Marthandam is a major trade centre in Kuzhithurai municipality across National Highway (NH 47) in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, India. Formerly known as Thoduvetty (another name for the Marthandam market region), it was a portion of Kanyakumari district which was added to the state of Tamil Nadu on 1 November 1956.
Marthandam is the second largest town in the district. It derived its name from the founder and ruler of Travancore, Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma. Marthandam is famous for honey, cashew nut processing, rubber and hand-embroidered motifs. The area is among the most fertile lands of Tamil Nadu with substantial vegetation, and a river adjoining. It is also a major trade centre due to its location bordering Kerala.
The Chitharal Jain Monuments are the ruins of a Jain training centre from the 9th century CE, on a small hill. It is famous for the hillock which has a cave containing rock-cut sculptures of Thirthankaras and attendant deities carved inside and outside dating back to the 9th century. Among the rock-cut relief sculptures is a figure of the goddess Dharmadevi. Jain influence in this region was due to the King Mahendravarman I (610-640).[citation needed]
Southern Division, or Padmanabhapuram Division till 1921 and Trivandrum Division from 1921 to 1949, was one of the administrative divisions of the princely state of Travancore. It covered the five taluks of Agastiswaram, Eraniel, Kalkulam, Thovalay and Vilavancode and was administered by a civil servant of rank Diwan Peishkar equivalent to a District Collector in British India. The Southern division was predominantly Tamil-speaking in contrast to the other three divisions where Malayalam was spoken. In 1920, the neighbouring Trivandrum was also merged with the Southern division. In 1949, the princely state of Travancore was dissolved and the Southern Division was included in the Travancore-Cochin state of India. In 1956, the Tamil-speaking taluks of Southern Division were transferred to the neighbouring Madras State as per the States Reorganisation Act of 1956 and forms the present-day Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. The Malayalam-speaking taluks of the erstwhile Trivandrum division form the Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala. The headquarters of the Southern Division were at Padmanabhapuram.
There are rubber, coir, fruit based and wood-based industries. The influence of both Tamil and Kerala artisans produces unique designs and furniture works. Wood industries, directly and indirectly, employ a few thousand people.[citation needed]
It is one of the most fertile lands of Tamil Nadu and has the climatic conditions of Kerala.[citation needed] It has a railway line connecting the capital of Kerala, Trivandrum, with the southernmost tip of India, Kanyakumari. Marthandam is well connected to Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore by rail service also bus service to all over Tamil Nadu. The river Thamirabarani runs through the Marthandam city and every year a festival known as Vavubali is celebrated at the banks of river Thamirabarani.
Marthandam lies in the National Highway (NH66) connecting Kanyakumari to Panvel. The main bus stand of Marthandam is located along the Market Road in Kaalaichanthai. This bus stand is the base for MTM-based TNSTC (local) and SETC (long-distance buses). KeralaSRTC buses and also SETC buses to Chennai, Bengaluru, Ooty, Vellore and Pondichery operate from here. Private long-distance buses departing from Marthandam operate from various parts of the town. Marthandam is one of the heavy-traffic areas in the two-lane section of NH544. The recent steel flyover which spans more than 2km has considerably reduced the traffic. Other major state roads from Marthandam include MTM-Pechiparai road via Kuzhithurai, MTM-Kulasekaram road and MTM-Colachal road.
Air
The nearest airport is Trivandrum International Airport, which is 40 kilometres (25mi) from Marthandam.
Railways
It has a railway line connecting the capital of Kerala, Trivandrum, with the southernmost tip of India, Kanyakumari. Kuzhithurai station serves the town of Marthandam and is found midway along the Trivandrum — Kanyakumari railway line. This railway station's collection is more than seven crore per annum and a daily passenger patronage of more than 50,000 people. The station has two platforms and falls on the Kanyakumari—Trivandrum line in the Trivandrum Division of the Southern Railway zone. Marthandam is well connected to Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Howrah and all over India by the rail service. Kuzhithurai West is the secondary station where only local trains halt.
Religion
Vedisasthan Kovil
The Lord Ayyappa temple in Marthandam is at the banks of Kuzhithurai River. This temple is known as either "Vettuvenni temple" or "Vedi Vechan Kovil". The latter one due to the fire crackers being set off at the temple as a mark of prayer to Lord Ayyappa. This temple is just by the side of National Highway NH-47 connecting Trivandrum with Nagercoil.[citation needed]
The Sree Krishna temple is at Kannacode in Marthandam. The name of the locality Kannacode is derived from the presence of this temple dedicated to Sree Krishna (Kanna) who is in Balagopala form in this temple. Historical records say that Travancore king Sri Vishakam Thirunal who ruled from 1880 to 1885 used to pray every month at this temple to ward off his BudhagrahaDosham. Renovation of the temple has been recently done through contributions from devotees. Situated in a peaceful location on the banks of the Tamiravaruni river, this temple is called Guruvayoor of Kanyakumari district. On the Rohini star day of every Tamil/Malayalam month, SriSudarsana homam is conducted in this temple.[citation needed]
The Alappancode Sree Easwarakla Boothathan Temple is just 4 kilometres (2.5mi) from Kuzhithura Jn towards Arumana Road and adjacent to Melpuram Jn. In Tamil Nadu it is the only temple where a large number of caparisoned elephants participate in the annual festival. Every year more than thirty-five decorated elephants join the procession. The procession starts from the Kariyathara Temple in Anducode and finishes in Alappancode, and the procession covers about seven kilometres (4 miles). Devotees from Kerala and Tamil Nadu gather here to see the festival. The festival is held on the last Saturday of December.[citation needed]
The Sree Chamundesari temple is just adjacent to the Mahadevar temple. Though the temples are under the Devaswam board, they are maintained by a trust called Kuzhithurai Sree Mahadevar Shektra Samrakshna Samithi; with the help of devotees of this surrounding area, the committee has spent a huge amount[clarification needed] for the renovation of the temples. A large number[clarification needed] of devotees from Kanyakumari and Trivadrum District visit Sree Chamundeswari Temple for special poojas, especially unmarried girls, wishing for a good married life.[citation needed]
The Anjukannu Kalungu Sree Madan Thampuram Yakshi Amman Temple's festivals are: Yearly festival for 7 days, Shivrathri (Shivalaya Ottam), Saraswathy pooja, Deepawali, Thrikkarthika, Monthly Ammavasya, yearly Kumbhabishegam, Pongal. The main festivals celebrated there are Samivaravu, Sivarathri, Vavubali, and Onam.[citation needed]
The Marthandam CSI Church on the Main Road at the junction was built by Rev. Robert Sinclair born in Scotland who came to India after his ordination as a minister on 3 August 1910, in Scotland. He succeeded Rev. H.I Hacker in 1919 and came to Marthandam and served from 1920 to 1939.[citation needed]
CSI Church in MarthandamLight Decorations During Christmas
Religious festivals
Pongal, Onam and Christmas celebrations are quite substantial in Marthandam. In this district, Christmas is celebrated more than in the rest of Tamil Nadu. Vishu is also celebrated well in this district due to its neighbour Kerala and the presence of Malayalam-speaking people throughout the border of district. Also festivals such as Deepavali, New Year, Ramzan, and Easter are celebrated in this district.
Mathur Aqueduct - one of the largest Aqueducts in Asia
The Mathur Aqueduct is one of the longest and highest aqueducts in South Asia and is a popular tourist spot in Kanyakumari District. The aqueduct is built across the Pahrali river, a small river that rises in the Mahendragiri Hills of the Western Ghats. Mathur Aqueduct itself carries water of the Pattanamkal canal for irrigation over the Pahrali river, from one hill to another, for a distance of close to one kilometre. This Aqueduct is necessitated due to the undulating terrain of the area, which is also adjacent to the hills of the Western Ghats.
Mathur Aqueduct is a concrete structure held up by 28 huge piers; the maximum height of the piers reaching 115 feet (35m). The trough structure is 7ft in height, with a width of 7.5ft (2.3m). The trough is partly covered on top with concrete slabs, allowing people to walk on the bridge and also see the water going through the trough. Some of the piers are set in rocks of the Pahrali river, though some of the piers are set in hills on either side.
Road access allows one to drive in to one side of the Aqueduct (up to one end), while it is also possible to drive into the foot of the Aqueduct (the level where the Pahrali flows) on the opposite side. There is also a huge flight of stairs (built in recent times) that allows one to climb from the level of the Pahrali river to the trough.
Folk arts
There are several Folk Arts practised in temples for Sastha, Sudalaimadan and Yakshiamman. Villupattu is especially for Sastha temples and Kaniankoothu is practised for Sudalaimadan. Grand Tamil poet Avvaiyar temples are found along with Yakshi amman temples and worship of teachings of Avvaiyar can be observed.
Many Folk arts and dances are popular in this district. They are performed during the time of festivals in temples, celebrations in schools etc. Bow Song (Villu Paatu) is an ancient form of musical storytelling art of southern Tamil Nadu. Villu Paatu has been especially popular in Thovalai and neighbouring areas of the district.
Bow, the age-old weapon of warriors, paradoxically lends itself to be used as a primary musical instrument for the Villu Pattu artists.[6] There are udukku, kudam, thala, kattai, etc. as supplementary instruments in their performances. Udukku, mentioned in the ancient Tamil literature as Thudi, is a small drum with a slender middle portion which is held in the left hand and played by the fingers of the right hand. Occasionally, the Villu Pattu team divides itself into two groups, each trying to prove opposite points of view of a subject. This is called Lavani Pattu. The songs used by the Villu Pattu artists are mostly traditional folk-songs.
Thiruvathira Kali occupies the pride of place among the folk dances. It resembles Kummi and is played especially during the Onam festival. The players are young girls. The necessary number of girls is 8,10,12 or 16 for each dance. They move round and sing in chorus. Each girl strikes the stick (kole) which she holds in each hand, and the striking of the sticks and the steps, which she makes are rhythmical to the tune.
Kalial is a folk dance performed by group of men or boys in the countryside. A group leader sings songs and keeps time with cymbals. The players stand in a circle with sticks in their hand and dance round a lighted lamp repeating the songs sung by the leader. They turn, twist, lean forward and backward, squat and move round singing to the tune. At the beginning the steps are elaborate and at times, they are also very quick. When invited to perform in a function, the players generally begin the dance with an invocation for heavenly aid and conclude the dance with a torch dance using lighted torches. This folk dance exhibits the artistic and recreative life of the countryside.
Kathakali is a unique form of drama, which has its origin in Travancore. Kathakali (story-dance) is a relatively recent (fifteenth or sixteenth century) development of earlier dances, which, like dances every where, arose out of religious expression through symbolical action. In this art-form, the characters express their ideas not by words, but by significant gestures. In Kanyakumari District, it is now played in the temples at Thiruvattar, Thirparappu, Ponmana, Kuzhithura, Neyyoor, Nattalam and Munchira during the time of festivals.
Ottam Thullal is a form of story telling. It is a popular for of amusement, staged in the temple premises and Malayalam is the language commonly used. Ottam Thullal is now performed in the temples of Thiruvattar, Thirparappu, Ponmana, Nattalam and Thirunanthikara in the district during the time of festivals.
Kalari, is an ancient martial art of Kerala. A tradition believed to have been founded by Parasurama is known as Vadakkan Kalari; another is credited to Agasthiar in which the emphasis is on striking at vital points of the body and not on weapons, even through sword, knife, urumi (rolling sword), mankombu (horns of a deer), kandakkodali, (a kind of axe), mazhu (another kind of axe) etc., are also used. Kanyakumari district is home to an indigenous form of martial arts called 'Adimurai' or 'naadan', which is often confused with the Kalari of Kerala, in spite of its uniqueness.
The Kingdom of Travancore, also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At its zenith, the kingdom covered most of the south of modern-day Kerala and the southernmost part of modern-day Tamil Nadu with the Thachudaya Kaimal's enclave of Irinjalakuda Koodalmanikyam temple in the neighbouring Kingdom of Cochin. However Tangasseri area of Kollam city and Anchuthengu near Attingal in Thiruvananthapuram were parts of British India.
Padmanabhapuram is a town and a municipality near Thuckalay in Kanyakumari district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. As of 2011, the town had a population of 21,342.
Padmanabhapuram Palace, also known as Kalkulam Palace, is a Travancore-era palace located in Padmanabhapuram in the Kanyakumari district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The palace is owned, controlled and maintained by the government of the neighbouring state of Kerala. Padmanabhapuram is the former capital city of the erstwhile Hindu kingdom of Travancore. It is around 20 km from Nagercoil, 39 km from Kanyakumari town and 52 km from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. The palace is complex inside with an old granite fortress around four kilometers long. The palace is located at the foot of the Veli Hills, part of the Western Ghats. The river Valli flows nearby.
Thiruvananthapuram District is the southernmost district in the Indian state of Kerala. The district was created in 1949, with its headquarters in the city of Thiruvananthapuram, which is also Kerala's administrative centre. The present district was created in 1956 by separating the four southernmost Taluks of the erstwhile district to form Kanyakumari district. The city of Thiruvananthapuram is also known as the Information technology capital of the State, since it is home to the first and largest IT park in India, Technopark, established in 1990. The district is home to more than 9% of total population of the state.
The Adikesava Perumal Temple is a Hindu temple located in Thiruvattar, Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, India and is one of the 108 Divya desams, the holy sites of Hindu Vaishnavism according to existing Tamil hymns from the seventh and eighth centuries C.E. The temple is one of the historic thirteen Divya Deshams of Malai Nadu. The temple is a picturesque setting surrounded on three sides by rivers namely, It was the Rajya Temple and Bharadevatha shrine of Erstwhile Travancore. After state reorganisation, the temple handed over to Tamilnadu H&RCE Dept. The presiding Vishnu in the form of Ananthapadmabhan/Adikeshavaperumal is believed to be older than Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram. Since Vishnu resides here in a reclining position, and is surrounded by rivers, the temple is called as "The Srirangam of Chera Kingdom".
Kanyakumari district is one of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu state and the southernmost district in mainland India. It stands second in terms of population density among the districts of Tamil Nadu. It is also the richest district in Tamil Nadu in terms of per capita income, and also tops the state in Human Development Index (HDI), literacy, and education. The district's headquarters is Nagercoil.
Thuckalay or Thakkalai is a town in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, India. Thuckalay comes under the Padmanabhapuram Municipality, and is the administrative headquarters of Kalkulam Taluk. The Revenue Divisional Office is located in Mettukadai.
Kuzhithurai is a town and a municipality in Kanyakumari District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of the Vilavancode Taluk. It is located 26 km (16 mi) north of the Nagercoil city and 42 km (26 mi) south of Kerala's capital city Trivandrum along NH66. It has a historical seaport where ancient merchants came from across the Arabian sea in ancient times. It is mentioned in ancient Indian maps. As of 2011, the town had a population of 21,307.
Thiruvithamcode, is a small panchayat town located in the Kanyakumari district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thiruvithamcode is about 20 km from Nagercoil and 2 km from Thuckalay.
Kulasekharam is a town located in the district of Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the most important business centres in the district, after Marthandam.
Villu Paatu, also known as Villadichampaatu, is an ancient form of musical story-telling method performed in Southern India, where narration is interspersed with music, an art of southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, as well as North-East Sri Lanka. This art form is popular among Nadar and Ezhava castes of erstwhile Travancore kingdom. Simple tunes and verses make the story easy to follow. The villu (bow), the age-old weapon of warriors - paradoxically lends itself to be used as a primary musical instrument for the Villu Paatu artists.
A. Nesamony, sometimes known as Marshal Nesamony, was a political leader from Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu, India. He was the second son of Kesavan Appavu Nadar, born on 12 June 1895 at Nesarpuram, Palliyadi in Vilavancode Taluk, Kanyakumari district. He graduated from Maharaja's College in Thiruvananthapuram, and studied at law college in Thiruvananthapuram. He began practising in 1921. He was among those involved with the merger of four Taluks from Southern Travancore to Tamil Nadu.
Thiruvarambu is one among the town of Thiruvattar town panchyat. The Thirparappu Falls is 3 km from Thiruvarambu. This having a canal like stream originated from some of the dams which provides more enough water to this village. Hence they plant banyan, coconut, banana, rubber, tapioca and other pulses such as pepper.
Kappukad/Kappukadu is an ancient village in southern Tamil Nadu in Kanyakumari District in Southern India. The village is also known as Kappiyankadu due to the belief that the ancient Tamil poet Tholkappiyar, the disciple of Agasthya, was born here on 1 May in the Tamil month of Chitirai on a pournami day in 865 BC.
Madichel is a village in Vilavancode taluk, Kanniyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, India. The village is near Kuzhithurai, a historical seaport where merchants came from across the Arabian sea in ancient times.
Thengapattanam, named after dense coconut grooves, is a major trade and tourism centre in the painkulam panchayath along the coastal plains of Kanyakumari district. Thengapattanam, once part of Travancore and later Kerala, was added to Tamil Nadu on 1 November 1956 along with some parts of today's Kanniyakumari District.
Aruvikkarai is a village near Thiruvattar in Kanyakumari district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It lies near Thiruvattar, which is about 50 km from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The nearest major city are Thiruvattar and Marthandam. Ponmanai is situated in the east, Thirparappu in the north-east and Arumanai in the north-west.. Hanging Bridge at Mathur is the prime attraction. Padmanabhapuram Palace, Thengapattinam, and Thriparappu Waterfalls are nearby tourist spots.
The Southern Division, or Padmanabhapuram Division till 1921 and Trivandrum Division from 1921 to 1949, was one of the administrative subdivisions of the princely state of Travancore. It covered the five taluks of Agastiswaram, Eraniel, Kalkulam, Thovalay and Vilavancode and was administered by a civil servant of rank Diwan Peishkar equivalent to a District Collector in British India. The Southern division was predominantly Tamil-speaking in contrast to the other three divisions where Malayalam was spoken. In 1920, the neighbouring Trivandrum was also merged with the Southern division. In 1949, the princely state of Travancore was dissolved and the Southern Division was included in the Travancore-Cochin state of India.
Karavilai is a place in Marthandam in Kanniyakumari district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Karavilai comes under town panchayat of Nallur (Nalloor), Kanyakumari District. The area is full of greenery and there is passage of shallow of water in the region. Soil found around Marthandam is one of the most fertile lands of Tamil Nadu and the region has the climatic conditions of Kerala.
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