'Nagapattinam' (
Tamil:நாகப்பட்டினம்) (previously spelt 'Negapatnam') is a coastal city and a
municipality in
Nagapattinam District in the
Indian
state of
Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Nagapattinam District,it was carved out by bifurcating the composite Thanjavur district on 18.10.1991. Other names of the town are Naganadu, Cholakula Vallippatinam and Shiva Rajadhani.Nagapattinam is the major port for Cholas dynasity.
History
Ptolemy calls Nagapattinam as Nikam and mentions it as one of the most important trade centres of ancient Tamil Nadu. Nagapattinam was a
Buddhist centre from 8th century CE. In 11th century CE,
Chudamani Vihara, a Buddhist vihara was built by Javanese king Sri Vijaya Soolamanivarman with the patronage of
Raja Raja Chola.
[1] Buddhism flourished until 15th century CE and the buildings of the vihara survived until 18th century. In Chola's Empire, Nagapattinam was the prominent port of cholas and cholas used this port not only for trade but also as conquering gateway at east. This town still have the traces of saiva temples that were built by cholas.
Permanent Shelter for Tsunami Affected Families in Nagapattinam - meant to be tsunamiproof
Nagapattinam was referred by early writers and the
Portuguese as "the city of
Coromandel".
[2] In 1657 the Dutch occupied the town, taking it from the Portuguese to become their chief possession in India. In 1676, when the
Maratha prince
Venkaji had established himself at
Tanjore, the grant of Negapatam to the Dutch was confirmed. It was taken by the British in 1781, and from 1799 to 1845 it was the headquarters of Tanjore district.
Nagapattinam was one of the regions severely affected by the
tsunami which followed the
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.
Demographics
As of 2001 India
census,
[3] Nagapattinam had a population of 92,525. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Nagapattinam has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 80%, and female literacy is 69%. In Nagapattinam, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age. The major languages spoken in the Nagapattinam District are Tamil and
Telugu. The vast majority of the population are
Hindu by religion, with a
Muslim minority of about 8% and much smaller groups of
Christians, Buddhists,
Sikhs and
Jains.
Economy
The fishing boats at Nagapattinam.
The main occupation in the town of Nagapattinam is fishing. Fishermen from Nagapattinam fish in the waters of
Bay of Bengal and sell them in the town's fish market. There are a large number of ice factories for preserving the fish caught. Its fishing Industry was severely damaged by the tsunamis that struck its coast on 26th December 2004.
Occupation
In the costal regions of Nagapattinam the main occupation is fishing and allied activities.The town alone brings a daily income of 2crRs.
In other regions of Nagapattinam occupations like agriculture,education,ice factory,food packing etc... Are practised
Agriculture is the most important occupation in the inner parts of the district. It is practiced in the villages surrounding the town. It has vast farmlands where rice is cultivated. These farmlands are irrigated through an extensive network of canals from the distributaries of the river
Cauvery. The produce is transported through rail to other parts of the country
Places of interest
Nagapattinam is located close to many
temples, hosting the Kayarohanam - Neelayadhakshi Amman Koil, the Soundararajan Perumal Koil,Nellukadai Maraimman Koil and close to the
church at
Velankanni and the Nagore Dargah at
Nagore (about 7 km north of Nagapattinam). Of historical importance, Lord
Murugan temple is situated in
Sikkal, which is 5 km away from Nagapattinam.
Fyrish Monument is a supposed replica of the gates of the Nagapattinam near the village of
Evanton in the Highlands of
Scotland.
Celebrities from Nagapattinam
'
M.Karunanidhi Present C.M. Born in Nagapattinam Dist (Place of Birth:Thirukuvalai)
Maraimalai Adigalar
Chinthanai Chemmal N.A.Narayana Swamy
Naatya pheroli, Dr. Padma subramaniam.
Well known musician Flute Dr. Ramani.
Sir Ahamed Thambi Maricar
Justice M M Ismail
Isai Murasu
Nagore Hanifa
Vikatan founder S S Vasan'
Transportation
Nagapattinam is well connected to the nearby cities like
Tiruchirappalli,
Tanjavur,
Thiruvarur and Nagore by road and rail. The nearest airport is at Tiruchirappalli (147kms). Extensive network of roads and rails connect it to
Chennai,
Madurai, Tiruchirappalli,
Pondicherry and
Thanjavur. Nagapattinam is located at a distance of about 330kms from
Chennai by Road. The connection by Rail is not extensive and hence cannot be relied upon.
Educational Institutions
# E.G.S.P.Engineering College with Master degree Facilities
# E.G.S.P Dental College
# E.G.S.P Pharmaceutical College
# E.G.S.P Arts and Science College
# A.D.J Womens Arts College
# A.D.J Womens Polytechnic
# Valivalam Desikar Polytechnic
# Government I.T.I
# Tiny Tots Nursery and Primary School, Manjakkollai, Andanapettai 611 102. Phone : 04365 245712
# National Higher Seconday School
# CSI higher secondary school
Top Govt Officials
# Deputy Inspector General Of Police.. Mr
Abhash Kumar IPS
# District Collector.. Mr T S Jawahar IAS
See also
★
Chudamani Vihara
★
Battle of Negapatam (1758)
★
Battle of Negapatam (1782)
References
1. http://www.nio.org/past_events/archaeology/sridhar.pdf
2. Imperial Gazetteer of India, XIX, 3
3.
External links
★
Nagapattinam District website
★ http://www.mayiladuthuraionline.com
★
Nagapattinam tourism
★
Detailed info on NEGAPATAM.
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