Idaikattur
Encyclopedia
Idaikattur is a village panchayat
in Sivaganga district
in the India
n state
of Tamil Nadu
.
Idaikattur - quiet village and holy place for two faiths
இடைக்காட்டூர்
It is a holy land where famed Siddhar
Idaikaadar lived and hosted Navagrahas during a famine. A small navagraha temple stands there as a testimony. Rajinikanth used to visit and worship this temple every year. is The village also have a more prominent and internationally acclaimed more than 100 years old Church ‘built by angels‘.
, Idaikattur had a population of 1,284. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. In Idaikattur, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Since the church was said to be built by angels, Fr. Ferdinand Celle SJ has placed 153 depictions of angels in and around the church He has depicted the relics of forty saints in four elliptical shaped wooden bowls, which rest over the wooden heart in the main altar portion. We pray for all the devotees of the sacred heart continuously through these heavenly beings.
Although the sacred heart shrine at Idaikattur is a replica of the Rheims cathedral in France , It has some unique features
It is constructed with 200 different types of moulded bricks and tiles in lime martyr. They are used for its decoration.
The inner gothic arches rest over the columns embedded with ribs its corner rising up to the vaulted roof.
The windows are decorated with small brick pillars adjoined with hallow flower bricks and stained glass works which depicts the events of the way of the cross colourfully and beautifully. Since south India is a tropical country utilization of the hallow bricks in the construction reduces the heat and also there is a vacuum gap between inner vaulted roof makes an air-conditioned system below the shelter of the wall.
The stucco figures and the statues of saint, angels and the sacred heart of Jesus, his foster father St. Joseph and the Holy family statue with golden gilt and the mother of sorrows are of great beauty and symbol of ancient French art work.
Historical events of the conversion given by St.John de Britto to Kattayadevan, son-in-law of Kilavan Sethupathi king from Hinduism to Christianity and St.Britto's sentence of death by king Kilavan Sethupathi are depicted in stained glass work on northern and southern entrance facade.
The main altar of the church is more beautiful with gigantic gothic facade of 45 feet high with stucco figures of God the father holding His only crucified son Jesus by his hands and the holy spirit proceeding from his chest surrounded by angels in clouds and in the glittering gold rays of the sun around the whole work are relief from the wall.
This main altar depicts the doctrine of the Christianity i.e., the father, the son and the holy sprit are in one and the same clearly shown to all people who look at it.
The gothic arches are decorated with rows of beads, flowers, garlands. They all are in terracotta works.
This is the place to slow down to a halt to reach Idaikattur. A small sign board will inform you that ‘Idaikattur Shrine - 1km’ just a few paces before this point. It will help you to slow down. We have to take a 90 degree left turn just before the bus-stop and climb up to cross river Vaigai. The bridge is completely hidden as you approach the spot, so it is easy to miss it. Idaikattur is just half kilometer after crossing the river.
Panchayati Raj
The panchayat raj is a South Asian political system mainly in India, Pakistan, and Nepal. "Panchayat" literally means assembly of five wise and respected elders chosen and accepted by the local community. Traditionally, these assemblies settled disputes between individuals and villages...
in Sivaganga district
Sivaganga District
Sivaganga District is an administrative district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The city of Sivaganga is the district headquarters. It is bounded by Pudukkottai district on the Northeast, Tiruchirapalli district on the North, Ramanathapuram district on South East, Virudhunagar district...
in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
.
Idaikattur - quiet village and holy place for two faiths
Geography
Idaikattur is located at 9.7°N 78.48°E. It has an average elevation of 70 metres (229 feet).இடைக்காட்டூர்
History
Idaikattur is a quiet village away from rushing highways, yet quickly reachable from Madurai (30 km). For a small village, it has two important holy places to boast of.It is a holy land where famed Siddhar
Siddhar
Siddhars are saints in India, mostly of the Saivaite denomination in Tamil Nadu, who professed and practised an unorthodox type of Sadhana, or spiritual practice, to attain liberation. Yogic powers called Siddhis are acquired by constant practice of certain yogic disciplines. Those who acquire...
Idaikaadar lived and hosted Navagrahas during a famine. A small navagraha temple stands there as a testimony. Rajinikanth used to visit and worship this temple every year. is The village also have a more prominent and internationally acclaimed more than 100 years old Church ‘built by angels‘.
Demographics
India censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, Idaikattur had a population of 1,284. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. In Idaikattur, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Agriculture
A vast majority of the workforce is dependent on agriculture (72.8%). The principal crop of Idaikattur village is paddy. The other crops that are grown are sugarcane and groundnut.Temples
- Navagraha temple
- Sacred heart of Jesus
sacred heart of Jesus
This unique church of the sacred heart of Jesus was built in the year 1894 AD by a French missionary Fr. Ferdinand Celle SJ. This is a replica of the Rheims Cathedral in France.Since the church was said to be built by angels, Fr. Ferdinand Celle SJ has placed 153 depictions of angels in and around the church He has depicted the relics of forty saints in four elliptical shaped wooden bowls, which rest over the wooden heart in the main altar portion. We pray for all the devotees of the sacred heart continuously through these heavenly beings.
Although the sacred heart shrine at Idaikattur is a replica of the Rheims cathedral in France , It has some unique features
It is constructed with 200 different types of moulded bricks and tiles in lime martyr. They are used for its decoration.
The inner gothic arches rest over the columns embedded with ribs its corner rising up to the vaulted roof.
The windows are decorated with small brick pillars adjoined with hallow flower bricks and stained glass works which depicts the events of the way of the cross colourfully and beautifully. Since south India is a tropical country utilization of the hallow bricks in the construction reduces the heat and also there is a vacuum gap between inner vaulted roof makes an air-conditioned system below the shelter of the wall.
The stucco figures and the statues of saint, angels and the sacred heart of Jesus, his foster father St. Joseph and the Holy family statue with golden gilt and the mother of sorrows are of great beauty and symbol of ancient French art work.
Historical events of the conversion given by St.John de Britto to Kattayadevan, son-in-law of Kilavan Sethupathi king from Hinduism to Christianity and St.Britto's sentence of death by king Kilavan Sethupathi are depicted in stained glass work on northern and southern entrance facade.
The main altar of the church is more beautiful with gigantic gothic facade of 45 feet high with stucco figures of God the father holding His only crucified son Jesus by his hands and the holy spirit proceeding from his chest surrounded by angels in clouds and in the glittering gold rays of the sun around the whole work are relief from the wall.
This main altar depicts the doctrine of the Christianity i.e., the father, the son and the holy sprit are in one and the same clearly shown to all people who look at it.
The gothic arches are decorated with rows of beads, flowers, garlands. They all are in terracotta works.
Politics
Idaikattur comes under Manamadurai assembly constituency (SC) is part of sivagangai(Lok Sabha constituency)To get there
On Madurai-Rameswaram NH between Madurai - Manamadurai lies ‘Muthanendal’ a non-descript small village. The speeding half-body Sand laden lorries in this route where notorious terror machines. Once you cautiously handled this stretch, and crossed ‘Thiruppachethi‘ - the village famous for long aruval !! (’thirupaachi aruva’) - the traffic is much less and the road inviting. It is easy to zip past ‘Muthanendal’, a non-descript bus stop & a few shops after a curve without noticing it.This is the place to slow down to a halt to reach Idaikattur. A small sign board will inform you that ‘Idaikattur Shrine - 1km’ just a few paces before this point. It will help you to slow down. We have to take a 90 degree left turn just before the bus-stop and climb up to cross river Vaigai. The bridge is completely hidden as you approach the spot, so it is easy to miss it. Idaikattur is just half kilometer after crossing the river.