Nagapattinam district | |
|---|---|
  .jpg)   Clockwise from top-left:Sri Soundararajaperumal temple inNagapattinam,Nagore Dargah,Agnipureeswarar Temple, Thirupugalur, Salt pans inPoint Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary,Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health inVelankanni | |
.svg) Location in Tamil Nadu | |
| Coordinates:10°46′1.2″N79°49′58.8″E / 10.767000°N 79.833000°E /10.767000; 79.833000 | |
| Country |  India |
| State |  Tamil Nadu |
| Established | 18 October 1991 |
| Founded by | J. Jayalalithaa |
| Taluks | Kilvelur,Nagapattinam,Thirukkuvalai,Vedaranyam |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • District Collector | A. Arun Thamburaj,IAS |
| • Superintendent of Police | G. Jawahar,IPS |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,397 km2 (539 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 36 |
| Elevation | 9 m (30 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 697,069 |
| • Rank | 37 |
| • Density | 498/km2 (1,290/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Tamil |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| Telephone code | 04365 |
| ISO 3166 code | ISO 3166-2:IN |
| Vehicle registration | TN-51[1] |
| Lok Sabha constituency | 1 |
| Vidhan Sabha constituency | 5 |
| Website | nagapattinam |
Nagapattinam district is one of the 38 districts ofTamil Nadu state in southernIndia. Nagapattinam district was carved out by bifurcating the erstwhile compositeThanjavur district on 19 October 1991. The town ofNagapattinam is the district headquarters.
UntilMayiladuthurai district was created out of it on 24 March 2020, Nagapattinam was the only discontiguous district in Tamil Nadu.
Nagapattinam is derived fromNagar, referring to people, andpattinam referring to town. In TamilPattinam andpaakkam depicts coastal towns.[2][3] The town was also calledCholakula Vallipattinam during the Chola period, when it was one of the important ports.Ptolemy refers to Nagapattinam as Nikam and mentions it as one of the most important trade centres of theancient Tamil country.[2] This view is doubtful as there is no contemporary evidence to prove the existence of the town as a metropolis in the name of "Nikama" or "Nikam".[4] Nagapattinam was referred to by early writers and thePortuguese as "the city ofCoromandel".[2] The place is revered inNalayira Divya Prabandham asNagai in the 5th to 9th century CE[5] Vaishnava canon, byAlvars.[citation needed] It is considered one of the important temples visited by Thirumangai Alvar.[6]Appar andTirugnanasambandar, the 7th-century saint poets refer to the city asNagai in their verses inTevaram. The town was originally called "Nagai"; the wordPattinam was attached during the Chola era when the town emerged as an important port.[7]
Nagapattinam district was an important region of theChola kingdom. There are urn burials in and around the city from the Sangam period indicating some level of human habitation.[4] The neighbouring port,Kaveripoompattinam (modern day Poompuhar), was the capital of the Chola kingdom of the Sangam Age, referred to widely in Tamil scriptures likePaṭṭiṉappālai.[4]
The early works ofTevaram by the 7th-century poets Appar and Sambandar mention that the town had fortified walls, busy roads, buildings and a busy port.[8] The inscriptions from the Kayarohanswami temple indicate the construction was initiated during the reign of the Pallava king,Narasimha Pallava II (691 – 729 CE).[9] A Buddhist pagoda was built under Chinese influence by the Pallava king and town was frequented by Buddhist travellers.[9] In the 11th century CE,Chudamani Vihara, a Buddhist monastery was built by Javanese king Sri Vijaya Soolamanivarman with the patronage ofRaja Raja Chola.[10] Nagapattinam was the prominent port of Cholas for trade and conquering gateway to the east.[citation needed]
In the early 16th century the Portuguese made commercial contacts with the town and established a commercial centre in 1554 CE. The Portuguese also conducted missionary enterprise in the town.[11] In 1658, the Dutch established an agreement with King Vijaya Nayakkar of Thanjavur on 5 January 1662. Ten villages were transferred from the Portuguese to the Dutch – Nagappattinam Port, Puthur, Muttam, Poruvalancheri, Anthanappettai, Karureppankadu, AzhingiMangalam, Sangamangalam, Thiruthinamangalam, Manjakollai, Nariyankudi. Ten Christian churches and a hospital were built by the Dutch. They also released coins with the name Nagappattinam engraved in Tamil letters. Under an agreement between the first Maratta King Egoji of Thanjavur and the Dutch, Naagappattinam and surrounding villages were handed over to the Dutch on 30 December 1676. In 1690, the capital ofDutch Coromandel moved fromPulicat to Nagapattinam.[11]
This town fell into the hands of the British in 1781 after the two naval battles between British and French fleets were fought off the coast of Negapatam, as it was then known: thefirst in 1758 as part of theSeven Years' War and thesecond in 1782 as part of theAmerican Revolutionary War. The town wastaken by the British from the Dutch in 1781 (who had beenformally brought into the war in 1780).[12] When the Dutch and Britishreached a peace agreement in 1784, Nagapattinam was formally ceded to the British. 277 villages, with Nagore as the headquarters, were handed over to theEast India Company.[citation needed]
From 1799 to 1845 CE Nagapttinam was the headquarters of Tanjore district.[2] Nagapattinam and Nagore were incorporated as a single municipality in 1866 CE.[2] The town remained one of the chief ports to theMadras Presidency. The port suffered decline after the inclusion ofTranquebar andTuticorin.
The2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was anunderseamegathrust earthquake that occurred on 26 December 2004, with anepicentre off the west coast ofSumatra, Indonesia, triggering a series of devastatingtsunamis along the coasts of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean.[13] Nagapattinam was one of the regions severely affected in Tamil Nadu, accounting for 6,064 of the 8,009 casualties in the state,[14] predominantly from the fishing community who resided close to the seashore. The damage impacted the fishing industry, as most of the boats were damaged by the inundation.[15] The immediate aftermath created a lull in tourism.[16]
The district shares borders withTiruvarur district ofTamil Nadu andKaraikal district of the union territoryPuducherry. The district of Nagapattinam lies on the shores of the Bay of Bengal between latitude 10.7906°N and Longitude 79.8428°E an area of 1,397 square kilometres (539 sq mi).[17] The District capital, Nagapattinam lies on the eastern coast, 350 kilometers down south of the State capitalChennai and ofTiruchirappalli. It has an average elevation of 9 metres (30 ft) above the mean sea level.[17] The district has a coastline of 187 kilometres (116 mi).[17]
| Climate data for Nagapattinam, India | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.85 (87.53) | 32.67 (90.81) | 36.83 (98.29) | 38.72 (101.70) | 40.2 (104.4) | 38.1 (100.6) | 37.07 (98.73) | 36.54 (97.77) | 37.02 (98.64) | 33.67 (92.61) | 29.66 (85.39) | 29.13 (84.43) | 40.2 (104.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 21.72 (71.10) | 22.15 (71.87) | 23.37 (74.07) | 26.68 (80.02) | 27.48 (81.46) | 27.17 (80.91) | 26.36 (79.45) | 25.44 (77.79) | 25.17 (77.31) | 24.43 (75.97) | 29.66 (85.39) | 29.13 (84.43) | 29.13 (84.43) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 12.2 (0.48) | 12.4 (0.49) | — | 2 (0.1) | 26.5 (1.04) | — | 39.5 (1.56) | 39 (1.5) | 25 (1.0) | 85 (3.3) | 32.15 (1.27) | 46 (1.8) | 319.75 (12.59) |
| Source:[18] | |||||||||||||
In 2006 theMinistry of Panchayati Raj named Nagapattinam one of the country's 250most backward districts (out of a total of640).[19] It is one of the six districts in Tamil Nadu currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).[19]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 652,643 | — |
| 1911 | 688,101 | +0.53% |
| 1921 | 674,234 | −0.20% |
| 1931 | 693,484 | +0.28% |
| 1941 | 745,006 | +0.72% |
| 1951 | 863,674 | +1.49% |
| 1961 | 954,318 | +1.00% |
| 1971 | 1,087,429 | +1.31% |
| 1981 | 1,234,441 | +1.28% |
| 1991 | 1,377,601 | +1.10% |
| 2001 | 1,488,839 | +0.78% |
| 2011 | 1,616,450 | +0.83% |
| source:[20] | ||
According to the2011 census, Nagapattinam district had a population of 698,094 with a sex-ratio of 1,025 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929. 26.94% of the population lived in urban areas.[21] A total of 165,245 were under the age of six, constituting 84,335 males and 80,910 females.Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 30.51% and 0.23% of the population respectively.[22] The average literacy of the district was 75.04%, compared to the national average of 72.99%.[21] The district had a total of 413,837 households. There were a total of 671,994 workers, comprising 54,329 cultivators, 216,353 main agricultural labourers, 7,925 in household industries, 207,721 other workers, 185,666 marginal workers, 13,153 marginal cultivators, 128,704 marginal agricultural labourers, 3,630 marginal workers in household industries and 40,179 other marginal workers.[23] The birth rate on a scale of one thousand in rural areas of the district is 19.9, urban is 17.8 and the combined birth rate is 18.85.[17] The death rate on a scale of one thousand in rural areas of the district is 8.2, urban is 6.7 and the combined rate is 7.45.[17]Tamil is the predominant language, spoken by 99.56% of the population.[24]
| Religion | Percent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinduism | 88.13% | |||
| Islam | 8.95% | |||
| Christianity | 2.70% | |||
| Other or not stated | 0.22% | |||
| District | No. | Constituency | Name | Party | Alliance | Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nagapattinam | 163 | Nagapattinam | Aloor Shanavas | Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi | SPA | |||
| 164 | Kilvelur (SC) | V. P. Nagaimaali | Communist Party of India (Marxist) | SPA | ||||
| 165 | Vedaranyam | O. S. Manian | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | NDA | ||||
There are a total of 891 elementary schools, 185 middle schools, 83 high schools and 79 higher secondary schools in the district.[17]
The Collector is the administrative head of each district and is the principle representative of the government for the district. The Collector's main responsibilities include revenue administration, Executive Magistracy, maintaining law and order, licensing and regulatory functions, disaster management, civil supplies, public distribution, social welfare, excise, transport, mining, labour laws, elections, legal affairs, census, general administration, treasury management and co-ordination with various departments of the state and central governments. The Collector is also the head of various committees formed at the district level for the various central and state government schemes.[28]
There are 32 districts in Tamil Nadu, each divided for revenue administration purposes intorevenue divisions, which are further divided intoTalukas. Each of these Talukas has a list of revenue villages and is headed by a Tahsildar.[29]Developmental administration of the district is carried out by Panchayat Unions (or Town Panchayats) in rural areas. These panchayat unions have a set of panchayat villages under them. In urban areas, the governance is done by municipal corporations, municipalities or town panchayats based on the size of the town; each of these has a set of wards.[29] The functions of the municipality are devolved into six departments: general administration/personnel, Engineering, Revenue, Public Health, Town Planning, and Information Technology (IT).[30] The municipalities are administered by a Municipal Commissioner, who is the executive head.[30] The legislative powers are vested in a body of elected members from each ward of the municipality. The legislative body is headed by an elected Chairperson assisted by a Deputy Chairperson.[31]
Nagapattinam District was formerly a part ofThanjavur District. The district boundary is shared by Tiruvarur, Karaikal, Tanjore and Cuddalore districts. Its population at the 2001Census was nearly 1.5 million. The district has seventaluks, eleven administrative blocks, eight town panchayats, and four municipalities.[29] Five of the talukas are coastal, and all are named after their main towns, which are their administrative centres. From north to south, they areNagapattinam,Kilvelur,Thirukkuvalai (non-coastal), andVedaranyam. It is bordered on the east by theBay of Bengal and on the south by thePalk Strait. On the coast between Tharamgambadi and Nagapattinam lies the small district ofKaraikal, an enclave belonging administratively to thePuducherryUnion Territory. This is the only district in Tamil Nadu to be formed out of two disjoint regions. The district headquarters, Nagapattinam, is located in the southern part which is less populated than the northern one.[citation needed]
| Member of Parliament | |
|---|---|
| Nagapattinam | M. Selvarasu[32] |
| Members of Legislative Assembly | |
| Nagapattinam | Aloor Shanavas[33] |
| Kilvelur (SC) | P. Mahalingam[34] |
| Vedaranyam | O. S. Maniyan |
The district has two Lok Sabha constituencies, namelyNagapattinam Lok Sabha constituency. The current Member of Parliament from the Nagapattinam constituency isM. Selvarasu from the CPI.[32]
There are a total of three legislative assembly constituencies in the district, namely,Kilvelur,Nagapattinam andVedaranyam.[35] Out of these Kilvelu constituencies is reserved forScheduled Caste (SC).[35]
Tourism plays a key economic role for the town even though fishing is the major occupation.
Kayarohanaswami Temple, a Hindu temple dedicated toShiva, is located in Nagapattinam. The temple has been in existence from the 6th century CE and has been revered by the verses ofTevaram, the 7th–8th century Saiva canonical work byAppar,Sambandar andSundarar.[36] The temple is one of the seven temples of the Thyagaraja cult, classified asSaptha Vidangam, where the deity Thyagaraja is believed to portray different dance styles.[37] The temple is also known for the shrine of Neelayadakshi, the consort of Kayarohanaswami.[36]
Soundararajaperumal Temple is a Hindu temple in Nagapattinam dedicated toVishnu. It is one of theDivya Desams, the 108 temples of Vishnu revered inNalayira Divya Prabandham by theTirumangai Alvar, one of the 12 poet saints calledAlwars of the 6th–9th century.[36] The other prominent Hindu temples in the district areSikkal Singaravelan Temple atSikkal,Vedaranyeswarar Temple atVedaranyam, Ettukudi Murugan Temple andKoothanur Maha Saraswathi Temple.[38]
Nagore Dargah, a 16th-century minaret located inNagore, is an important pilgrimage centre of the town. The Kanduri festival is a 14-day event celebrated for the anniversary) of the saint Hazrat Shahul Hamid (1490–1579 CE), for whom the minaret was built.[39] The festival is celebrated in commemoration of the anniversary of the saint's death, and pilgrims from various religions participate in the rituals and rites. The festival is also seen as a sacred exchange between Hindus andMuslims expressing solidarity of mixed faith in the region.[40] It is believed that 60 percent of the shrines were built by Hindus and historically the minaret has many domestic and international visitors.[41] There are three other prominent mosques; one near Nagai Pudhur Road, one near the new bus stand and another at Moolakadai Street.[36]
Velankanni is a pilgrimage centre located 10 km (6.2 mi) from Nagapattinam. The town is known for theBasilica of Our Lady of Good Health, a Roman Catholic church built during the 17th century. Pilgrimage to the basilica is common during September when people of many faiths, especially Hindus, Muslims and Christians of all denominations visit the basilica.[38]
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