Thirukkolur (or Thirukalur ) is a village in

Thoothukudi district The Thoothukkudi District is one of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India. On 20 October 1986, an M. G. Ramachandran-led government bifurcated the Tirunelveli district to form the district. It is shared by its boundaries w ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

. The village is the location of the Sri Vaithamanidhi Perumal Temple. It is situated 3 kilometres away from

Alwarthirunagari Alwarthirunagiri is a panchayat town in Thoothukudi district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is next to Srivaikuntam on the Tirunelveli - Tiruchendur Highway, Tamil Nadu, southern India. It's about 31 km from Tirunelveli and 29 ...

. The village is approximately 30 kilometres away from

Tirunelveli Tirunelveli (), also known as Nellai and historically (during British rule) as Tinnevelly, is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirunelveli District. It is the fourth-largest munici ...

and approximately 35 kilometres away from

Thoothukudi Thoothukudi (formerly called Tuticorin) is a port city, port industrial city in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It lies on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. The city is capital and headquarters of the di ...

. The coordinates of Thirukkolur are 8.5949° N, 77.9582° E.

Etymology

According to a Hindu legend,

Kubera Kubera (, ) also known as Kuvera, Kuber and Kuberan, is the god of wealth, and the god-king of the semi-divine yakshas in Hinduism. He is regarded as Guardians of the directions, the regent of the north (''Dikpala''), and a protector of the ...

, the lord of wealth, was once cursed by

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

for his lustful glance towards

Parvati Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...

.Kubera soon realized his mistake and repented for his sin, seeking forgiveness from Shiva and Parvathi. They advised him to perform penance at Thirukkolur. After his penance, Vaithamanithi Perumal blessed him with great wealth again. Since it is the place ''(Tamil : ஊர்)'' where Kubera got ''(Tamil : கோள் - கொள்ளுதல்)'' his wealth ''(Tamil : திரு - செல்வம்)'', the name of this town was Thirukkolaur Thiru ''(திரு)'' + Kol ''(கோள்)'' + Oor ''(ஊர்)'' = Thirukkolur ''(திருக்கோளூர்)''

Geography

The village is located near to the banks of

Thamirabarani river The Thamirabarani or Tamraparni or Porunai is a perennial river that originates from the Agastyarkoodam peak of Pothigai hills of the Western Ghats, above Papanasam in the Ambasamudram taluk. It flows through Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi di ...

. The South Canal of Srivaikuntam dam passes through this village.

Agriculture

Due to availability of water resources and fertile land, agriculture is widely practiced. Crops such as

Paddy Paddy may refer to: People *Paddy (given name), a list of people with the given name or nickname *A nickname or slur for an Irish person Birds *Paddy (pigeon), a Second World War carrier pigeon *Snowy sheathbill or paddy, a bird species *Black ...

Urad dal The black gram or urad bean (''Vigna mungo'') is a bean grown in South Asia. Like its relative the mung bean, it has been reclassified from the genus ''Phaseolus'' to ''Vigna''. The product sold as black gram is usually the whole urad bean, wher ...

, Groundnut, and

Banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...

are cultivated.

Administration

Religious places

Vaithamanidhi Perumal Temple is one among 108

Divya Desam Divya Desam (, ) or Vaishnava Divya Desams are the 108 Vishnu and Lakshmi temples that are mentioned in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, works of the Alvars, the poet-saints of the Sri Vaishnavism, Sri Vaishnava tradition. By comparison, the Paad ...

s and 9 Nava Tirupathis. The deity of the temple is Sri Vaithamanidhi Perumal (Vishnu). The deity is in reclining pose.

Madhurakavi Alwar

Thirukkolur is the birthplace of Madurakavi Alwar, who is one among 12 Alwars. Madurakavi Alwar was a disciple of

Nammalvar Nammalvar was one of the twelve Alvars, Alvar saints of Tamil Nadu, India, who are known for their affiliation to the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. The verses of the Alvars are compiled as the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, Naalayira Divya Prab ...

Excavations

The central government has given permission to carry out excavations at 5 places near Adichanallur including Thirukkolur to find the habitats of the ancient people. On 5 February 2023,

Archeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...

commenced excavation near Chera Chola Pandeeswarar Temple at Thirukkolur. Later, the archaeologists said that they are planning to expand the excavation and the excavation work will continue for one year.

Transportation

Road

There is a main road which passes through Thirukkolur. This road starts from Maanattur in SH- 93 ( Alwar Thirunagari - Valliyur Highway) and ends at Palkulam Vilakku in SH - 40 ( Sengottai - Tiruchendur highway ).

Railway

The nearest railway stations are Alwar Thirunagari (3 kilometres) and Nazareth (6 kilometres). Daily passenger trains from Tiruchendur, Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli halt in these stations. The only express train, which halts in Nazareth, is the Chendur Express. The nearest important railway station is Tirunelveli Junction (35 kilometres).

Air

The nearest airports are *

Tuticorin Airport Tuticorin Airport is a domestic airport serving Thoothukudi and its adjoining districts of Thoothukkudi, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi and Kanniyakumari in Tamil Nadu, India. It is located at Vagaikulam, west of the city centre, on National Hig ...

( 25 kilometres ) *

Trivandrum international airport Thiruvananthapuram International Airport is an international airport that serves Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India. Established in 1932, it is the first airport in the state of Kerala and the fifth international airport of ...

( approximately 170 kilometres ) and *

Madurai Airport Madurai Airport is a customs airport serving Madurai and its adjoining districts in Tamil Nadu, India. It is the 40th-busiest airport in India, both in terms of passengers handled and aircraft movement. The airport is located near State Highw ...

( approximately 170 kilometres)

References

{{Thoothukudi district Villages in Thoothukudi district