Thoothukudi

     Tuticorin is properly called Thoothukudi in Tamil.  The town is also known as “Pearl City”.  It is a seaport which serves southern Tamil Nadu including the inland cities of Coimbatore, Madurai and Tirunelveli.  As Mumbai is the Gateway of India, Thoothukudi is the Gateway of Tamil Nadu.  It is a major seaport in India.  It is also called Pearl City as pearl fishing is a major occupation and the oyster yield a fine quality of pearl.  It is a major industrial centre too.  SPIC fertilizer plant, a heavy water plant, a thermal power station, chemical factories etc.  are all located here.  It is also a major salt producing centre in Tamil nadu.  It was made into a new district from Tirunelveli and is the district from Tirunelveli and is the district headquarters.  It is 48 km from Tirunelveli. .  Tuticorin is known to produce some of the best sailors and marine officers of the world, Sailors from Tuticorin are highly recognized by all Crewing Companies. It is one of the major seaports in India with its history dating back to the 6th century.

     Tuticorin is traditionally known for its pearl fishery and shipbuilding.  Thoothukudi became the centre of the Indian independence movement in the early 20th century, with leaders like poet Subramanya Bharathy, Veerapandia Kattabomman, Vellaya Thevan, and V.O.Chidambaram Pillai.  In 1906, freedom fighter V.O.Chidambaram Pillai, with the help of Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Launched the first Swadeshi ship “S.S.Gaelia” from this port town in British India.

     The major harbor of Tuticorin is well known as a pearl diving and fishing centre.  Tuticorin, one of the oldest sea ports in the world, was the seaport of the Pandyan kingdom after Korkai and later was taken over by the Portuguese in 1548, captured by the Dutch in 1658, and ceded to the British in 1825.  The lighthouse was built in 1842 marked the beginning of the history of Thoothukudi harbor development.

     The District of Thoothukudi was carved out as a separate district in the year 1986 as a result of bifurcation of Tirunelveli district.

Thiruchendur

     Thiruchendur is very popular for the seashore temple of Lord Subramanya. The temple tower and the sculptures of the temple are worth seeing.  It is also ideal for see bathing.  The temple is one among the six abodes of Lord Subramanya.  That victory is still celebrated by the pilgrims here during the Tamil Month ‘Aippasi’ as a festival.