Vandavasi
Encyclopedia
Vandavasi or Wandiwash is a city 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...

 in Tiruvanamalai 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...

.

Vandavasi was the scene of a decisive battle in the 18th-century war between France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 and the United Kingdom
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...

 for the control of South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...

. The Battle of Wandiwash
Battle of Wandiwash
The Battle of Wandiwash was a decisive battle in India during the Seven Years' War. The Count de Lally's army, burdened by a lack of naval support and funds, attempted to regain the fort at Vandavasi near Pondicherry. He was attacked by Sir Eyre Coote's forces and decisively defeated...

 was a watershed in Indian history as it cemented British supremacy in South Asia. On January 22, 1760, a British force led by Eyre Coote
Eyre Coote (East India Company officer)
Lieutenant-General Sir Eyre Coote, KB was an Irish soldier. He is best known for his many years of service with the British Army in India. His victory at the Battle of Wandiwash is considered a decisive turning point in the struggle for control in India between British and France...

 defeated a French force led by General Lally.

Geography and climate

Vandavasi is located at 12.5°N 79.62°E. It lies 110 kilometres South-West of Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

 City, South of famous temple city Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram, or Kanchi, is a temple city and a municipality in Kanchipuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a temple town and the headquarters of Kanchipuram district...

 and 80 km north-east of Thiruvannamalai. The town is well connected with Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

 by road. It has an average elevation of 74 metres (242 feet).
Vandavasi climatic condition is similar to that of Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

, lying on the thermal equator
Thermal equator
The thermal equator is a belt encircling the Earth, defined by the set of locations having the highest mean annual temperature at each longitude around the globe...

 and close to the coast, most part of the year climate is hot and humid.

Demographics

India census
Census
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...

, Vandavasi had a population of 29,612. Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%. Vandavasi has an average literacy rate of 75%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 81%, and female literacy is 68%. In Vandavasi, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age. Hindu, Muslim, Christianity and Jainism are the major religions followed here.

Places of interest

Vandavasi fort would have been a famous tourist spot but for its negligence by the authorities. It witnessed the decisive Battle of Wandiwash
Battle of Wandiwash
The Battle of Wandiwash was a decisive battle in India during the Seven Years' War. The Count de Lally's army, burdened by a lack of naval support and funds, attempted to regain the fort at Vandavasi near Pondicherry. He was attacked by Sir Eyre Coote's forces and decisively defeated...

, it even said to have an underground passage to gingee
Gingee
Gingee is a panchayat town in Viluppuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The nearest town with a railway station is Tindivanam, 28 km away....

 fort.
There are more number of temples in and around Vandavasi
  • Sacred Heart Church is more than 100 years old. There are 3 schools around the campus educating many of the poor people.
  • Kamatchi Amman Temple (with Asta Buga Kalabairavar, Nava Gragas with their wives & etc.)
  • AdhiRanganatha Swamy temple
  • Jalakandaeshwara temple

Those three temples are as old as 500 years. Among these Kamatchi Amman temple was rebuilt by a team of members along with public on 14 July 2008. Reconstruction works of Jalakandeshwarar & Adhi Ranganatha Swamy temples are going on.
and the shree kalikambal trust is established for service
  • Panduranga temple at Thennangur
    Thennangur
    Thennangur is a village located in Tiruvanamalai district of Tamil Nadu. The village is the site of a uniquely designed Hindu temple and is regarded as the birthplace of the Hindu goddess Meenakshi.-Location:...

  • Sreenivasa perumal temple at Navalpakkam
    Navalpakkam
    Navalpakkam is a small village located in Vandavasi taluk of Tamil Nadu. It is famous for its Srinivasa Perumal temple. This temple has wall paintings which contain scripts written in a cryptic language. The language appears to be granthakshara. Attempts to decrypt the language have failed....

  • Narasimmar temple at Sogathoor
  • fort temple at Wandiwash
  • Adhikesava Perumal Temple at Kil Kovalavedu – 7 km from Vandavasi on the way to Arni
  • Kilsathamangalam Village British used Toppu (beerangi)
  • Seeyamangalam cave temple
  • sri Nethaghi Kumaran Kundru(Balamurugan), Embalam . (12 km From Vandavasi)

Jain temples as old 1400 years are found in the villages nearby.
  • Kilsathamangalam Village Jain temple
  • Birudur Village Jain temple
  • Ponnurmalai Jain Temple, around 10 km from Vandavasi
  • Near Vanthavasi 6 km Marudadu village in most popular temple in lord purantharishvarar temple


The famous Athiparasakthi Temple (Melmaruvathur) is located South-West of Vandavasi (28 km)

Schools

There are many major schools situated in the heart of the Town.
  • Sannathi Higher sec School,
  • Govt. boys higher secondary school,
  • Govt. girls higher secondary school,
  • Kingston Matric higher secondary school,
  • Venkateshwara Matric higher secondary school,
  • RCM high school of education,
  • RCM primary school of education,
  • Sri Bharath Vidhyalaya N/P school,
  • Bharatha Matha Matric School,
  • St mary's English Medium School,
  • Green Park matriculation school,
  • Arunachal city matric school,
  • Sacred Heart Girls Higher Sec School
  • Annai Therasa nursery and Primary matriculation school
  • SAFA nursery and Primary matriculation school

Colleges

  • Thiruvalluvar college of engineering and technology
  • KRS Engineering college
  • Sri Akilandeshwari women's college
  • SRI polytechnic college
  • SRI Engineering college
  • AMJ college of catering and hotel management
  • King Nandhivarman college of arts and science
  • Swamy Abedhanandha Polytechnic College

Industrial training

  • 1008 sri kund kundar ITI
  • VA Arunachala mudaliyar baalaambaal ITI
  • VM Technologies (A Division of ARISTA TECHNICAL SOLUTION , Chengalpet )

Teacher training institutions

  • M.Durai institute of teacher training

SRI teacher training institute

External links


See also

  • Vandavasi (Lok Sabha constituency)
    Vandavasi (Lok Sabha constituency)
    Vandavasi was a Lok Sabha constituency in Tamil Nadu. After delimitation in 2009, it is defunct.-Assembly segments:Vandavasi Lok Sabha constituency was composed of the following assembly segments :...

  • Battle of Wandiwash
    Battle of Wandiwash
    The Battle of Wandiwash was a decisive battle in India during the Seven Years' War. The Count de Lally's army, burdened by a lack of naval support and funds, attempted to regain the fort at Vandavasi near Pondicherry. He was attacked by Sir Eyre Coote's forces and decisively defeated...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK