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CUDDALORE

Cuddalore District is located in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the

ancient, historic district.

Cuddalore, city, northeastern Tamil Nadu state, southeastern India, on the Coromandel

Coast of the Bay of Bengal. Its name is derived from kuttal-ur (“junction town”) and refers to

its location near the junction of the Ponnaiyar River with its tributary, the Gadilam River

HISTORY

While the early history of Cuddalore remains unclear, the town first rose to prominence

during Pallavas and Medieval Cholas' reign.

After the fall of Cholas, the town was ruled by various dynasties like Pandyas, Vijayanagar

Empire, Madurai Nayaks, Thanjavur Nayaks, Thanjavur Marathas, Tipu Sultan, French and

the British Empire.

The French and English, while engaged in the Seven Years' War, fought the naval "Battle of

Cuddalore" on 29 April 1758.

Battle of cuddalore (1783)

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Cuddalore surrendered to French troops on 29 April 1758. From 1789 to 1794, there was

further unrest in Cuddalore due to the War of American Independence and the Second

Anglo-Mysore War culminating in the siege of Cuddalore, after which the town was returned

to Britain as part of a peace treaty.

In 1782, during the Second Anglo Mysore war, the French troops allied with Tipu Sultan and

won over the British, after which Cuddalore became a chief port against the French.

The Cuddalore Central Prison, opened in 1865, is an historically important landmark.

Subramanya Bharathi and other political leaders served prison terms there .

GEOGRAPHY

The district has an area of 3,564 km².

Map of cuddalore district

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Cuddalore has an average elevation of 6 m (20 ft). The land is completely flat with large black

and alluvial soil inland and coarse sand near the seashore. The sandstone deposits in the

town are popular.

It is bounded on the north by Viluppuram District and Kallakurichi district, on the east by

the Bay of Bengal, on the northeast by Puducherry district of the union

territory Puducherry, on the south by Mayiladuthurai district, on the west by Perambalur

District and by a small part with Thanjavur district.

The district is drained by Gadilam and Pennaiyar rivers in the north, Vellar and Kollidam

River (Coleroon) in the south.

The Pennayar River runs north of the town, while Gadilam River runs across it.

DISASTER VULNERABILITY

Cuddalore has always been classified as a multi-hazard prone district

The District also falls within the Zone-3 with respect to earthquakes

The District has a long coastline and therefore the district is vulnerable to the cyclonic

depressions and the resultant rains which cause floods. The Bay of Bengal experiences

severe tropical cyclones during North East Monsoon [October through December]. The

cyclone surges are well known for their destructive potential and impact on human activities

due to associated strong winds along the coast and heavy rainfall. An added risk factor is that

large parts of the coastal zone are low lying and with a gentle slope, resulting in large

inundation, and therefore increased vulnerability of the region.

The district suffers from flooding when excess water flows down the local rivers and over

the field due to northeast monsoon rains in the district. The drainage is poor and the

encroachments over the drought years have led to a scenario where even rainfalls, which are

slightly above normal causes floods disrupting the normal course of work.

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Along the coast of Tamil Nadu, the Nagapattinam–Cuddalore region experienced the worst

impacts of the Tsunami surge and inundation caused by the great Sumatra Earthquake on

26th December 2004. The devastation caused by the Tsunami has left coastal lands flattened

and billions of dollars worth infrastructure, economic assets and materials were devastated.

DEMOGRAPHY

In 2011, Cuddalore had population of 2,605,914 of which male and female were 1,311,697

and 1,294,217 respectively.

The population of Cuddalore district increased by three lakhs during 2001 and 2011. It

increased from about 23 lakhs in 2001 to 26 lakhs in 2011.

The population density: 707 people per square kilometer

Sex ratio : 984 females for every 1000 males

Literacy rate : 78.04%

Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 14% and it is marginally low as

compared to the state growth rate of 15.6%.

The district’s 0-6 Years population is 2.84 million in 2001 and 2.80 Lakhs in 2011 and the

decadal growth rate is negative (-1.41).

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The Total SC population of the district in 2011 is 7.64 lakhs compared to 6.34 lakhs in 2001,

resulting in the decadal growth rate of 20.4, which indicates the high concentration of SC

population in Cuddalore district.

33.97 percent lives in urban regions of district whereas 66.03 % population of Cuddalore

districts lives in rural areas of villages.

STATUS OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

TOP THREE BLOCKS IN HDI BOTTOM THREE BLOCKS IN HDI

Cuddalore (0.877)

Kattumannarkoil (0.555)

Kumaratchi (0.731)

Virudhachalam (0.542)

Parangipettai (0.725).

Mangalore (0.481)

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX 2017

Gender inequality in the district has been studied with health, empowerment and labour

market as the dimensions.

Among all the blocks, GII is the highest in Kattumannarkoil (0.055) Kammapuram (0.095)

Virudhachalam (0.129) blocks. And it is the lowest in Nallur (0.009), Parangipettai (0.015)

and Panruti (0.028)

Child Development Index has been prepared by taking health and education as dimensions.

The top three blocks in the 5 district with higher CDI value are Cuddalore (0.759)

Kumaratchi (0.672), and Annagramam (0.621) and the bottom three blocks with lower CDI

value are Mangalore (0.386). Kammpuram ( 0.381) and Melbhuvanagiri (0.375).

Multi – dimensional poverty Index: Cuddalore (0.113), Parangipettai (0.366) and Panruti

(0.470) are the three blocks with lower MDPI value, whereas. Nallur (0.629) Kammapuram

(0.673) and mangalore (0.693) are the three blocks with higher MDPI value.

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AGRICULTURE

Cuddalore district is predominantly agricultural district with coastal line stretching from

Puducherry Union Territory in the North to the mouth of river coleroon in the south.

Total cultivated area is 3,13,223Ha. Out of which about 1,85,925Ha are irrigated.

It lies in the Agro Climatic zone II (East Coast Plains and Hills)

As agriculture is also a major livelihood of the district, the fish waste can, be utilized by the

coastal local peoples for compost making and is an excellent organic input for farming and

waste disposal system, besides serving as an excellent source of protein in poultry feed.

RAINFALL

The average annual rainfall is 1206.7 mm. The District receives rainfall in all season. But

major rainfall received during North East Monsoon only.

SOIL

o Red Loam Panruti, Kurinjipadi, Vridhachalam

o Lateritic Soil Vridhachalam, Tittakudi

o Black Soil Kattumannarkoil, Cuddalore, Chidambaram

o Sandy Coastal Alluvium Cuddalore, Kurinjipadi, Parangipettai

IRRIGATION

Though the district has good network of canals, the availability of water for irrigation is

limited by rain water and Cauvery water. As both of them are erratic, the agricultural

operations get affected which result in unsustainable income .

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CROPS

The Major agricultural crops cultivated in the district are Paddy, Cumbu, Maize, Varagu,

Blackgram, Greengram, Sugarcane, Groundnut, Gingelly and Cotton.

Paddy and groundnut being the other major crops of the district, modern rice and oil mills

could be set up.

In the total area under cultivation, 59% area is irrigated and 41% is under rainfed

cultivation. Total normal area cultivated is 247582 Ha.

INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITIES:

o State Seed Farm (SSF) – Vandurayanpattu and Miralur

The objective of the SSF is to multiply the breeder seeds and foundation seeds and

distribute them for further mass multiplication of the seeds as certified seeds at

farmers fields as a part of seed multiplication scheme. Paddy, Blackgram and Green

Gram Seed production is carried out in both the SSF.

o Bio Fertilizer production Unit (BFPU), Cuddalore

Bio Fertilizers such as Azospyrillum (Paddy), Azospurillum (Others), Rhizobium

(Pulses) Rhizobium (Groundnut) and Phosphobacteria are produced and distributed in

liquid and carrier based formulations.

o Soil Testing Lab, (STL) – Cuddalore

Soil samples are taken from the farmers field and sent to the STL for analysis.

Based on the analytical report of the Soil testing Lab, Soil health cards are generated

and distributed to the farmers. The objective is to educate the farmers to go for soil

health card based chemical fertilizer application and also to control the indiscriminate

use of Chemical Fertilizers that not only affect the Soil Health status and reduces the

produce quality but also increases the cost of cultivation without any additional

benefits.

o State Pesticide Testing Lab (PTL) cum Coding Centre – Cuddalore

In order to ensure the quality of pesticides being sold to the farmers and check the

movement of misbranded pesticides in the district, pesticide samples are taken from

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both the dealers point and in the manufactures stock point and sent to the PTL for

analysis. Based on the analysis report steps are taken to check the movement of

misbranded pesticides.

o Coconut Nursery – Neyveli

The objective of the coconut nursery is to produce and distribute good quality Tall, Tall

X Dwarf coconut seedlings to the farmers.

o Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA)

The objective is to strengthen Research – Extension – Farmer linkages and convergence

of the activities of Agri and Allied Departments.

Technology transfer through demonstrations, farmer field school, trainings and

Exposure visits.

FOREST COVER The total area covered under the Forest in the district are 4116.05 hectares.

Reserve Forest covers 3689.05 Hectares hectares and Reserve land 427 hectares.

Most of the forest areas lie in Panruti, Chidambaram Kattumannarkoil, Vridhachalam and

Titakudi Taluks.

FISHERIES

The Cuddalore district has a coastal Length of 57.5 Km. comprising of 49 fishing villages with

total marine fishermen population of 47000

It is one of the most potential districts, not only for marine, but also for land and brackish

water resources. There is 27,966 hectare of inland water resources namely major irrigation

and long seasonal tanks, Fish Farmer ’s Development Agency (FFDA) tanks, derelict water

and aquaculture farm

ECONOMY

Historically, Cuddalore's primary industry was fishing

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The per Capita income of the district in 2011 – 12 was Rs. 56,315 and it was lower than that

of the State (Rs. 63,996) in the same year.

The Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of district during 2004 – 05 to 2011 – 12 (7.72)

was lower than that of the State during the same period (8.23.

During 2001 – 12, in composition of GDDP at constant 2004-05 prices) of Cuddalore district,

the contribution of tertiary sector was high (65.42), followed by secondary sector (18.29)

and primary sector (16.29).

The total number of households in the district is 615,346 and the total no. of households

below poverty line is 2,27,472 and they comprise 36.97% of the total households.

The census data 2001 and 2011 reveals that the worker participation, both male and female

workers of the district has marginally increased.

INDUSTRY

Cuddalore also hosts the heavy chemical, pharmacological and energy industries in SIPCOT,

an industrial estate set up by the state government. The National Thermal Power

Corporation (NTPC) and Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) planned to commence power

plants around the town.

The Neyveli Lignite Corporation that has led development of large industrial complex

around Neyveli in Cuddalore district with Thermal power plants, Fertilizer, Brequetting and

Carbonisation plants.

Tamilnadu’s development plans for the area include a heavily subsidized industrial park,

SIPCOT Industrial Complex, under the auspices of the State –owned corporation State

Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu Limited.

SIPCOT was formed in 1975 near the coastal areas of Cuddalore to promote small medium

and large scale industries in “backward” area by providing a host of incentives and

infrastructure for industries to locate in certain areas.

The Cuddalore industrial complex is a home to a number of chemical, biotech,

pharmaceutical and fertilizer companies. A new harbuor for ship building industry is under

construction Further Cuddalore district hosts energy industries and also has got strong base

on handicrafts industries. Traditional handicrafts units are spread over across the district.

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Cashews, cashew kernel, organic chemicals, marine products, ceramics and jeweelries are

exported to other countries.

There are 3 Private sugar factories at Nellikuppam and Pennadam and Sithur one co-

operative Sugar mill at Sethiathope. These factories are not only producing Sugar but also

produce rectified spirit and carbonic gas. E.I.D. PARRY Company Ltd,Nellikuppam is

producing confectionary.

Ceramic factories at Vridhachalam and Vadalur are producing crockery and Sanitaryware. A

huge refinery unit is also proposed by private sector.

TRANSPORT

a) Road: Cuddalore is connected to other routs of Tamil Nadu through a very good rail and

road Network. National Highways covered 194.80 Kms. National Highway NH45A Road links

Villupuram and Nagapattinam district, NH45C Road connects the district with Trichy district.

The state Highways links the various parts of the district with the nearby urban areas and

they cover 1899.10 Kms.

b) Rail: Three railways lines are diverging from Cuddalore junction connecting 27 railway

stations in the district. They are Cuddalore-Villupuram-Chennai, Cuddalore – Mayiladuthurai – Tiruchirappalli, Cuddalore – Mayiladuthurai – Velankanni and Cuddalore-Vridhachalam-

Salem. The length of broad gauge line is 188 Kms.

c) Ports: The District has two ports, one being Cuddalore Old Town (O.T.) and the other at

Parangipettai. While there is no activity at Parangipettai port, limited imports and exports

being are carried out at Cuddalore O.T port. The exports at iron ore and imports of chemicals

and fertilizers. In 17th Century the Parangipettai port was associated with the Portuguese,

Dutch and the British.

Employment, Income and Poverty

The work participation rate of Cuddalore district in 2001 was 42.58 and it marginally

increased to 44.89 in 2011.

During 2011, the proportion of rural and urban women in the district was 47.66 percent -

32.26 percent respectively and it changed marginally in 2011.

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The work participation rate of male and female in 2001 was 65.45 and 34.55respectively and

marginally changed to 64.08 and 35.92 respectively in 2011.

There was negative growth rate (-11.14) of cultivators during 2001 and 2011. It shows that

they have switched over to non – farm activities due to vagaries of monsoon and unstable

farm income.

There was 20.08 percent increase in the growth rate of agricultural labourers during2001

and 2011. The growth rate of household industry workers was 5.15% in the district during

2001 and 2011. The growth rate of this category is low when compared with other

categories of workers except cultivators.

During 2013 – 14, 23.36 percent of Below Poverty Line (BPL) households were there in

Cuddalore district.

There is scope for addressing poverty and alleviating the same, specifically the vulnerable

population of the district. The government is providing a lot of freebies to the targeted

population expecting to fill the income gap at the house hold level.

The Tamil Nadu State Food Policy follows a Universal Public Distribution System (PDS) to

ensure non –easy excludability, access and adequate availability of food grains at affordable

prices.

In Cuddalore district, 1397 PDS outlets are functioning in 896 revenue villages and they

cover the entire rural and urban population.

NUTRITION AND HEALTH

The Crude Birth Rate of the district in 2014 was 14.80 and the Crude Death Rate was 4.9 in

2014.

The IMR of the district declined from 8.50 in 2013 to 6.20 in 2014.

The Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) in the district was 50. MMR is a vital indicator of health

status of women. Among the 13 blocks, the highest MMR (130) was reported is

Virudhachalam and followed by Annagramam (109). Zero MMR was reported in

Kumaratchi,Nallur and Parangipettai blocks.

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In the district, 55 percent and 19 percent of deliveries took place in government hospitals

and Primary Healthcare centres respectivelyin 2014 and 25 percent of deliveries took place

in private hospitals

Still Birth Rate gives a picture of the nutritional and immune status of the female

population.The average SBR of the district in 2013 was 10.2 and it marginally decreased to

9.8 in 2014.

In the case of immunization, it is important to note that all blocks in the district had nearly

100 percent coverage, except Panrurti block (92.3)

About 23 percent of children in the district are treated as malnourished children. In

Cuddalore district, 96.50 percent of women and 17.90 percent of children received IFA

tablets during 2014.

All households in Cuddalore district have access to safe drinking water. The efforts of the

State government and district administration in highly commendable in this regard. Piped

drinking water supply would reduce the water - borne diseases.

Open defecation is still a common practice in rural areas. Provision of toilet facilities will

improve the sanitary condition and reduce disease outbreaks. In Cuddalore district, only 42

percent of households had toilet facilities in 2014. In Cuddalore block, 61 percent of the

households had toilet facilities

Cuddalore being a coastal district, it is highly vulnerable to vector borne diseases such

asDengue, Malaria and Chickengunya. Deaths occur mostly due to late diagnosis and late

referral to higher medical institutions.

LITERACY AND EDUCATION

The percentage of literacy of the district increased from 70.01% in 2001 to 78.04% in 2011.

The male literacy percentage increased from 81.04% in 2001 to 85.93 % in 2011. But the

female literacy percentage had shown remarkable increase from 60.27% in 2001 to70.14%

in 2011. It shows that gender disparity came down during the decade.

The Enrolment Ratio at primary level during 2012 – 14 in Cuddalore district is almost 100%

in 2012 – 13 and 98.5 in 2013 – 14.

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The upper primary enrolment ratio in the district during 2012 – 14 is close to the enrolment

ratio at the primary level.

The dropout rate is relatively high compared to primary level education in the district.

In 2014, in Cuddalore district, 1818 schools were functioning. They include, 902 primary

schools, 515 upper primary schools, 219 secondary schools, 182 Higher secondary schools,

seven engineering colleges, one medical Dental College, 15 polytechnics and Industrial

Training Institutes, 53 Teacher Training Institutes, 13 Arts and Science colleges, and one

University namely Annamalai University is functioning in the district apart from other small

educational institutions.

GENDER INEQUALITY

Gender equality is a key factor contributing to the economic growth of a nation. The

2011census data revealed that there are 919 girls for every 1000 boys in the 0-6 age group

in India, Highlighting the imbalance in child sex ratio Ideally, the ratio should be above 950.

Self – Help groups try to remedy the situation to a great extent. During 2013 -14 in

Cuddalore district, there were 19,719 SHGS, with a membership of 2,94,122 and the credit

availed was Rs. 120.51 crore.

In this district both Mahalir Thittam and Puthu Vazhvu projects are going on and they play a

major role in empowering women.

The literacy rate of female is 70% in the district, which is very low compared to male literacy

rate of 85.9 and the female literacy rates vary across the blocks. For instance, Kumaratchi

had literacy rate of 78.4 Whereas Mangalore, which is a backward block, had a female

literacy rate of 58.2 and a significant proportion of S.C population (40.47%) live in the block.

Adequate attention may be provided especially to SC womenfolk in providing literacy to the

adults.

Female work participation of the district during 2011 was 32.47%. Minimum level of

participation (25.25%) is reported in Cuddalore block. Mangalore block witnessed higher

female work participation rate (52.02%).

While the share of women in work participation rate in the district increased, it is observed

that they are engaged in low paid occupations. Gender discrimination against women is self-

evident.

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INFRASTRUCTURE

Infrastructure plays a crucial role in promoting economic growth. It includes physical as well

as social infrastructure.

The quality and durability of roads differ across the blocks. Road infrastructure may be

developed through PPP model for having better quality and durability.

It is heartening to note that rural electrification is carried out vigorously to support the 21

agricultural sectors. There are 898 revenue villages in the district and all these villages are

provided with electricity for domestic, commercial and agricultural purposes. Of the total

number of households, 94 percent have electricity connection.

There are 167 cooperative societies in Cuddalore district with a membership of 5 lakhs.

Among the blocks, Parangipettai has less number of cooperative societies.

As far as commercial banks are concerned, there are 158 branches with 5.03 lakh account

holders.

The Life Insurance Corporation of India is the single largest insurance institution in the

district and it has issued 10.9 lakh policies till 2014.

Cuddalore district is connected to other parts of Tamil Nadu through a very good road and

rail network. It has one sea port. Import of crude oil is done through this port.

Cuddalore district is at the tail end of the Cauvery delta region. Parts of the district get water

from the irrigation canals that bring water from Mettur dam. Ground water from Neyveli

mines provides coverage. According to a rough estimate, 60% of the farms are dependent

solely on rainfall and the rest have access to groundwater.

ENVIRONMENT CONCERNS

Cuddalore SIPCOT, a critically polluted industrial cluster, which has high levels of pollutio n

with a comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index(CEPI) score of 62.56.

The people living around the SIPCOT areas in Cuddalore are used to this dust. At least 25

industrial units function out of SIPCOT allegedly causing pollution in Pachchyankuppam,

Kudikadu, Sedapalayam and Semmankuppam panchayats. Residents are used to the smells — ‘pesticides’, ‘rotten cabbages’, ‘public toilets’, ‘sour fruits’, as they describe them,

according to the direction of the wind.

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A scientific report on volatile organic compounds in the SIPCOT area in 2007 prepared by

the Nagpur based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) had

estimated that residents of cuddalore SIPCOT are more likely to be affected by cancer in

their lifetime due to their exposure to high levels of toxic gases from chemical industries in

this region.

The latest report of the Comprehensive Pollution Control Index(CEPI) submitted by the

Central pollution Control Board to the National Green Tribunal(NGT) shows that no

tangible measures have been taken to bring down pollution levels so far. In the report,

Cuddalore had scored 62.56 out of 100.

Recently Environmentalists and Citizen’s collective have urged the Union Ministry of

Environment and Forests(MoEF) not to grant approval to the Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC)

Paste Resin Plant at SIPCOT in Cuddalore.

The Pichavaram mangrove, a bio shield that protectes the stretch of the coast from

natural calamities such as the 2004 tsunami, is facing a threat from many sources likely

hydro carbon exploration, shrimp farms, Heavy Metal Pollution, Sea Level Rise (SLR)

through sediment erosion , inundation stress and increase salinity in the land areas .

FAMOUS PERSONALITIES

Anjalai Ammal

Anjalai Ammal was a prominent freedom fighter in the Indian struggle for independence.

She was born in Cuddalore.

She started her political life by joining the Non - Cooperation movement of Mahatma Gandhi.

She was the first woman from south India to take part in the Non - Cooperation

movement in 1921.

In 1927 she participated in the struggle for removing Neelan's statue. She also made her

nine-year-old child, Ammakannu to participate in the struggle for removing Neelan's statue

and went to jail along with her daughter. She raised her nine-year-old child in the prison.

Gandhi visited Ammakannu and Anjalai Ammal often in the prison. He renamed Ammakannu

as Leelavathi and took her with him to Vaardha ashram.

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A portrait of cuddalore Anjalai Ammal

In 1931, she presided over The All India Women Congress Meet. Once Gandhi came to

Cuddalore, but the British government prohibited him to visit Anjalai Ammal. But Anjalai

Ammal came in a horse cart wearing burqa and visited him. Due to her courage, Gandhi

called her South India's Jhansi Rani. After India's independence in 1947, she was elected as

the member of the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly thrice.

JAYAKANTHAN

D. Jayakanthan , popularly known as JK, was an Indian writer, journalist, orator, film-

maker, critic and activist was born in Cuddalore,

Jayakanthan's literary honours include Jnanpith and Sahitya Akademi awards. He was also a

recipient of Padma Bhushan (2009), India's third-highest civilian honour, the Soviet Land

Nehru Award (1978), and the Russian government's Order of Friendship (2011).

Jayakanthan writings were mainly focused against social injustices and economic inequality

in the society. His writings earned him Sahitya Akademi Award for Sila Nerangalil Sila

Manithargal in 1972, Jnanpith in 2002 and Padma Bhushan in 2009.

SS RAMASWAMY

He was a "frontline leader," who worked for the welfare and growth of the backward and

most backward people, and who was responsible for creation of the Most Backward

category.

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He was the first leader to pass a resolution seeking quotas -- 20 and two per cent in the State

and Centre respectively- for Vanniyars for the first time in a conference of his Tamil Nadu

Toilers party.

Recently, A life-size portrait of S S Ramaswamy, freedom, was unveiled in the Tamil Nadu by

Chief Minister K Palaniswami.

FAMOUS TOURISTS ATTRACTIONS

CHIDAMBARAM

In South India, five temples were built for each of the five elements – Earth, Water, Fire, Air

and Space. These are the Pancha Bhuta Sthalas. The temple for space is in Chidambaram.

Chidambaram Nataraja temple or Thillai Nataraja temple, is a Hindu temple dedicated

to Nataraja – Shiva as the lord of dance.

The town used to be called Thillai, following Thillaivanam, derived from the mangrove

of Tillai trees (Exocoeria agallocha) that grow here and the nearby Pichavaram wetlands.

The temple as it stands had a pre-Chola existence and the architecture is Dravidian with the

Sanctum Sanctorum closely resembling Kerala or Malabar style structures.However the

golden roof is a striking example of Vesara architecture with its apsidal shape.

Govindaraja Perumal Temple or Thiruchitrakoodam in Chidambaram in the South

Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. The temple is inside the

premises of Thillai Nataraja Temple, constructed in the Tamil architecture . The temple is

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glorified in the Divya Prabandha, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Azhwar saints from

the 6th–9th centuries AD. It is one of the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Vishnu, who is

worshipped as Govindaraja and his consort Lakshmi as Pundarikavalli.

FORT ST DAVID

Which was constructed in the 17th century by a Hindu merchant called Elihu Yale, is

located on the Gadilum River. The British had purchased this fort from the Marathas and it

was their headquarters for several years. The fort was under the governorship of Rober t

Clive.

The fort was captured by the French twice in 1758 and 1782. However, both the times the

British took repossession.

DEVANATHASWAMY TEMPLE

Devanathaswamy temple (also called Thiruvanthipuram Kovil) in Thiruvanthipuram, a

village in the outskirts of Cuddalore , is dedicated to the god Vishnu. Constructed in

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the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Divya Prabandha, the early

medieval Tamil canon of the Azhwar saints from the 6th–9th centuries AD. It is one of the

108 Divyadesam dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Devanathaswamy and his

consort Lakshmi as Hemabhujavalli.

Though the presiding deity is Devanathaswamy, the temple is known for Hayagriva, the

horse faced avatar of Vishnu. The temple is the only historical temple in South India to have

a shrine of Hayagriva.

The temple in its current form is believed to have been built during the Medieval Cholas.

PICHAVARAM MANGROVES

Pichavaram is a village near Chidambaram in Cuddalore District. It is located between

the Vellar estuary in the north and Coleroon estuary in the south. The Vellar-Coleroon

estuarine complex forms the Killai backwater and the mangroves that are permanently

rooted in a few feet of water. It is located at the distance of 15 km from Chidambaram.

Pichavaram consists of a number of islands interspersing a vast expanse of water covered

with mangrove forest. The Pichavaram mangrove Forest is one of the largest mangrove

forests in India covering about 1100 hectare of area. It is separated from the Bay of

Bengal by a sand bar. The biotope consists of species like Avicennia and Rhizophora. It also

supports the existence of rare varieties of economically important shell and finfishes.

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BHUVANAGIRI SRI RAGHAVENDRA MUTT

Bhuvanagiri is the birthplace of the saint of South India, Raghavendra Swami.The town is

also close to the birthplace of Saint Ramalinga Adigalar (town Maruthur).

MARUTHUR

Arutprakasa Vallalar Chidambaram Ramalingam whose pre-monastic name

was Rāmalingam, commonly known in India and across the world as Vallalar, also known

as Ramalinga Swamigal and Ramalinga Adigal, was one of the most famous Tamil Saints

and also one of the greatest Tamil poets of the 19th century and belongs to a line

of Tamil saints known as "gnana siddhars" .

His family was lived in Marudhur, a village in the old South Arcot district,

near Chidambaram. Rāmalingam was fifth child in their family.

Vallalar harmonised his own inner quest for absolute liberation with the societal

emancipation.

He concentrated particularly on alleviating the food insecurity caused by the frequent

famines which were the results of the East India Company’s increased control of southern

India.

His book ‘’Thiruvarutppa’’ contains more than 6000 verses. He says that these poems

were rendered by him as they were intuited by the Lord ‘’Arutperunjothi’’ the graceful

universal light, which governs the universe.

He published three books:

They are “Ozhuvil odukkam” in 1851,Thondamandala sathagam in 1855 and Sinmaya

theepikai in 1857.

He authored three books, they are ‘’Thiruvarutppa’’, ‘’Manumurai kanda vaasagam’’ and “Jeevakaarunya ozhukkam”.(Non-violence as a vital principle of life) . He established four

organisations; ‘’Sathiya sanmarga sangam’’ in 1865, ‘’Sathiya Dharumachalai’’ in

1867, ‘’Siddhi valaagam’’ in 1870 and ‘’Sathiya gnana sabai’’ in 1872.

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