Nagercoil
Encyclopedia
Nagercoil http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.1800573&lon=77.429924&z=13&l=0&m=s&v=9 is the 12th largest city in the southernmost India
n state of Tamil Nadu
and a municipality
and administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District
. The town is situated close to the tip of the Indian peninsula and is the southernmost town on the Indian mainland.
The town was a part of the erstwhile Travancore
state, or later Travancore-Cochin
state, till almost a decade after the Indian independence in 1947. In 1956, the city and the District were merged with Tamil Nadu. In its earlier days, the town and its surroundings were known as Nanjilnadu.
Temple (temple of the serpent
king) http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.1875866&lon=77.4331909&z=18&l=0&m=s&v=9 which is in the central part of town. It has been an important temple for Hindus for centuries as well as a tourist attraction. According to certain accounts, it may once have been a Jain temple, as icons of the Jain Tirthankaras — Mahavira
and Parsvanatha — are found on the pillars of the temple.
Nagercoil came under the rule of various kingdoms, notably the Chera
, Chola and Pandya kingdoms, Historical records reveal that these kingdoms fought over the control of the fertile area of Nanjilnadu and Kottar
, a town mentioned in old Tamil
writings and maps of ancient India. Archaeological records also show Jain influences in ancient times.
The modern history of the town is interwoven with the history of Travancore
state. The modern town of Nagercoil grew around Kottar
, now a locality in the municipal limits. The town came to prominence during and after the reign of Maharaja Marthanda Varma
, the king of Travancore
, the capital of which was Padmanabhapuram
, about 20 km to the north of Nagercoil. The capital was later shifted to Trivandrum, now Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala
state, about 65 km to the north of Nagercoil. In the erstwhile princely state of Travancore
, Nagercoil was the second most important town after the capital Trivandrum.
Maharaja Marthanda Varma's successors continued the land, revenue and social reforms he instituted. Although Travancore was considered by many to be a "Hindu" administration, the rulers generally showed religious tolerance and were not hostile to European educators, missionaries and traders. Until the 19th century, the coffers of Travancore
were greatly helped by revenues from the trade of pepper
and other spices, with the European powers.
Irrigation systems (an excellent system is still found around Nagercoil), dams, roads, schools etc. developed under the administration of the Travancore royals and their Dewans. The British
in India considered Travancore a "model native state". At the time, Travancore
was the most socially developed, and one of the most economically developed states under the British Raj
. During the British Raj
, Travancore was essentially a vassal-state to the British, but the British never interfered in the general administration of the state.
At the time of India's independence from Britain, the Dewan
of Travancore, Sir C.P. Ramaswamy Aiyer, preferred Travancore to be a sovereign country, but he eventually gave up after a tough stand by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
, India's federal minister in charge of home affairs, who wanted the princely state annexed to India.
After a political fight in the 1950s led by Marshal A. Nesamony Nadar, the Government of Travancore-Cochin
gave part of South Travancore (present day Kanyakumari District
) to Tamil Nadu, because a majority of the population spoke Tamil in the district. This was enacted in the Indian States Reorganisation Act
of 1956.
Sandwiched between the Arabian Sea
and the Western Ghats
, the town has some breathtaking scenery, with the surrounding hills (the Western Ghats), lush green paddy fields, and sandy palm-fringed beaches on the western side. Farther north of Nagercoil, on the Western Ghats
are plantations of rubber
, cloves and cardamom
. Many of these plantations were developed by British planters — planters' names like Simpson and Balamore are still household names in the town. The rubber plant was introduced by the English missionaries in the 18th century. Some of these plantations are still owned by the descendants of these British planters; however, a majority of the estates
are now owned by the rich and influential moplah
(Syrian Christians
) community of Kerala.
Being the southernmost municipal area of the country, and situated close to Kanyakumari, or Cape Comorin,http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.0894824&lon=77.5475121&z=14&l=0&m=s&v=9 the southernmost point of peninsular India, the town is an intersecting point of culture, tradition and trade of the western and eastern coasts. The town connects two major eastern and western lines of the Indian Railways, with one line leading through Kerala, called the Konkan
route, and the other through the eastern part of India, through Tirunelveli
of Tamil Nadu. Nagercoil is 72 km from Thiruvananthapuram
(Trivandrum), the capital of Kerala
state, connected by National Highway 47, and 85 km from Tirunelveli. In that the famous village is Thollavilai.
and the south-west monsoon. It rains more often in Kanyakumari district
than in any other part of Tamil Nadu, with the exception of the Nilgiris
. Due to geographical conditions, the southern tip of Kanyakumari is generally 2°C to 3°C warmer than Nagercoil during the daytime, though Kanyakumari is only 20 km away.
, Nagercoil had a population of 208,149. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Nagercoil has an average literacy rate of 100% and is the only Indian city to produce this figure. In Nagercoil, 9% of the population is between the age group of 0 – 6 years.
Though the official population count (for the municipal area) is close to 2.25 lakhs, a significant population lives outside the municipal limits, in the suburbs.Tamil
is the most spoken language. Malayalam and English
are also widely understood in the city.
The greatest concentration of the population of the town and the District is along the coastal belt, on the eastern side, while the largely forested areas on the western side of the district (along the Western Ghats) are sparsely populated.
. Tamil and Malayalam are spoken by the people. Tamil language along with English is used as a medium of teaching in all major schools. The Tamil spoken here is a mix of Malayalam and Tamil, sometimes unintelligible to the people of North Tamil Nadu.
The culture is a mixture of Tamil
and Malayalam culture and traditions. Hinduism
, Christianity
and Islam
are the major religions in the town and district. Food prepared here is also a mix of Kerala/Tamil Nadu traditions. Puttu, Appam, Idiappam are popular food items and so are rice murukku, and achu-murukku. Curries here are made with coconut and coconut oil which is now considered Kerala style cooking.
Some of the festivals celebrated here are Pongal
, Suchindrum "Ther Festival", Ayya Vaikunda Avataram
, Deepavali, Easter
, Christmas
, New Year
, St. Francis Xavier's feast, Bhagavathy Amman Temple festival, Ramzan (Eid ul fitr) and Bakrid (Eid ul alha).
, German
and other Western Christian missionaries in the 19th century and the development of social infrastructure by the Travancore
administration raised the social status and literacy of the people, ahead of many other urban centres in Southern India. Today, streets, schools and colleges in the town are named after these European missionaries ; many of these missionaries were also noted educationists and scholars.
The European missionaries converted a section of the people to Protestant Christianity. Roman Catholicism had been introduced earlier by St. Francis Xavier in the 16th century and later by other Jesuits.
St. Francis Xavier, the Roman Catholic missionary, made Kottar
locality in the town his principal residence for two years in the 16th century, while preaching around the town and in neighbouring Tirunelveli
district.
Of the Protestant missionaries, the services of two European missionaries are particularly notable. One is C. Mead, who after arriving in 1817 in Nagercoil, as a missionary of the London Missionary Society
(LMS), made immense contributions to the cause of education in the town and in Travancore
. In 1818, he founded the Nagercoil Seminary
, which became one of the first regular institutes to impart English education in Travancore
state and also in Southern India. In 1855, in recognition of his contributions to the cause of education, the Travancore
Government appointed him Superintendent of Schools, and while in this office he encouraged women's education in Nagercoil and in the state of Travancore. He started the Nagercoil Mission Press, the first printing press in the state of Travancore. Mead fought to abolish forms of indentured labour rampant at that time.
The other great missionary was William Tobias Ringeltaube, a native of the then Prussia
(present Germany), who established schools and worked among the poor and downtrodden around the town. He started one of the first regular schools in Travancore at Mylaudy, near Nagercoil which is still active.
Like the London Missionary Society
(LMS), another organisation that rendered valuable services to the cause of education and upliftment of the socially downtrodden has been the Church Missionary Society (CMS). Both these societies still have a presence in Nagercoil (nearly two centuries after inception).
Home church is one of the important places for worship. This was built by Thurivankur King.
The Salvation Army
is known in the town for their medical services in and around the town. Their Catherine Booth Hospital
(http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.1999209&lon=77.4299133&z=18&l=0&m=s&v=9 in the Vadasery
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.1951795&lon=77.4324989&z=16&l=0&m=s&v=9 locality of the town was established in the 19th century and is still active.
(ISRO) has a testing facility for Cryogenic and Liquid Propulsion rocket
engines on the Mahendragiri
hills (on the Western Ghats) off Nagercoil. Rocket scientists and engineers from all over India work at this facility, called the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Mahendragiri
.
The town is a centre for the Koodankulam Nuclear Power
Plant reactors, being built with Russian assistance, which is situated in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, but is the closest major town to the facility. The public sector Indian Rare Earths Limited
(IRE) has a facility at Manavaalakurichy, near the town.
Aralvaimozhi
, a once-impoverished village, benefited from the building of the nearby Muppandal wind farm a renewable energy
source, supplying the villagers with electricity for work. The surrounding area is a major centre for windmill renewable-energy production, and one of the biggest centres in South Asia, both in terms of electricity generated and size of windmills, with thousands of wind-mill electricity generators on tall towers dotting the area. The total power generated from these wind mills is 540 MW with each windmill generating a power output of 1.65 MW. The wind mills are erected and technically-supported by multinational majors in the field of renewable energy like Vestas
, Suzlon, and Micon
. The Muppandal Wind Farm is situated on a mountain gap (pass) in the Western Ghats
, through which the wind gushes for a major part of the year.
Fish-net manufacturing is a growing business in and around the town; nets for commercial fishing are supplied to the domestic and export markets.
There are software, research and development companies in Nagercoil. RedEgg InfoExpert Technologies offerings are sold in North America as MyMediaInfo, which is a media contacts database
. Enrichware is the next generation web and mobile platform based software Solutions Company serving worldwide customers. EMACC (Enterprise Mobile Apps Competency Center) by Enrichware is the dedicated Research and Development facility of Enrichware. Compvue is an IT services company serving customers from the Los Angeles and San Francisco area since 2005. Small Scale industries (cottage industries) include coir-making, floral trade, handloom-weaving, rubber products, food-processing units, and lace-making (export-oriented).
Being the major Tamil Nadu town closest to the Kerala
capital, Thiruvananthapuram
(65 km away and the closest international airport to Nagercoil), trading and sending supplies to Kerala
and Thiruvananthapuram
is a major activity for the bustling markets at Vadasery
and Kottar
- availability and many items being cheaper in Tamil Nadu than in Kerala adds to the thriving business.
Supply of marine and agricultural produce to the overseas export-markets are also important economic activities, though primarily done through exporters or agents in Kerala
. Remittances to Nagercoil from overseas, from Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) hailing from the town, is a major contributor to the local economy.
). Later on Mr.K. Kamaraj
, the former chief minister of Tamil Nadu, won from Kanyakumari constituency without even canvassing.
The Minister for Tourism, Tamil Nadu, Thiru. Suresh Rajan, Thiru Nanjil Vicent, former ADMK MP and Late Thiru. Nanjil Manaoharan, the former DMK Minister hails from Nagercoil.
, http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.1823936&lon=77.4069643&z=16&l=0&m=s&v=9, http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.1858556&lon=77.4278748&z=17&l=0&m=s&v=9 built by British missionaries. European missionaries, in the 19th century and early 20th century played a major role in imparting education to the people of the town and district.
One of the oldest regular schools in South India, Sethu Lakshmi Bai Higher Secondary School, http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.1806839&lon=77.4284434&z=17&l=0&m=s&v=9 is situated in the heart of town. It was established under the supervision of the Travancore
administrators and named after a Sethu Lakshmi Bayi
, the Queen of Travancore
between 1924 to 1931. Another school which was named after a Travancore ruler is Sri Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma Higher Secondary School.
Educational institutions include privately funded engineering colleges, the state-run Kanyakumari Government Medical College
(at Asaripallam near Nagercoil), and many polytechnic colleges and arts and science colleges. As in neighbouring Kerala, women's education and career-development are given importance.
In Kanyakumari, the first Government Engineering college was started under Anna University Tirunelveli on September 2009.
There is no Government Arts and Science College. All the Arts science college are under Cristian majorities, Muslim and few trust.
Some of the educational institutions in Nagercoil are:
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.1968307&lon=77.4319357&z=18&l=0&m=s&v=9 etc.
Some colleges and schools are run by Christian minority denominations:
In the Christian theological side, the Concordia Theological Seminary
established in 1924 caters to the training of Pastors of the India Evangelical Lutheran Church
. A CBSE schools in Nagercoil is the Adarsh Vidya Kendra
which is situated at Vetturnimadam, 3 km from Nagercoil. Play school Bachpan is located 3 km from Nagercoil.
DVD matriculation school kottar nagercoil
and Keralite cuisine. Rice is the staple food. Fish is popular and forms a part of everyday meal for many. People generally prefer marine fish to fresh water fish.
The food is generally spicy with coconut an important ingredient in almost all side dishes and curry, very much like that of neighbouring Kerala. Seafood is popular among the people, though there are also many vegetarians in and around the town.
Banana & Jack fruit plays a main role in the town's Sweet/sour recipes. Its been told that the word Jack actually derived from Tamil name of the fruit சக்கை.
Banana Chips (ேநந்தரம் பழம்/ஏத்தன் பழம்-a special variety specially produced for making chips) a snack . Upperi (உப்பேரி) is made by dipping the banana in palm sugar locally known as சர்க்கைர/பைன ெவல்லம். Nenthrambazha Bajji, a snack made out of banana is famous here.
Jack Fruit Chips சக்கவத்தல் (Chakka Chips) after a bath in one of the waterfalls is famous.
சக்கப்பழப்பணியாரம், சக்கப்பழ அப்பம் are also worth a mention.
The hilly, undulating terrain in Kanyakumari District
is partly forest land and the remaining is covered by rubber and other plantation plants. Elephants are common in this area.
sarel is the one of the famous village in kanayakumari. it's located in near kurunthancode,
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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 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...
and a municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
and administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District
Kanyakumari District
Kanyakumari District ) is a district of Tamil Nadu state, India and is the southernmost land area of mainland India.The district is the second most urbanised district in Tamilnadu, next only to Chennai and ahead of Coimbatore. It also has the highest literacy and education levels in the...
. The town is situated close to the tip of the Indian peninsula and is the southernmost town on the Indian mainland.
The town was a part of the erstwhile Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
state, or later Travancore-Cochin
Travancore-Cochin
Travancore-Cochin or Thiru-Kochi is a former state of India . It was created on 1 July 1949 by the merger of two former princely states, the kingdoms of Travancore and Cochin....
state, till almost a decade after the Indian independence in 1947. In 1956, the city and the District were merged with Tamil Nadu. In its earlier days, the town and its surroundings were known as Nanjilnadu.
History
Nagercoil derives its name from the famous old NagarajaNagaraja Temple (Nagercoil)
Nagaraja Temple |serpent]]) + Raja ) is a Hindu temple temple dedicated to the god Nagaraja situated at the heart of Nagercoil. The name for the town Nagercoil originated from this temple. The temple is full of images of snakes...
Temple (temple of the serpent
Serpent (symbolism)
Serpent in Latin means: Rory Collins :&, in turn, from the Biblical Hebrew word of: "saraf" with root letters of: which refers to something burning-as, the pain of poisonous snake's bite was likened to internal burning.This word is commonly used in a specifically mythic or religious context,...
king) http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.1875866&lon=77.4331909&z=18&l=0&m=s&v=9 which is in the central part of town. It has been an important temple for Hindus for centuries as well as a tourist attraction. According to certain accounts, it may once have been a Jain temple, as icons of the Jain Tirthankaras — Mahavira
Mahavira
Mahāvīra is the name most commonly used to refer to the Indian sage Vardhamāna who established what are today considered to be the central tenets of Jainism. According to Jain tradition, he was the 24th and the last Tirthankara. In Tamil, he is referred to as Arukaṉ or Arukadevan...
and Parsvanatha — are found on the pillars of the temple.
Chera dynasty
Chera Dynasty in South India is one of the most ancient ruling dynasties in India. Together with the Cholas and the Pandyas, they formed the three principle warring Iron Age Tamil kingdoms in southern India...
, Chola and Pandya kingdoms, Historical records reveal that these kingdoms fought over the control of the fertile area of Nanjilnadu and Kottar
Kottar
Kottar is a locality and a thriving bazaar area of Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu state, India; though a part of Nagercoil today, it is the original town around which the city of Nagercoil, near the southernmost tip of Peninsular India, grew. It was an ancient trade center of both Pandyas and Cheras at...
, a town mentioned in old Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
writings and maps of ancient India. Archaeological records also show Jain influences in ancient times.
The modern history of the town is interwoven with the history of Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
state. The modern town of Nagercoil grew around Kottar
Kottar
Kottar is a locality and a thriving bazaar area of Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu state, India; though a part of Nagercoil today, it is the original town around which the city of Nagercoil, near the southernmost tip of Peninsular India, grew. It was an ancient trade center of both Pandyas and Cheras at...
, now a locality in the municipal limits. The town came to prominence during and after the reign of Maharaja Marthanda Varma
Marthanda Varma
Marthanda Varma , was the founder of the Indian Hindu feudal kingdom of Travancore from Venad SwaroopamHe ruled from 1729 till his death in 1758, having succeeded his maternal uncle Dharma Raja.King Marthanda Varma is usually credited as the "founder of Kingdom of Travancore" from...
, the king of Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
, the capital of which was Padmanabhapuram
Padmanabhapuram
Padmanabhapuram a city and a municipality near Thuckalay in Kanniyakumari district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-History:Padmanabhapuram was the old capital of the princely state of Travancore in India...
, about 20 km to the north of Nagercoil. The capital was later shifted to Trivandrum, now Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
state, about 65 km to the north of Nagercoil. In the erstwhile princely state of Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
, Nagercoil was the second most important town after the capital Trivandrum.
Maharaja Marthanda Varma's successors continued the land, revenue and social reforms he instituted. Although Travancore was considered by many to be a "Hindu" administration, the rulers generally showed religious tolerance and were not hostile to European educators, missionaries and traders. Until the 19th century, the coffers of Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
were greatly helped by revenues from the trade of pepper
Black pepper
Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
and other spices, with the European powers.
Irrigation systems (an excellent system is still found around Nagercoil), dams, roads, schools etc. developed under the administration of the Travancore royals and their Dewans. The British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in India considered Travancore a "model native state". At the time, Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
was the most socially developed, and one of the most economically developed states under the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
. During the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
, Travancore was essentially a vassal-state to the British, but the British never interfered in the general administration of the state.
Dewan
The originally Persian title of dewan has, at various points in Islamic history, designated various differing though similar functions.-Etymology:...
of Travancore, Sir C.P. Ramaswamy Aiyer, preferred Travancore to be a sovereign country, but he eventually gave up after a tough stand by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel was an Indian barrister and statesman, one of the leaders of the Indian National Congress and one of the founding fathers of India...
, India's federal minister in charge of home affairs, who wanted the princely state annexed to India.
After a political fight in the 1950s led by Marshal A. Nesamony Nadar, the Government of Travancore-Cochin
Travancore-Cochin
Travancore-Cochin or Thiru-Kochi is a former state of India . It was created on 1 July 1949 by the merger of two former princely states, the kingdoms of Travancore and Cochin....
gave part of South Travancore (present day Kanyakumari District
Kanyakumari District
Kanyakumari District ) is a district of Tamil Nadu state, India and is the southernmost land area of mainland India.The district is the second most urbanised district in Tamilnadu, next only to Chennai and ahead of Coimbatore. It also has the highest literacy and education levels in the...
) to Tamil Nadu, because a majority of the population spoke Tamil in the district. This was enacted in the Indian States Reorganisation Act
States Reorganisation Act
The States Reorganisation Act of 1956 was a major reform of the boundaries and governance of India's states and territories. The act reorganised the boundaries of India's states along linguistic lines, and amended the Indian Constitution to replace the three types of states, known as Parts A, B,...
of 1956.
The town and its surroundings
Nagercoil is located at 8.18°N 77.43°E at the southern tip of peninsular India. Because of its proximity to the Western Ghats, the topography of the town and its surroundings is generally hilly. The Western Ghats are the lifeline of the town, providing water sources for drinking, temperate climate, irrigation around the city, and an eco-system influenced by this mountain range.Sandwiched between the Arabian Sea
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui in northeastern Somalia and Kanyakumari in India...
and the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
, the town has some breathtaking scenery, with the surrounding hills (the Western Ghats), lush green paddy fields, and sandy palm-fringed beaches on the western side. Farther north of Nagercoil, on the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
are plantations of rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
, cloves and cardamom
Cardamom
Cardamom refers to several plants of the genera Elettaria and Amomum in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to India and Bhutan; they are recognised by their small seed pod, triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped, with a thin papery outer shell and small black seeds...
. Many of these plantations were developed by British planters — planters' names like Simpson and Balamore are still household names in the town. The rubber plant was introduced by the English missionaries in the 18th century. Some of these plantations are still owned by the descendants of these British planters; however, a majority of the estates
Estate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
are now owned by the rich and influential moplah
Moplah
Moplah may refer to:* Mappila, an ancient Muslim community in Malabar, Kerala state, present day India* Moplah Riots, a series of revolts and attacks by Mappilas against Hindu landlords and British government officials...
(Syrian Christians
Syrian Christians
Syrian Christians may refer to*the Christian minority in Syria*in older publications, the Syriac Christians*in a South Asian context, the Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala....
) community of Kerala.
Being the southernmost municipal area of the country, and situated close to Kanyakumari, or Cape Comorin,http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.0894824&lon=77.5475121&z=14&l=0&m=s&v=9 the southernmost point of peninsular India, the town is an intersecting point of culture, tradition and trade of the western and eastern coasts. The town connects two major eastern and western lines of the Indian Railways, with one line leading through Kerala, called the Konkan
Konkan
The Konkan also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali is a rugged section of the western coastline of India from Raigad to Mangalore...
route, and the other through the eastern part of India, through Tirunelveli
Tirunelveli
Tirunelveli , also known as Nellai , and historically as Tinnevelly, is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the headquarters of the Tirunelveli District and the sixth biggest city in Tamil Nadu...
of Tamil Nadu. Nagercoil is 72 km from Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
(Trivandrum), the capital of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
state, connected by National Highway 47, and 85 km from Tirunelveli. In that the famous village is Thollavilai.
Climate
Nagercoil has a pleasant, though humid, climate for a major part of the year. The maximum temperature during the summer hovers around 86°F or 30°C with extremely high humidity at times. Nagercoil receives both the north-east monsoonMonsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
and the south-west monsoon. It rains more often in Kanyakumari district
Kanyakumari District
Kanyakumari District ) is a district of Tamil Nadu state, India and is the southernmost land area of mainland India.The district is the second most urbanised district in Tamilnadu, next only to Chennai and ahead of Coimbatore. It also has the highest literacy and education levels in the...
than in any other part of Tamil Nadu, with the exception of the Nilgiris
Nilgiris (mountains)
The Nilgiri , often referred to as the Nilgiri Hills, are a range of mountains with at least 24 peaks above , in the westernmost part of Tamil Nadu state at the junction of Karnataka and Kerala states in Southern India...
. Due to geographical conditions, the southern tip of Kanyakumari is generally 2°C to 3°C warmer than Nagercoil during the daytime, though Kanyakumari is only 20 km away.
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...
, Nagercoil had a population of 208,149. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Nagercoil has an average literacy rate of 100% and is the only Indian city to produce this figure. In Nagercoil, 9% of the population is between the age group of 0 – 6 years.
Though the official population count (for the municipal area) is close to 2.25 lakhs, a significant population lives outside the municipal limits, in the suburbs.Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
is the most spoken language. Malayalam and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
are also widely understood in the city.
The greatest concentration of the population of the town and the District is along the coastal belt, on the eastern side, while the largely forested areas on the western side of the district (along the Western Ghats) are sparsely populated.
Culture and religion
Tamil is official language in KanyakumariKanyakumari
Kanyakumari is a town in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. It is also sometimes referred to as Cape Comorin. Located at the southernmost tip of the Indian Peninsula, it is the geographical end of the Indian mainland. The district in Tamil Nadu where the town is located is called Kanyakumari...
. Tamil and Malayalam are spoken by the people. Tamil language along with English is used as a medium of teaching in all major schools. The Tamil spoken here is a mix of Malayalam and Tamil, sometimes unintelligible to the people of North Tamil Nadu.
The culture is a mixture of Tamil
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
and Malayalam culture and traditions. Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
, Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
are the major religions in the town and district. Food prepared here is also a mix of Kerala/Tamil Nadu traditions. Puttu, Appam, Idiappam are popular food items and so are rice murukku, and achu-murukku. Curries here are made with coconut and coconut oil which is now considered Kerala style cooking.
Some of the festivals celebrated here are Pongal
Pongal
Thai Ponggal is a harvest festival celebrated by Tamils in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Indian Union Territory of Pondicherry and in Sri Lanka. Pongal coincides with the festival Makara Sankranthi celebrated throughout India. Pongal in Tamil means "boiling over" or "spill over". The boiling...
, Suchindrum "Ther Festival", Ayya Vaikunda Avataram
Ayya Vaikunda Avataram
The Ayya Vaikunda Avataram is a festival celebrated by the followers of Ayyavazhi on the 20th day of the Tamil Month of Masi, the date on which the Ayyavazhi followers believe that Lord Vaikundar arose from the sea at Thiruchendur as the son of Mummorthies to destroy the evil spirit of Kali and...
, Deepavali, Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, New Year
New Year
The New Year is the day that marks the time of the beginning of a new calendar year, and is the day on which the year count of the specific calendar used is incremented. For many cultures, the event is celebrated in some manner....
, St. Francis Xavier's feast, Bhagavathy Amman Temple festival, Ramzan (Eid ul fitr) and Bakrid (Eid ul alha).
Influence of European missionaries
The foundation of several educational institutions by EnglishEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
and other Western Christian missionaries in the 19th century and the development of social infrastructure by the Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
administration raised the social status and literacy of the people, ahead of many other urban centres in Southern India. Today, streets, schools and colleges in the town are named after these European missionaries ; many of these missionaries were also noted educationists and scholars.
The European missionaries converted a section of the people to Protestant Christianity. Roman Catholicism had been introduced earlier by St. Francis Xavier in the 16th century and later by other Jesuits.
Kottar
Kottar is a locality and a thriving bazaar area of Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu state, India; though a part of Nagercoil today, it is the original town around which the city of Nagercoil, near the southernmost tip of Peninsular India, grew. It was an ancient trade center of both Pandyas and Cheras at...
locality in the town his principal residence for two years in the 16th century, while preaching around the town and in neighbouring Tirunelveli
Tirunelveli
Tirunelveli , also known as Nellai , and historically as Tinnevelly, is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the headquarters of the Tirunelveli District and the sixth biggest city in Tamil Nadu...
district.
Of the Protestant missionaries, the services of two European missionaries are particularly notable. One is C. Mead, who after arriving in 1817 in Nagercoil, as a missionary of the London Missionary Society
London Missionary Society
The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists, largely Congregationalist in outlook, with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa...
(LMS), made immense contributions to the cause of education in the town and in Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
. In 1818, he founded the Nagercoil Seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
, which became one of the first regular institutes to impart English education in Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
state and also in Southern India. In 1855, in recognition of his contributions to the cause of education, the Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
Government appointed him Superintendent of Schools, and while in this office he encouraged women's education in Nagercoil and in the state of Travancore. He started the Nagercoil Mission Press, the first printing press in the state of Travancore. Mead fought to abolish forms of indentured labour rampant at that time.
The other great missionary was William Tobias Ringeltaube, a native of the then Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
(present Germany), who established schools and worked among the poor and downtrodden around the town. He started one of the first regular schools in Travancore at Mylaudy, near Nagercoil which is still active.
Like the London Missionary Society
London Missionary Society
The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists, largely Congregationalist in outlook, with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa...
(LMS), another organisation that rendered valuable services to the cause of education and upliftment of the socially downtrodden has been the Church Missionary Society (CMS). Both these societies still have a presence in Nagercoil (nearly two centuries after inception).
Home church is one of the important places for worship. This was built by Thurivankur King.
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
is known in the town for their medical services in and around the town. Their Catherine Booth Hospital
Catherine Booth Hospital
Catherine Booth Hospital is a hospital and nursing school run by the Salvation Army in Nagercoil, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India.It is named after Catherine Booth, the wife of William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army....
(http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.1999209&lon=77.4299133&z=18&l=0&m=s&v=9 in the Vadasery
Vadasery
Vadasery is an area in Nagercoil town in Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu. Christopher bus stand, one of the two bus termini in Nagercoil is located here. Long route buses to other districts in Tamil Nadu, long distance buses within Kanyakumari district and buses to Kanyakumari area start from...
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.1951795&lon=77.4324989&z=16&l=0&m=s&v=9 locality of the town was established in the 19th century and is still active.
Local economy
Nagercoil is the headquarters of the state owned Arasu Rubber Corporation and the regional office of the Central Rubber Board. The Indian Space Research OrganisationIndian Space Research Organisation
The Indian Space Research Organisation is an independent Indian governmental agency established in 1969 for the research and development of vehicles and activities for the exploration of space within and outside of Earth’s atmosphere. Headquartered in Bangalore...
(ISRO) has a testing facility for Cryogenic and Liquid Propulsion rocket
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
engines on the Mahendragiri
Mahendragiri
Mahendragiri is the name of a hill in southern Tamil Nadu, near Nagercoil, in Kanyakumari district. It is part of the southern tip of the Western Ghats, with an elevation of ....
hills (on the Western Ghats) off Nagercoil. Rocket scientists and engineers from all over India work at this facility, called the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Mahendragiri
Mahendragiri
Mahendragiri is the name of a hill in southern Tamil Nadu, near Nagercoil, in Kanyakumari district. It is part of the southern tip of the Western Ghats, with an elevation of ....
.
The town is a centre for the Koodankulam Nuclear Power
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
Plant reactors, being built with Russian assistance, which is situated in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, but is the closest major town to the facility. The public sector Indian Rare Earths Limited
Indian Rare Earths Limited
Indian Rare Earths Limited ' is a government-owned corporation in India based in Mumbai. It was incorporated as a private limited company and jointly owned by the Government of India and Government of Travancore Cochin. Government of India took control of IREL in 1963 under the administrative...
(IRE) has a facility at Manavaalakurichy, near the town.
Aralvaimozhi
Aralvaimozhi
Aralvaimozhi ' is a panchayat town in Kanniyakumari District in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is a small village situated in southern India....
, a once-impoverished village, benefited from the building of the nearby Muppandal wind farm a renewable energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
source, supplying the villagers with electricity for work. The surrounding area is a major centre for windmill renewable-energy production, and one of the biggest centres in South Asia, both in terms of electricity generated and size of windmills, with thousands of wind-mill electricity generators on tall towers dotting the area. The total power generated from these wind mills is 540 MW with each windmill generating a power output of 1.65 MW. The wind mills are erected and technically-supported by multinational majors in the field of renewable energy like Vestas
Vestas
Vestas Wind Systems A/S is a Danish manufacturer, seller, installer, and servicer of wind turbines. It is the largest in the world, but due to very rapid growth of its competitors, its market share decreased from 28% in 2007 to 12.5% in 2009...
, Suzlon, and Micon
Micon
Micon the Younger of Athens was an ancient Greek painter and sculptor from the middle of the 5th century BC. He was closely associated with Polygnotus of Thasos, in conjunction with whom he adorned the Stoa poikile , at Athens, with paintings of the Battle of Marathon and other battles. He also...
. The Muppandal Wind Farm is situated on a mountain gap (pass) in the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
, through which the wind gushes for a major part of the year.
Fish-net manufacturing is a growing business in and around the town; nets for commercial fishing are supplied to the domestic and export markets.
There are software, research and development companies in Nagercoil. RedEgg InfoExpert Technologies offerings are sold in North America as MyMediaInfo, which is a media contacts database
Media Contacts Database
A Media Contacts Database is a media database that is specific for people in the media, most commonly journalists. A Media Contacts Database consists mainly of a list of journalists , and the media-type they work for.A Media Contacts database usually contains the following...
. Enrichware is the next generation web and mobile platform based software Solutions Company serving worldwide customers. EMACC (Enterprise Mobile Apps Competency Center) by Enrichware is the dedicated Research and Development facility of Enrichware. Compvue is an IT services company serving customers from the Los Angeles and San Francisco area since 2005. Small Scale industries (cottage industries) include coir-making, floral trade, handloom-weaving, rubber products, food-processing units, and lace-making (export-oriented).
Being the major Tamil Nadu town closest to the Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
capital, Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
(65 km away and the closest international airport to Nagercoil), trading and sending supplies to Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
and Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
is a major activity for the bustling markets at Vadasery
Vadasery
Vadasery is an area in Nagercoil town in Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu. Christopher bus stand, one of the two bus termini in Nagercoil is located here. Long route buses to other districts in Tamil Nadu, long distance buses within Kanyakumari district and buses to Kanyakumari area start from...
and Kottar
Kottar
Kottar is a locality and a thriving bazaar area of Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu state, India; though a part of Nagercoil today, it is the original town around which the city of Nagercoil, near the southernmost tip of Peninsular India, grew. It was an ancient trade center of both Pandyas and Cheras at...
- availability and many items being cheaper in Tamil Nadu than in Kerala adds to the thriving business.
Supply of marine and agricultural produce to the overseas export-markets are also important economic activities, though primarily done through exporters or agents in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. Remittances to Nagercoil from overseas, from Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) hailing from the town, is a major contributor to the local economy.
Politics
Marshal A.Nesamony, one of the leading lawyers of the Nagercoil Bar, was elected as the Chairman of the Nagercoil Municipal Council in 1943. He enlarged the town boundary, improved water supply system for the town, established a home for the destitutes and increased the income of the Nagercoil Municipality. In the same year, he was elected to the Travancore State Assembly and was also nominated to the Senate of the then Travancore University (today's Kerala UniversityKerala University
The University of Kerala, formerly the University of Travancore, is an affiliating university located in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, India. It was established in 1937, long before the birth of the state of Kerala in India...
). Later on Mr.K. Kamaraj
K. Kamaraj
Kumarasami Kamaraj better known as K. Kamaraj was an Indian politician from Tamil Nadu widely acknowledged as the "Kingmaker" in Indian politics during the 1960s. He was the chief minister of Tamil Nadu during 1954-1963 and a Member of Parliament during 1952-1954 and 1969-1975...
, the former chief minister of Tamil Nadu, won from Kanyakumari constituency without even canvassing.
The Minister for Tourism, Tamil Nadu, Thiru. Suresh Rajan, Thiru Nanjil Vicent, former ADMK MP and Late Thiru. Nanjil Manaoharan, the former DMK Minister hails from Nagercoil.
Education
The district has the highest literacy rate in Tamil Nadu (88.11). Some schools and colleges in Nagercoil are more than 150 years old, like the Scott Christian CollegeScott Christian College
Scott Christian College is an educational institution located in Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, India. It was established in 1893, and is an autonomous university managed by the Church of South India. The school includes undergraduate, masters, and doctoral programs....
, http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.1823936&lon=77.4069643&z=16&l=0&m=s&v=9, http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.1858556&lon=77.4278748&z=17&l=0&m=s&v=9 built by British missionaries. European missionaries, in the 19th century and early 20th century played a major role in imparting education to the people of the town and district.
One of the oldest regular schools in South India, Sethu Lakshmi Bai Higher Secondary School, http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.1806839&lon=77.4284434&z=17&l=0&m=s&v=9 is situated in the heart of town. It was established under the supervision of the Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
administrators and named after a Sethu Lakshmi Bayi
Sethu Lakshmi Bayi
Maharani Pooradam Thirunal Sethu Lakshmi Bayi CI was the ruler of Travancore as regent for her nephew, Chithira Tirunal from 1924 until late 1931...
, the Queen of Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
between 1924 to 1931. Another school which was named after a Travancore ruler is Sri Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma Higher Secondary School.
Educational institutions include privately funded engineering colleges, the state-run Kanyakumari Government Medical College
Kanyakumari government medical college
Kanyakumari Government Medical College - KGMCLocation- Asaripallam,Nagercoil, India, 629201Affiliation- Tamil Nadu Dr.M.G.R. UniversityBiography-...
(at Asaripallam near Nagercoil), and many polytechnic colleges and arts and science colleges. As in neighbouring Kerala, women's education and career-development are given importance.
In Kanyakumari, the first Government Engineering college was started under Anna University Tirunelveli on September 2009.
There is no Government Arts and Science College. All the Arts science college are under Cristian majorities, Muslim and few trust.
Some of the educational institutions in Nagercoil are:
- Carmel Higher Secondary School, Nagercoil
- SLB Government Higher Secondary School
- Government Engineering College, Konam.
- S.R.K.B.V.Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Kulasekharam.SRKBVSree RamaKrishna Bala Vidya Matriculation and Higher Secondary School, institution in Kulasekharam located in Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu. The school offers K12 education following the Tamilnadu Matriculation syllabus leading to a Matriculation Certificate and offers Higher Secondary Education...
- Yettacode Higher Secondary School, Yettacode.
- Bishop Arockiasamy Higher Secondary School, MaravankudieruppuMaravankudieruppuMaravankudieruppu ' is a village in the juridiction of Nagercoil Municipality, located three kilometres south of Nagercoil, the capital of Kanyakumari district in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. It is a predominantly a Catholic village, mostly centered around the church of Our Lady of Snows...
. - RAINBOW play school with Froebel concept of PRESCHOOL syllabus. Edalakudy
- Good Shepherd Matriculation Higher Secondary School
- The Pioneer School
- Adarsh vidya kendra
- Alphonsa matric hr.sec. school
- ST Hindu College, http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.1700428&lon=77.4302083&z=18&l=0&m=s&v=9
- Scott Christian Higher Secondary School
- James Group of Educational Institutions( www.jamesinstitutions.org)
- Sivanthi Aditanar College Pillayarpuram.
- Ayappa College for Women, http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.2003457&lon=77.385217&z=18&l=0&m=s&v=9
- Sun College of Engineering and Technology
- Udaya School of Engineering
- The Muslim Arts College Thiruvithancode,
- Noorul Islam College of EngineeringNoorul Islam College of EngineeringNoorul Islam University is a private co-educational university located in Kumarakovil, Thuckalay, Kanyakumari District Tamil Nadu, India. The university was founded in 1989 by Dr.A.P.Majeed khan, who is now its chancellor with a motto to provide quality education to the students...
at Kumaracoil, - Pan India ICFAI has one of its affiliate ICFAI National College at Vadasery,
- DVD Higher secondary School, Kottar., Nagercoil
- ST.Mary Goretty Higher Secondary School,Manalikarai
- SMRV Higher Secondary School
- The Rajas International School
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.1968307&lon=77.4319357&z=18&l=0&m=s&v=9 etc.
Some colleges and schools are run by Christian minority denominations:
- Little Flower girls higher secondary school
- Little Kingdom Montessori School
- St.Joseph's Matric Higher Secondary School
- Vins Christian College of Engineering
- St. Xavier's Catholic College of EngineeringSt. Xavier's Catholic College of EngineeringSt. Xavier's Catholic College of Engineering is an educational institution located in Chunkankadai, Tamil Nadu, India. The school was established in 1998, and is managed by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kottar.-References:...
- St. Xavier's Catholic College of Nursing (Tamil Nadu's first Catholic diocesan nursing college)
- CSI Institute of Technology
- James College of Engineering and Technology
- Salvation Army School
- Concordia School
- Holy Cross CollegeHoly Cross CollegeHoly Cross College may refer to:*Holy Cross College , Bangladesh*Holy Cross College , in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States*Holy Cross College , Western Province, Sri Lanka*Holy Cross College...
, http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.1552915&lon=77.414571&z=18&l=0&m=s&v=9 - Scott Christian CollegeScott Christian CollegeScott Christian College is an educational institution located in Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, India. It was established in 1893, and is an autonomous university managed by the Church of South India. The school includes undergraduate, masters, and doctoral programs....
, (Arts and Sciences College, with some specialised departments) - Holy Cross College for Women
- Women's Christian College Nagercoilhttp://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.1858556&lon=77.4278319&z=17&l=0&m=s&v=9
- Carmel higher secondary SchoolCarmel Higher Secondary SchoolCarmel Higher Secondary School, Nagercoil was established in 1922 by the then Catholic Bishop of Quilon, Rt. Rev. Fr. Aloysious Benzigar as a middle school. The school was first started as an English School. After the Catholic diocese of Kottar was formed, the first bishop of Kottar Rt. Rev. Fr...
- St.Joseph's Convent Higher Secondary School http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.1795582&lon=77.4349129&z=17&l=0&m=s&v=9
- C.S.I Matriculation Higher Secondary School
- Scott Christian Higher Secondary SchoolScott Christian Higher Secondary SchoolScott Christian Higher Secondary School was started in 1819.It is located in Nagercoil, Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, India. It was founded by English missionary...
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.18696&lon=77.4224031&z=17&l=0&m=s&v=9 - Duthie Girls Higher secondary Schoolhttp://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.1802856&lon=77.425949&z=18&l=0&m=s&v=9
- Moderator Gnanadason Polytechnic College
- Mar Ephraem College Of Engineering & Technology (Diocese of marthandam)
- Morning Star Polytechnic College
In the Christian theological side, the Concordia Theological Seminary
Concordia Theological Seminary
The Concordia Theological Seminary is an institution of theological higher education of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod , located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, dedicated primarily to the preparation of pastors for the congregations and missions of the LCMS...
established in 1924 caters to the training of Pastors of the India Evangelical Lutheran Church
India Evangelical Lutheran Church
India Evangelical Lutheran Church is a Christian denomination in India. It has about 80,000 members. Its headquarters is in Tamil Nadu. It belongs to the Lutheran World Federation....
. A CBSE schools in Nagercoil is the Adarsh Vidya Kendra
Adarsh Vidya Kendra
- History :Adarsh Vidya Kendra was established in 1984 at Vetturnimadam, Nagercoil. The school was started with staff consisting of a headmaster and seven teachers and with 112 students on the roll...
which is situated at Vetturnimadam, 3 km from Nagercoil. Play school Bachpan is located 3 km from Nagercoil.
DVD matriculation school kottar nagercoil
Cuisine
Nagercoil enjoys a blend of TamilTamil cuisine
Tamil Nadu is famous for its hospitality and its deep belief that serving food to others is a service to humanity, as is common in many regions of India. The region has a rich cuisine involving both traditional vegetarian, as well as non-vegetarian dishes. It is characterized by the use of rice,...
and Keralite cuisine. Rice is the staple food. Fish is popular and forms a part of everyday meal for many. People generally prefer marine fish to fresh water fish.
The food is generally spicy with coconut an important ingredient in almost all side dishes and curry, very much like that of neighbouring Kerala. Seafood is popular among the people, though there are also many vegetarians in and around the town.
Banana & Jack fruit plays a main role in the town's Sweet/sour recipes. Its been told that the word Jack actually derived from Tamil name of the fruit சக்கை.
Banana Chips (ேநந்தரம் பழம்/ஏத்தன் பழம்-a special variety specially produced for making chips) a snack . Upperi (உப்பேரி) is made by dipping the banana in palm sugar locally known as சர்க்கைர/பைன ெவல்லம். Nenthrambazha Bajji, a snack made out of banana is famous here.
Jack Fruit Chips சக்கவத்தல் (Chakka Chips) after a bath in one of the waterfalls is famous.
சக்கப்பழப்பணியாரம், சக்கப்பழ அப்பம் are also worth a mention.
Places of interest
- The Nagaraja Temple,http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.1968307&lon=77.4319357&z=18&l=0&m=s&v=9 (which gives Nagercoil its name) and the Thanumalayan Temple,http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.1548295&lon=77.4652219&z=18&l=0&m=s&v=9 at Suchindrum, about 6 km from the heart of the town, are Hindu shrines for pilgrims from all over South India. The Nagaraja Temple has Nagaraja, the King of Snakes, as its principal deity, to whom milk is offered by the devout. The Suchindram Temple is unique amongst Hindu temples in that it unites the worship of the Trinity of Hinduism - Shiva (Sthanu), Vishnu (Perumal or Mal) and Brahma (Aiyan) - in the presiding deity, Thanumalayan. The tradition of the temple is that the King of the Devas, Indra, worships at the temple each night.
- KrishnancoilKrishnancoilKrishnancoil is a suburb in Nagercoil, in the District of Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India, named after the temple of Lord Krishna situated within. It is situated on National Highway 47, which connects Nagercoil with Trivandrum, the capital city of Kerala....
, http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.196183&lon=77.4258524&z=18&l=0&m=s&v=9 situated on the way to Trivandrum at NH-47 is named after the temple where the presiding deity is Lord Kishna in his childhood avatar. This temple is 1.5 km from the heart of Nagercoil town. - St. Francis Xavier's Church, in the Kottar locality of the town, which was built in the year 1600 AD, is important due to the visit and stay of St.Francis Xavier. The church was built on land allotted to St. Xavier by the Venad king.
- Fresh water supply to the town is from the MukkadalMukkadalMukkadal dam is built across the Vambaru River in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India, from town of Nagercoil. It is a scenic place, favored as a picnic location among local residents. It was built by Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma in 1645, the King of Travancore. The dam is...
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.2830973&lon=77.407608&z=15&l=0&m=s&v=9 Reservoir, about 8 km from the town - itself a scenic place, with an island in the middle of the reservoir. The reservoir is surrounded by hills of the Western GhatsWestern GhatsThe Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
. - Another area with some fine scenery in Kanyakumari DistrictKanyakumari DistrictKanyakumari District ) is a district of Tamil Nadu state, India and is the southernmost land area of mainland India.The district is the second most urbanised district in Tamilnadu, next only to Chennai and ahead of Coimbatore. It also has the highest literacy and education levels in the...
is BoothapandiBoothapandiBoothapandi, Bhoothapandi, Bhoothapandy or Bhuthapondy is a panchayat town in Kanyakumari district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India....
, about 10 km from Nagercoil. This place shows the Western GhatsWestern GhatsThe Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
with lush green fields all around. There are small, dilapidated, ancient Hindu Temples and structures dotting the green fields.
The hilly, undulating terrain in Kanyakumari District
Kanyakumari District
Kanyakumari District ) is a district of Tamil Nadu state, India and is the southernmost land area of mainland India.The district is the second most urbanised district in Tamilnadu, next only to Chennai and ahead of Coimbatore. It also has the highest literacy and education levels in the...
is partly forest land and the remaining is covered by rubber and other plantation plants. Elephants are common in this area.
- Mathur AqueductMathur AqueductMathur Aqueduct or Mathur Hanging Trough, is an Aqueduct in Southern India, in Kanyakumari District of Tamilnadu state. Built over the Pahrali River , it takes its name from Mathur, a hamlet near the Aqueduct, which is at a distance of about 3 kilometres from Thiruvattar town and about 60 km...
(Thotti palam)http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.3367091&lon=77.2945368&z=17&l=0&m=s&v=9 - Udayagiri FortUdayagiri Fort- Fort in Tamil Nadu :-Location:The fort in Tamil Nadu is located at a distance of 14 km from Nagercoil town in Kanyakumari District. The fort is situated on the Thiruvananthapuram-Nagercoil National highway at Puliyoorkurichi. This was the most important military barracks of the Travancore...
- Vattakottai Fort. http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.1257021&lon=77.5651395&z=18&l=0&m=b
- Thiruparapu Falls
- Padmanabhapuram PalacePadmanabhapuram PalacePadmanabhapuram Palace complex is located in at Padmanabhapuram Fort, close to the town of Thuckalay in Kanyakumari District, Tamilnadu, in India. It is about 20 km from Nagercoil, and about 50 kilometers from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The palace complex is inside an old granite...
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.2522646&lon=77.3273349&z=16&l=0&m=b - MuttomMuttomMuttom is a village in Kanyakumari District of the Tamil Nadu State, India.-Geography:Muttom is a fishing village, located 16 kilometers from the capital town Nagercoil. Muttom is located at . It is well connected by road to the Nagercoil town. It is approximately 75 km from the Trivandrum...
Beach. http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.1235513&lon=77.3223138&z=18&l=0&m=b - Sanguthurai Beach
- Keeripaarai. http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.3956364&lon=77.4107033&z=18&l=0&m=b
- Maruthuvaal Malai
- UllakaarviUllakaarviUllakarvi is a waterfall on the Western Ghats hills near Nagercoil in Kanyakumari District, Tamilnadu state.- Location :...
Waterfalls
sarel is the one of the famous village in kanayakumari. it's located in near kurunthancode,
Scientist's=
- Viswanathan Raman - Father of Chest Medicine in India.
- Ranjan Roy Daniel- Famous for Electromagnetic Theory in Physics
- A Sivathanu Pillai-CEO and MD,Brahmos Aerospace and Chief Controller DRDO
- Krishnan Ravi _ Prof and Head, Physiology,V.P.Chest Institute,Delhi, Eminent neurophysiologist
Actors=
- J. C. DanielJ. C. DanielJ. C. Daniel was the first film-maker from Kerala, India. He produced, directed, wrote, photographed, edited and acted in the first film made in Kerala, named Vigathakumaran meaning the Lost Child. He also established the first film studio in Kerala, named The Travancore National Pictures. It was...
-The first film-maker from Kerala - N. S. KrishnanN. S. KrishnanNagerkoyil Sudalaimuthu Krishnan , popularly known as Kalaivanar and also as 'NSK' was a leading Tamil film comedian, drama artist, playback singer and writer in the early stages of the Tamil film industry - in the 1940s and 1950s....
, known as Kalaivanar, Tamil film comedian and drama artist of yester-years - SathyanSathyaneshan NadarManuel Sathyaneshan Nadar commonly known by his stage name Sathyan, was an Indian film actor known for his work in Malayalam cinema. He has won the Kerala State Film Award twice and is renowned for his acting skills...
, actor of Malayalam films - SukumariSukumariSukumari is an Indian film actress who has primarily acted in Malayalam and Tamil films. She has been acting since she was 10 years old and has acted in various roles. The total number of her films is presumed to be about two-thousand. In 2003, she was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of...
, actress of Malayalam films - Thikkurissi Sukumaran Nair - Malayalam actor
Politicians=
- Kunjan Nadar, Freedom Fighter (Freedom for Kanayakumari district from cruel Travancore Kingdom).
- Marshal Nesamony Nadar (father of Kanyakumari District)
- Kumari Anandan, politician
- Com. J.Hemachandran, former CPI(M) MLA and CITU leader
- Ponnappa Nadar MLA,Politician, lawyer
- Vijaya Raghavan MLA,Politician
- T.S.Ramaswamy Pillai MLA,Freedom Fighter and Politician
- A.A.Razaq MP Politician, Lawyer
Government Officials=
- Admiral Sushil Kumar - 18th Chief of Naval Staff of India.
- C. Sylendra BabuC. Sylendra BabuDr. C. Sylendra Babu is an Indian Police Service officer of the 1987 batch belonging to Tamil Nadu cadre. Hailing from the southern most district of Nagercoil , Sylendra Babu is now serving as the Inspector General of North Tamilnadu . He is very much known as avid reader, motivational speaker...
-Commissioner of Police, Coimbatore. - John Nicolson-Commissioner of Police, Salem
- Walter DevaramWalter DevaramWalter Davaram is the former Director General of Police of Tamil Nadu.He stood first and won a Gold Medal during his training session in the National Police Academy. He is a more than average marksman and a reader. He was instrumental in heading the Police force in Vellore Range and in tackling and...
-Former Director General of Police of Tamil Nadu. - G. Nanchil Kumaran- Former Director General of Police of Tamil Nadu.
- M.G.Devasahayam- Former Defence Adviser to Indra Gandhi
- S. VenkitaramananS. VenkitaramananS. Venkitaramanan was the eighteenth Governor of the Reserve Bank of India from 22 December 1990 to 22 December 1992.Venkitaramanan holds a Master's degree in Physics from the University of Kerala and also a Master's Degree in Industrial Administration from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburg, USA...
- ex-Governor of Reserve Bank of India. - Pon RadhakrishnanPon RadhakrishnanPon Radhakrishnanhas been associated with Hindu Munnani since 1990's. He is a former union minister of state of India. He was minister of state for Youth affairs in Third Vajpayee Ministry.Later he served as Minister of State in the Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation...
- BJP State Unit President - Suresh RajanSuresh RajanSuresh Rajan is the current minister for tourism and registration in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He was born on 31 March 1963 in Nagercoil. he has received education till master of arts . He started his political career in Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam youth wing. He was once before elected for...
Ex Tamilnadu Minister. - M.R.Gandhi - Senior BJP Leader
Educationalists=
- H. S. S. LawrenceH. S. S. LawrenceHarris Sam Sahayam Lawrence is an Indian educationalist born in Nagercoil, Tamilnadu.He is the eldest of five children born to his parents, Sam and Arulammal Harris. He hails from Santhapuram, Kanyakumari, Tamilnadu...
, Director of School Education Tamil Nadu, UNESCO Adviser Afghanistan - Dr. Jeppiaar, Chancellor of Sathyabama University and founder of Jeepiar Group of Institutions.
- Prof.Shah Mohammed Bijli, Chief Technical Advisor to the UNITED NATIONS for more than a decade, Sr.Academician, Author
- Mr.krishnan pillai Cape foundation,Nagercoil
Poet's=
- Kavimani Desika Vinayagam PillaiKavimani Desika Vinayagam PillaiKavimani Desigavinayagam Pillai was an eminent Tamil poet.Asiya Jothi, Nanjil Nattu Marumakkal Vazhi Manmiyam, and the translation of the work of Omar Khayyam are his masterpieces...
(Tamil poet, writer and scholar) - Sathavathani Sheikh Thambi PavalarSathavathani Sheikh Thambi PavalarSheikh Thambi Pavalar was a Tamil poet, scholar and an Indian independence activist. He was born on 31 July 1874 as the third son of Pakeer Meeran sahib and Ameena. He had his earlier education at Edalakudy. He was also a good orator. He learned Arabic language in his early age and was a disciple...
(Tamil poet, scholar and Freedom fighter) - P. Jeevanandham, socialist.
- T V Ramasubbaiyer (founder of "Dina MalarDina MalarDinamalar or "Daily Malar" is a daily newspaper in Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Pondicherry, Tirunelveli, Nagercoil, Trichy, Erode, Vellore and Tamil Nadu, India. Dinamalar was founded by T. V. Ramasubbaiyer. T. V...
" - a Tamil daily) - Nanjil Nadan, writer
- David DavidarDavid DavidarDavid Davidar is an Indian novelist and publisher. He is the author of two published novels, The House of Blue Mangoes and The Solitude of Emperors . His third novel, Ithaca will be published in September 2011. In parallel to his writing career, Davidar has been a publisher for a quarter century...
- English writer and ex-CEO of Penguin India (publishers), now with Penguin Canada - JeyamohanJeyamohanB. Jeyamohan or Jayamohan is a noted Tamil and Malayalam writer and literary critic from Nagercoil in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu....
, literary writer
Religion=
- Bala Prajapathi AdikalarBala Prajapathi AdikalarBala Prajapathi Adikalar is considered as the present religious leader of Ayyavazhi. Ayyavazhi is not an organised religious system and so it does not fall directly under his control officially. But still religiously he was considered so...
, present Pattathu Ayya of Swamithope pathiSwamithope PathiSwamithoppe Pathi , Swamithoppu-pathi, Manavai-pathi, Thamarai-pathi or Thalaimaippathi [Thalaimai + pathi] is the primary pathi of the Ayyavazhi, the head of all Worship centers of Ayyavazhi, and the place where Ayya Vaikundar is said to have performed the Tavam...
and a leader of the Ayyavazhi. - Devasahayam PillaiDevasahayam PillaiDevasahayam Pillai was an 18th century convert from Hinduism to Christianity in the southern part of India.He may have been an official in the court of the Travancore king, Maharaja Marthanda Varma, during which time he came under the influence of the former Dutch naval commander, Captain...
, 18th century convert to Christianity, recommended for beatification
Other=
- Vasanthakumar, businessman. Owner of Vasanth and Co retail chain and Vasanth TV
- Jegath Gaspar RajJegath Gaspar RajJegath Gaspar Raj is a Chennai based Catholic priest. He is the founder of the Tamil Maiyam organisation and co creator of the Chennai Sangamam festival. During 1995–2001 he served as the director of the Tamil service for Radio Veritas. He is also the organiser of the Idea-GiveLife Chennai...
, founder and Managing Trustee of Tamil Maiyam. - V. G. PanneerdasV. G. PanneerdasV. G. Panneerdas was the founder of VGP Group of Companies. His story is one of the rags to riches. He started as a poor Christian man from a remote village called Azhagappa puram near valliyur, Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu, India. He moved to Chennai in search of opportunities. In 1955, he...
, businessman. Owner of VGP Universal KingdomVGP Universal Kingdom'VGP Universal Kingdom' is an amusement park located in East Coast Road in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The park offering small rides during the early days of its history became a full-fledged amusement park in 1997. The park provides several fun and adventure rides for children, youth and adults... - Vijay AntonyVijay Antony-Biography and career:Antony first worked as a sound engineer, later becoming a music director. In 1998 he studied at Loyola College, Chennai after which he founded his own studio, 'Audiophiles', composing and sound engineering for TV jingles and documentaries. The soundtrack of the film Sukran,...
, Indian film composer - Dr. M. Kumaresan, ENT Specialist
- C. BoazC. BoazNew article name C. Boaz is an Indian Social activist, from Marthandam, Kanyakumari district, Tamilnadu, India.He is an active member of NAAM,FEDINA, ISI, PMANE and Human rights commission Nagercoil...
, a Social Activist - Dr M Mathias, Surgeon, Entrepreneur, Humanitarian.
- Mullanchery M VelaianMullanchery M VelaianMullanchery M. Velaian is a social worker from Tamil Nadu, India. He was born Mullanchery in Kanyakumari district. He is the founder of the Kumari Arivial Peravai . He has also written plays.-Early life:...
- Organizer Kumari Arivial Peravai(KAP)
See also
- Kanyakumari DistrictKanyakumari DistrictKanyakumari District ) is a district of Tamil Nadu state, India and is the southernmost land area of mainland India.The district is the second most urbanised district in Tamilnadu, next only to Chennai and ahead of Coimbatore. It also has the highest literacy and education levels in the...
- Nagercoil (Lok Sabha constituency)Nagercoil (Lok Sabha constituency)Nagercoil was a Lok Sabha constituency in Tamil Nadu, India. K. Kamaraj Nadar, the first elected Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu was elected twice to the Lok Sabha from here.- Kamarajar by-election victory :...
- Nagar KovilNagar KovilNagar Kovil or Nagerkovil or Nakarkovil or Nagarcoil is a small town in Jaffna District, Sri Lanka. Its name translates to Temple of King Cobra in Tamil....
in Ceylon