56-663: Chettinad (also known as Chettinadu ) is a name that collectively refers to a locality that comprises 56 villages in the Sivaganga district and 20 villages in Pudukottai district , which was historically ruled by the Ramnad kingdom of Pandya Nadu . It has a small portion extending into the Pudukottai District in Tamil Nadu ; Karaikudi is the major town of this area and is considered
112-508: A bygone era. However, of late, new designs and patterns are being incorporated. The Athangudi tiles are hand-made. However, with a short shelf life and relatively slow manufacturing process, these tiles are not much in demand. The situation has led to the decline in the market. Chettinad's principal town, Karaikudi is also the location of a branch of the Central Electro Chemical Research Institute (CECRI), one of
168-561: A daughter named Tmt. Maduranthagi Nachiyar as his heir. At present, Tmt. Maduranthagi Nachiyar is administering the Sivaganga Estate, Sivaganga Devasthanam, and Chatram of Sivaganga Royal Family. Based on the District Gazette 1990 of Ramanathapuram, and the history of Sivaganga maintained by Samasthanam, Sivaganga District has been formed mostly with an area of entire Sivaganga Zamin and part of Ramnad Zamin. Kandangi Kandangi
224-557: A total of 450 acres of Farmland adopted for Research and Education. It houses a Centre of Excellence in Dryland Farming (CEDF) and a Food Processing Research and Training Centre (FPRTC). The college currently offers a Undergraduate Course of Bachelor of science Honours in Agriculture. Sivaganga district Karaikudi , Devakottai , Kalayarkovil , Manamadurai , Tirupathur , Singampunari , Ilayangudi , Sivaganga District
280-589: Is a shrine of the five soldiers in the troop of Badusha Sulthan Syed Ibrahim shaheed of Ervadi. The dargah is situated at Kannar Street in the Manamadurai – Ilaiyangudi state highway within the panchayat limits of Manamadurai. The annual urus festival marking the martyrdom day of the Panch shuhadas is commemorated on the 17th of the Islamic month of Jamadil Awwal every Hijri year. The Kingdom of Ramnad originally comprised
336-648: Is a type of cotton saree from the Chettinad region of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu . It was declared as a Geographical indication in 2019–20. The Chettinadu Kandangi saree is native to the Chettinad region and has been in existence for over 150 years. Kandangi saris were traditionally made of silk . Later, cotton was used for convenience. The saris are known for its checkered pattern using multiple colors with thick contrasting borders. Earthen colors and hues are used, mostly obtained from vegetable dyes . The sari
392-407: Is coarse and made with a 40 thread count typically, to ensure longetivity. The cotton yarn is dyed to different colors as per requirement. After drying, the yarn is spun and collected in spools. The spools are warped , where the threads are separated and wound into warps. Cotton yarn is also hand spun to be used for wefting. The warps and wefts are loaded into a handloom , where the cloth
448-573: Is expected to be operational by March 2011. It would be immensely helpful to farmers of chili, turmeric, medicinal plants and tamarind, as the focus would be to export their products. The proposed spices park would establish machinery for cleaning, sorting, grading, packaging, storing, and sterilizing among others. The focus would be to encourage the farmers to plant chili, a leading crop in Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga and nearby districts, as well as turmeric crops. Medicinal plants, being raised in and around
504-443: Is located at Sivaganga. The district has three goods-handling railway stations, namely, Chettinad (Karaikudi), Melakonnakulam and Manamadurai Junction . Other railway station in the district are Thiruppuvanam, Tiruppachetti, Rajagambiram, Manamadurai Junction, Melakonnakulam, Sivaganga, panangudi, Kallal, Devakottai Road, Karaikudi Junction, Kottaiyur, Chettinad, Kandanur Puduvayal, and Periyakottai. Vettangudi Bird Sanctuary , which
560-438: Is located near to Tiruppathur , attracts a number of migratory birds such as white ibis , asian openbill stork and night heron , as well as some endangered species including the painted stork , gray heron , darter , little cormorant , little egret , intermediate egret , cattle egret , common teal , Indian spot-billed duck , pintail and flamingos . The best season to visit is from November to February. Chettinad
616-434: Is not known (it was about 1790). Marudu brothers are the sons of Udayar Servai alias Mookiah Palaniappan Servai and Anandayer alias Ponnathal. They are native of Kongulu street of Ramnad and neither belonged to the family of the ancient poligars, nor to their division of the caste. Servaikaran was the caste title and Marudu the family name. The Marudu Brothers served under Muthu Vaduganatha Thevar. Later they were elevated to
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#1732869230640672-507: Is one of the 38 districts (an administrative district) in Tamil Nadu state, India. This district was formed on 15 March 1985 by trifurcation of Ramanathapuram district into Ramanathapuram , Virudhunagar and Sivaganga districts. Sivaganga is the district headquarters, while Karaikudi is the most populous city in the district, administered by the Karaikudi Municipal Corporation . It is bounded by Pudukkottai district on
728-648: Is paddy while majority of the district has red soil. The other crops that are grown are sugarcane, groundnut, pulses, cereal such as millet, chillies, cotton, and as well as gingelly . In response, the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University had set up the state's first Red Soil Dryland Research Centre in Sivaganga district. As of December 2010, the Spices Board is also setting up a new spices park at Sivaganga on an invest of Rs. 180 million. This park
784-673: Is reflected in the Chettinad cuisine. Meals also consist of cooked lentils, Brinjal curry, drumstick sambar , ghee for flavouring rice, and sweet meals like payasam and paal paniyaram . Some well-known local dishes are Chicken Chettinad (spicy chicken curry), Vegetable Chettinad (a vegetable curry) and dishes featuring seafood. The Chettinad region is well known for its 19th-century mansions , whose wide courtyards and spacious rooms are embellished with marble and teak . Construction materials, decorative items, and furnishings were mostly imported from East Asian countries and Europe. The marble
840-539: Is the home of the Nattukottai Chettiars ( Nagarathar ), a prosperous banking and business community and for high hierarchy, non-Brahmin Vallambar feudal community with an aristocrat title Nattar - Ambalam. It is also known for its local cuisine, architecture, and religious temples. The word "Chettiar" refers to the social caste of mercantile bankers. The Chettiars are known to be traders in salt and spices and this
896-521: Is the homeland of the Nattukottai Chettiars ( Nagarathar ), a prosperous banking and business community. It is well known for its Chettinad cuisine , which is very hot and spicy. In fact, Chettinad has one of the South Indian cuisines with large number of specialty restaurants. A typical meal will have meat, a large number of courses, and is served on a banana leaf. Also, the old Chettiar mansions are rich in heritage, art and architecture. The affluence of
952-431: Is the predominant language, spoken by 99.14% of the population. Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu spreads over 4,189 km (1,617 sq mi). The geographical position of Sivaganga district is between 9° 43' and 10° 2' north latitude and between 77° 47' and 78° 49' east longitude. It is bounded on the north and northeast by Pudukkottai District , on the southeast and south by Ramanathapuram District , on
1008-445: Is usually in the month of December. On this day, they sing songs of the deity Lord Vinayagar and then take a sweet called Ellai . The cotton sari , also known as kandaangi , is unique in its dramatic patterns and colours. Its vibrance and weight are its distinguishing factors. Records and old photographs show the use of sari by previous generations, before the advent of blouses and underskirts, and thus worn rather differently from
1064-535: Is well connected by road network. Some of the notable national highways such as NH-49 Kochi-Madurai-Rameswaram-Dhanushkodi National Highway pass through the district and this highway is also a part of Asian Highway network AH-43 and NH-87 . The state's first private national highway (Chennai to Karaikudi) originates from this district. The district is well connected with Railways . The district has two railway junctions, namely, Manamadurai Junction and Karaikudi Junction . The district headquarters railway station
1120-422: The 2011 census , Sivaganga district had a population of 1,339,101 with a sex-ratio of 1,003 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929. 30.83% of the population lived in urban areas. A total of 137,235 were under the age of six, constituting 70,022 males and 67,213 females. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 17.01% and .06% of the population, respectively. In addition,
1176-615: The Anna University in Chennai . The nearest airports are Madurai International Airport and Tiruchirappalli International Airport while the largest towns in the area are Karaikudi and Devakottai . Chettinad has its own railway station. But Expresses don't stop here. The only halting train is the daily thrice MEMU Train running from Tiruchirapalli to Virudhunagar connects Pudukottai , Karaikudi , Devakottai , Sivaganga , Manamadurai and Aruppukottai with Chettinad station. All
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#17328692306401232-580: The Cholas , the temples of Chettinad stand testimony to the spiritual beliefs of local people. Temples are built per Vaastu Shastras and Agamas as the Chettinad wealthy sponsored the buildings and the shilpis after the royal families declined. On the side note, traditional houses were also built per ancient text on an architecture called Vaastu Shastras. Each temple has its own tank called oorani where water lilies are grown and used for holy rituals. Even today, much of Chettinad's daily activities are centered around
1288-613: The 50 MWp generation based incentive scheme of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy , Government of India. Sree Kaderi Ambal Mills Private Limited has commissioned 9.6MW grid connected solar PV project at Sivaganga , Tamil Nadu. The nearest airport to Sivagangai District is the Madurai International Airport . An unused British-era airfield also exist near karaikudi which is named as chettinad airport and maintained by Tamil Nadu Animal Husbandry Department. The district
1344-548: The British East India Company from the region was ultimately unsuccessful, and they were defeated. Consequently, Marudu Pandiyan, the popular leader of the rebels, together with his gallant brother Vellai Marudu were executed on the ruins of fort at Tiruppathur in Sivaganga District on 24 October 1801. Marudu brothers were not only warriors who are noted for bravery, but they were very great administrators. During
1400-650: The Chettiars are shown off in their palatial houses, including one example in Kanadukathan . Carved teak wood doors and frames, marble floors, granite pillars, Belgian mirrors and Italian tiles are the norms. There are also a few Pandiyan temples. For instance, the Kaleeswara Temple and Karpaka Vinayakar Temple and Sri Sowmiyanarayana Perumal Kovil in Thirukoshtiyur attract large number of pilgrims. This
1456-716: The Dutch only after the British rejected a similar offer, made to Colonel Heron. In fact, the British' aim was to let the ruler of Sivaganga serve the Nawab, to pay tribute to him, and to dissuade them from establishing relations with foreign powers like the Dutch. However, a two pronged offensive was made by the British. Joseph Smith from the East and Benjour from the West invaded Sivaganga Palayam in June 1772. The country
1512-722: The Madurai district, would also get a boost, as it was planned to patronize farmers of medicinal plants. One of the famous indigenous cow breeds, the Pulikulam cow , has originated from Pulikulam village of Sivagangai district. The Government of Tamil Nadu has also set up a cattle research centre exclusively for these pulikulam cattle breeds for their breeding as well as for the development of that cattle breeds. Bulls of these breeds are mainly used for Jallikattu . Pulikulam cattle research station has been setup near Manamadurai for research purpose. There are several notable industries present in
1568-522: The Marudhus. After the execution of Kattabomman on 17 October 1799 at Kayattar, Chinna Marudhu gave asylum to Kattabomman's brother Oomadurai. One time, they issued an epoch-making Jumboo Deweepa proclamation to the people in the island of Jamboo, the peninsular South India, to fight against the British whether they were Hindus, Mussalamans or Christians. However, the Marudhu Pandiyars attempt to dislodge
1624-669: The Northeast, Tiruchirappalli district on the North, Ramanathapuram district on South East, Virudhunagar district on South West and Madurai district on the West. The area's other larger towns include Sivaganga, Kalayar Kovil , Devakottai , Manamadurai , Ilaiyangudi , Thiruppuvanam , Singampunari and Tiruppattur . As of 2011, the district had a population of 1,339,101 with a sex ratio of 1,003 females for every 1,000 males. Sivaganga District has been carved out from composite Ramnad District (G.O. MS. No. 1122 Rev. Dept. Dated 6 July 1984) and
1680-738: The Poligar wars against the British. One time, the Marudu brothers, with 12,000 armed men, surrounded Sivaganga and plundered the Nawab's territories. Consequently, the Nawab appealed to the Madras Council for aid on 10 March 1789. In the same way on 29 April 1789, the British attacked Kollangudi, but they were defeated by a large body of Marudu's troops. On the other hand, the Marudhu Brothers were in close association with Veera Pandiya Kattabomman of Panchalankurichi as Kattabomman held frequent consultations with
1736-511: The Sivaganga district. Some of them are listed below: Moser Baer Clean Energy Limited (MBCEL) has commissioned a 5 MW grid connected solar PV project at Sivaganga, Tamil Nadu. The project was awarded to Sapphire Industrial Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of the farm, through a competitive bidding process conducted by the Tamil Nadu Renewable Development Agency . The project is, then, implemented under
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1792-608: The Trains running in the Chennai-Tiruchirapalli-Manamadurai Section stop at Karaikudi. Karaikudi Junction railway station is the nearest major station.There are also frequent town buses connects Chettinad to Karaikudi, Ponnamaravathy, Devakottai Pudukkottai and Aranthangi. The Tamil Nadu Agriculture University established a Dryland Agriculture Research Station (DARS) in Chettinad which was later upgraded to Agriculture College and Research Institute. It spawns
1848-512: The average literacy of the district was 71.67%, compared to the national average of 72.99%, while the district had a total of 338,938 households. On the other hand, there is a total of 620,171 workers, comprising 117,030 cultivators, 122,166 main agricultural labourers, 9,864 in house hold industries, 212,042 other workers, 159,069 marginal workers, 23,973 marginal cultivators, 77,397 marginal agricultural labourers, 4,792 marginal workers in household industries and 52,907 other marginal workers. Tamil
1904-452: The brother of the late Sundareswara Regunatha Sethupathy fled from Ramnad and sought refuge with the Rajah of Tanjore Tuljaji. While Sasivarna Thevar was passing through the jungles of Kalayarkovil , he met a gnani (sage) named Sattappiah, who was performing Thapas (meditation) under a jam bool tree near a spring called 'Sivaganga'. The deposed king prostrated himself before him and narrated all
1960-659: The country's 250 most backward districts out of a total of 640 . Consequently, it is one of the six districts in Tamil Nadu currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF). The first bank in the district was the Bank of India in Periyakottai opened in 1985. The vast majority of the workforce is dependent on agriculture (72.8%). In fact, the principal crop of Sivaganga district
2016-473: The district was functioning from 15 March 1985 (G.O. Ms. No. 346 Rev. dept. Dated 8 March 1985). Since Sivaganga is the headquarters of Sivaganga Lok Shaba Constituency since 1967, so the plan was to create a new district with existing constituency areas as of 1984 which is the present day Sivaganga district and Sivaganga was made as the District Headquarters of the newly formed district. According to
2072-468: The eighth King of Ramnad in 1710 after the death of Kilavan Sethupathy. The King, then, gave his daughter Akilandeswari Nachiar, in marriage to Sasivarna Thevar, the son of Nalukottai Peria Oodaya Thevar. Afterwards, the King gave Thevar lands as dowry, free of taxation, sufficient to maintain 1,000 men. He also placed him in charge of the fortresses of Piranmalai, Tiruppathur, Sholapuram and Tiruppuvanam, as well as
2128-427: The festivities of the temple. Among the many famous temples are: Vairavan Kovil, Iraniyur, Karpaga Vinayakar , Kundrakudi Murugan, Kottaiyur Sivan, and Kandanur Sivan temples, with each having its own unique deity. Vinayagar Chathurthi is celebrated every year, on the day when the two stars Shasti and Sadhayam mingle together. This day typically falls as the 22nd day after Periya Karthigai. Pillaiyar Nonmbu, its name,
2184-557: The forty national laboratories under the aegis of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in New Delhi. The CSIR lab specialises in electro-chemical research and has been operational for more than fifty years. The campus is on over 300 scenic acres, filled with traditional and ornamental vegetation. CECRI conducts four-year Engineering and Technology courses in chemical and electro-chemical engineering and technology affiliated with
2240-467: The harbour of Thondi. Meanwhile, Bhavani Sankaran, the son of Kilavan Sethupathy conquered Ramnad territory and arrested Sundareswara Regunatha Sethupathy, the ninth King of Ramnad. Bhavani Sankaran, then, proclaimed himself as the Rajah of Ramnad. He became the tenth king of Ramnad and he reigned from 1726 to 1729. During his reign, he quarreled with Sasivarna Peria Oodaya Thevar of Nalukottai and drove him out of his Nalukottai Palayam. Consequently, Thevan,
2296-569: The original 96, organised in clusters spread over a territory of 1,550 square kilometres (600 square miles) in the Districts of Sivagangai and Pudukottai in the State of Tamil Nadu. It finds itself in the UNESCO nomination for palatial house sites of historic and cultural value. It is located on the national highway NH536 between Trichy and Karaikudi which is approximately 10kms away from this place. Chettinad
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2352-629: The period from 1783 to 1801, they worked for the welfare of the people and the Sivaganga Seemai was reported as fertile. They constructed many notable temples (i.e. Kalayarkoil) Ooranis and Tanks. After the many successions of legal heirs ruling the estate, Sri D.S. Karthikeya Venkatachalapathy Rajah succeeded to the estate of late Sri. D. Shanmuga Rajah. He was the former Hereditary Trustee of Sivaganga, Devasthanam and Chatrams consisting of 108 temples, 22 Kattalais and 20 Chatrams. Sri. D.S. Karthikeya Venkatachalapathy Rajah died on 30 August 1986, leaving
2408-544: The position of Commanders. Boomerangs are peculiar to India and two forms of this weapons are used in India. One of the weapons is commonly made of wood, commonly known as Valari stick in Tamil. It is a crescent-shaped, one end being heavier than the other, while the outer edge is sharpened. It is said that Marudu Brothers were experts in the art of throwing the Valari stick, and they used it in
2464-551: The posts of Keeranoor and Sholapuram. Now, Benjour, who is continuing the operations, came into conflict with the main body of the troops of Sivaganga on 25 June 1772. Muthu Vaduganatha Rajah with many of his followers fell dead in that heroic battle. As a result, the heroic activities shown in the battle field by Velu Nachiar is praised by the historians. The widow queen Velu Nachiar and daughter Vellachi Nachiar with Tandavaraya Pillai fled to Virupakshi in Dindigul. Later they were joined by
2520-513: The previous incidents of his life. In response, the Gnani whispered a certain mantra in his ears (Mantra Opadesam) and advised him to go to Tanjore and kill a ferocious tiger which was kept by the Rajah especially to test the bravery of men. Henceforth, Sasivarna Thevar went to Tanjore. There, he became acquainted with Kattaya Thevan a refugee like himself. Satisfied with the good behaviour of Sasivarma Thevar and Kattaya Thevan, wanting to help them to regain
2576-436: The protection of Hyder Ali for eight years. During this period she formed an army and sought an alliance with Gopala Nayaker and Hyder Ali with the aim of attacking the British. In 1780 Rani Velu Nachiyar fought the British and won the battle. When Velu Nachiyar finds the place where the British stock their ammunition, she builds the first human bomb. A faithful follower, Kuyili douses herself in oil, lights herself and walks into
2632-462: The southwest by Virudhunagar District , and on the west by Madurai District , and on the northwest by Tiruchirappalli District . Piranmalai is the only hill area located in sivagangai district. Major river which passes through the Sivagangai district is Vaigai River . Sivaganga district has 9 taluks in 2 revenue divisions . In 2006, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Sivaganga as one of
2688-502: The states again, the Rajah of Tanjore ordered his Dalavoy to go with a large army to invade Bhavani Sankaran. Sasivarna Thevar and Kattaya Thevan at once proceeded to Ramnad with a large army furnished by the king of Tanjore. There, they defeated Bhavani Sankaran at the battle of Uraiyur and captured Ramnad in 1730. Thus, Kattaya Thevan became the 11th King of Ramnad. After becoming the 11th King of Ramnad, Kattaya Thevan divided Ramnad into five parts and retained three for himself. He granted
2744-415: The storehouse. Rani Velu Nachiyar formed a woman's army named "udaiyaal" in honour of her adopted daughter – Udaiyaal, who died detonating a British arsenal. Nachiar was one of the few rulers who regained her kingdom and ruled it for 10 more years. The Queen Velu Nachiar granted powers to Marudhu Brothers to administer the country in 1780. Velu Nachiar died a few years later, but the exact date of her death
2800-449: The territories of Ramnad, Sivaganga and Pudukottai of today. Regunatha Sethupathy, or Kilavan Sethupathy , was the seventh King of Ramnad reigned between 1674 and 1710. He came to know of the bravery and valor of Peria Oodaya Thevar of Nalukottai, located 4 kilometres from Sholapuram near Sivaganga. As a result, the King assigned Thevar or Nalukottai a portion of land sufficient to maintain 1,000 armed men. Vijaya Regunatha Sethupathy became
2856-414: The two able Servaigarars Periya Marudu and Chinna Marudhu. Rani Velu Nachiyar and her daughter Vellachi Nachiyar lived under the protection of Hyder Ali at Virupakshi near Dindigul. Her husband, Muthu Vaduganatha Periyavudaya Thevar , was killed in battle with the British and the forces of the Nawab of Arcot. Nachiyar and her daughter left their kingdom and moved to Virupachi near Dindigul to live under
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#17328692306402912-473: The two parts to Sasivarna Thevar of Nalukottai conferring on him the title of Rajah Muthu Vijaya Regunatha Peria Oodaya Thevar. Sasivarna Peria Oodaya Thevar died in or about the year 1750. He was succeeded by his only son, Muthu Vaduganatha Peria Oodaya Thevar, who was the second Rajah of Sivaganga. His wife, Rani Velu Nachiar acted as a friend, a philosopher, and a guide to him. In his reign, Muthu Vaduganatha Peria Oodaya Thevar granted commercial facilities to
2968-640: The typical contemporary sari. At present, it is available in Kundi. Athangudi tiles, named after the place of the manufacture in Chettinad, come in a myriad of colours and patterns, and are made by a unique process using local soil and glass plates. These tiles are a testament to the rich cultural heritage of the Chettiar community, who effectively adapted many influences to their own brand of local craftsmanship. The designs and colours used in Athangudi tiles are still those of
3024-607: The urban center for the Chettinadu villages. The name chettinad(u) comes from 2 tamil words Chettiar and Nadu . Chettiar refers to a specific community of people and Nadu means land. Collectively called as "land of the Chettiars " . In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many residents of Chettinad were trading in South and Southeast Asia, particularly Burma , Ceylon , Vietnam and Malaysia . By 2010, only 74 villages remained of
3080-446: Was brought from Italy, chandeliers and teak from Burma , crockery from Indonesia , crystals from Europe and wall-to-wall mirrors from Belgium . Many of these mansions were built using a type of limestone known as karai. According to locals the mansion walls were polished with a paste made out of egg whites and palm sugar to give them a smooth texture and for their cooling qualities. Originally built by early Tamil dynasties like
3136-452: Was full of bushes of cockspur thorn, though there were villages and open spaces here and there. Rajah Muthu Vaduganatha Thevar, in anticipation of the invasion, erected barriers on the roads, dug trenches and established posts in the woods of Kalayarkoil. In the same way on 21 June 1772, the detachment of Smith and Benjour effected a junction and occupied the town of Sivaganga. The next day, the British forces marched to Kalayarkoil and captured
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