotels
List
For
brief details, please refer below link;
Connectivity
For
brief details, please refer below link;