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Vedaranyam () (also spelt as Vedaraniam and Vedaranniyam) is a town in
Nagapattinam district Nagapattinam District is one of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. Nagapattinam district was carved out by bifurcating the erstwhile composite Thanjavur district on 19 October 1991. The town of Nagapattinam is the district ...
in the
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
n
state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...
of
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 town is named after the presiding deity of the Vedaranyeswarar Temple. The recorded history of Vedaranyam is known from medieval Chola period of the 9th century and has been ruled, at different times, by the
Medieval Cholas The Chola Empire, which is often referred to as the Imperial Cholas, was a medieval thalassocratic empire based in southern India that was ruled by the Chola dynasty, and comprised overseas dominions, protectorates and spheres of influence ...
,
Later Cholas The Chola Empire, which is often referred to as the Imperial Cholas, was a medieval thalassocratic empire based in southern India that was ruled by the Chola dynasty, and comprised overseas dominions, protectorates and spheres of influence ...
, Later Pandyas,
Vijayanagar Empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also known as the Karnata Kingdom, was a late medieval Hindu empire that ruled much of southern India. It was established in 1336 by the brothers Harihara I and Bukka Raya I of the Sangama dynasty, belonging to ...
and the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
. During India's independence struggle,
C. Rajagopalachari Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (10 December 1878 – 25 December 1972), popularly known as Rajaji or C.R., also known as Mootharignar Rajaji (Rajaji'', the Scholar Emeritus''), was an Indian statesman, writer, lawyer, and Indian independence ...
, who would later become independent India's first
Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...
, launched a salt march in Vedaranyam parallel to the Dandi March launched by
Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British ...
in 1930 to protest against the sales tax levied on salt extraction. Vedaranyam comes under the Vedaranyam assembly constituency which elects a member to the
Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It has a strength of 234 members, all of whom are democratically elected using the first-past-the-post system. The presiding office ...
once every five years and it is a part of the
Nagapattinam (Lok Sabha constituency) Nagapattinam is a Lok Sabha constituency in Tamil Nadu. Its Tamil Nadu Parliamentary Constituency number is 29 of 39. The seat is reserved for Scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, scheduled castes. The constituency is noted for being an histor ...
which elects its Member of Parliament (MP) once in five years. The town is administered by the Vedaranyam municipality, which covers an area of . As of 2011, the town had a population of 34,266. Vedaranyam was a part of
Thanjavur District Thanjavur District is one of the Districts of Tamil Nadu, 38 districts of the States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. Its headquarters is Thanjavur (Tanjore) . The district is located in the delta of the Cauv ...
till 1991 and
Nagapattinam District Nagapattinam District is one of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. Nagapattinam district was carved out by bifurcating the erstwhile composite Thanjavur district on 19 October 1991. The town of Nagapattinam is the district ...
from then on. The town is a part of the fertile Cauvery delta region, but salt extraction and prawn cultivation are the major occupations. Roadways are the major mode of transportation to Vedaranyam and the nearest Airport is Tiruchirapalli Airport, located away from the town. On 17 November 2018, Vedaranyam was devastated by
Cyclone Gaja Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Gaja (; ) was a damaging tropical cyclone that brought significant effects to South India. The sixth named storm of the very active 2018 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Gaja originated from a low-pressure system ...
.


Etymology and legend

Vetharanyam is named after Vedaranyeswarar, the presiding deity of the Vedaranyeswarar Temple, a
Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...
dedicated to
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 ...
. The place was earlier known as "Tirumaraikadu", meaning the place where
Vedas FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of relig ...
, oldest scriptures of Hinduism, originated. The 7th century
Saiva ''Saiva'' is a genus of Asian planthoppers, family Fulgoridae. They are colourful insects, marked boldly in red, blue, white and black, with a prominent slender stalk like structure arising on the head that points upwards or forward. The know ...
canonical work ''
Tevaram The ''Tevaram'' (, ), also spelled ''Thevaram'', denotes the first seven volumes of the twelve-volume collection ''Tirumurai'', a Saivism, Shaiva narrative of epic and Puranas, Puranic heroes, as well as a Hagiography, hagiographic account of ...
'' by Appar and Tirugnanasambandar mentions the place as "Tirumaraikadu". As per Hindu legend, the Vedas worshipped Shiva in this place, giving the name "Vedaranyam" to the place. According to another Hindu legend,
Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...
, the seventh
avatar Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...
of god
Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...
, is believed to have visited Vedaranyam to absolve himself from sins committed in the war against the demon king
Ravana According to the Mahakavya, Hindu epic, ''Ramayana'', Ravana was a kingJustin W. Henry, ''Ravana's Kingdom: The Ramayana and Sri Lankan History from Below'', Oxford University Press, p.3 of the island of Lanka, in which he is the chief antag ...
. The footprints of Rama is preserved in a place called Ramar Padam near Vedaranyam. According to a Tamil legend, the Vedas locked the gates of the temple after worshipping Shiva. The
Nayanmars The Nayanars (or Nayanmars; , and later 'teachers of Shiva') were a group of 63 Tamil Hindu saints living during the 6th to 8th centuries CE who were devoted to the Hindu god Shiva. Along with the Alvars, their contemporaries who were devoted ...
(Saiva saints)
Appar Appar (), also referred to as Tirunavukkaracar () or Navukkarasar, was a seventh-century Tamil Shaiva poet-saint. Born in a peasant Shaiva family, raised as an orphan by his sister, he lived about 80 years and is generally placed sometime betwe ...
and
Tirugnanasambandar Sambandar (Tamil: சம்பந்தர், romanized: ''Campantar''), also referred to as Thirugnana Sambandar (Tamil: திருஞானசம்பந்தர், romanized: ''Tiruñāṉacampantar''), was a Shaiva poet-saint of Tami ...
could not enter the locked temple. At this, on Tirugnanasambandar's request, Appar sang devotional hymns praising Shiva, after which the gates opened. Tirugnanasambandar's devotional hymns locked the gates again.


History

The recorded history of Vedaranyam is found from the inscriptions in Vedaranyeswarar Temple. The inscriptions date from the reign of Aditya Chola (871–907),
Rajaraja Chola I Rajaraja I (Middle Tamil: ''Rājarāja Cōḻaṉ''; Classical Sanskrit: ''Rājarāja Śōḷa''; 3 November 947 – January/February 1014), also known as Rajaraja the Great, was a Chola Empire, Chola emperor who reigned from 985 to 1014. He ...
(985–1014),
Rajendra Chola I Rajendra I (26 July 971 – 1044), often referred to as Rajendra the Great, was a Chola Empire, Chola Emperor who reigned from 1014 to 1044. He was born in Thanjavur to Rajaraja I. His queen was Vanavan Mahadevi and he assumed royal power as ...
(1012–1044) and
Kulothunga Chola I Kulottunga Chola I ('; Middle Tamil: Kulōttuṅka Cōḻaṉ; Classical Sanskrit: Kulottuṅgā Cōḷa; 1025–1122) also spelt Kulothunga (), born Rajendra Chalukya ( Telugu: Rājēndra Cāḷukyuḍu), was a Chola Emperor who reigned fro ...
(1070–1120) indicating various grants to the temple. Paranjothi Munivar, a 13th-century saint, who wrote the book ''
Thiruvilaiyadal Puranam The ''Thiruvilaiyadal Puranam'' (; ) is a collection of sixty-four 16th to 17th-century Shaivite devotional epic stories by the sage Paranjothi Munivar. They describe the actions of Shiva on earth in a number of disguises to test and help his dev ...
'', was born at Vedaranyam. Vedaranyam continued to be a part of the Chola Empire and the Chola region emerged as a centre of Saivism during the reign of Kulothunga Chola I (1070–1120). After the fall of Cholas during the reign of
Rajendra Chola III Rajendra Chola III (reigned 1246–1279) was the last Chola emperor, who reigned from 1246 until his death in 1279. Rajendra began to take effective control over the administration, and epigraphs of Rajendra Chola III indicate there was civil ...
in the 13th century, the erstwhile Chola region was caught under a power struggle between Pandyas and
Hoysalas The Hoysala Kingdom was a kingdom originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka, parts of Tamilnadu and South-Western Telangana between the 11th and the 14th centuries CE. The capital of the Hoysalas was i ...
. The royal patronage continued to the temple during the rule of the Nayaks. The Negapatam region (modern day Nagapattinam district) was briefly captured by French troops led by Lally (1702–66) in 1759. The Tanjore district was annexed by British after the French failed to subdue the king of Tanjore. During the British period, Vedaranyam was part of Thiruthuraipoondi Taluk under Tanjore district. Salt from Vedaranyam was transported to Nagapttinam port through a long canal. The channel was constructed in 1869 because road transportation facilities between these two towns were limited. During India's independence struggle, Gandhi launched the Dandi March along India's west coast to protest against the sales tax levied on salt extraction. His close associate
C. Rajagopalachari Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (10 December 1878 – 25 December 1972), popularly known as Rajaji or C.R., also known as Mootharignar Rajaji (Rajaji'', the Scholar Emeritus''), was an Indian statesman, writer, lawyer, and Indian independence ...
, who would later become independent India's first
Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...
, carried out a salt march in parallel, on the east coast starting from Trichonopoly (modern day
Tiruchirappalli Tiruchirappalli (), also known as Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with being the best livable and the cleanest city of T ...
) to Vedaranyam. His group, having people like Sardar Vedaratnam, started from Tiruchirappalli, in
Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency or Madras Province, officially called the Presidency of Fort St. George until 1937, was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India and later the Dominion of India. At its greatest extent, the presidency i ...
(now part of Tamil Nadu), to the coast of the town. After making illegal salt there on 30 April 1930, the group was arrested by the British. After India's independence, Vedaranyam continued to be a part of
Thanjavur district Thanjavur District is one of the Districts of Tamil Nadu, 38 districts of the States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. Its headquarters is Thanjavur (Tanjore) . The district is located in the delta of the Cauv ...
until 1991, and later became part of the newly created Nagapattinam district.


Geography

Vedaranyam has an average elevation of and is located on the Coramandel coast of
Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. Geographically it is positioned between the Indian subcontinent and the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese peninsula, located below the Bengal region. Many South Asian and Southe ...
. The Vedaranyam swamp is located parallel to the
Palk Strait Palk Strait is a strait between the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It connects the Palk Bay in the Bay of Bengal in the north with the Gulf of Mannar in the Laccadive sea in the south. It stretches for about ...
for . The river Cauvery was flowing south easterly direction from Trichy and had its confluence at Vedaranyam due to the emergence of Vedaranyam nose (the nose shaped stretch from Vedaranyam to Kodiyakarai) during the
pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...
period. Due to the rise of tertiary rocks in the Pattukottai – Mannargudi region and also due to the increase of sediments in the Vedaranyam area, the river migrated northwards. There is lesser marine activity in the Vedaranyam shore due to the presence of Vedaranyam nose in the north and
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
in the south, both causing weak shore currents. The quality of ground water is poor compared to the northern shores of Tamil Nadu due to the presence of marine and semi-marine origin in sediments. The images from the satellite IRS 1A shows
Thiruthuraipoondi Thiruthuraipoondi is a municipality in Tiruvarur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thiruthuraipoondi is an agricultural town located south of Thiruvarur district. The town is located at a distance of 28 km (17 mi) from the dis ...
was a coastal town (which is an inland in modern times) and the sea has regressed up to Vedaranyam in modern times. The analysis of backwaters from 1932 to 1992 indicates considerable enlargement in the region and occurrence of number of sand bodies. Modern day Vedaranyam has five fresh water channels from river Cauvery draining into the swamp. The total area of the swamp is about , with width in the northwestern part and width in the western side. The Kodikarai wildlife reserve is located in the extreme eastern portion of the swamp. The northern tip of the swamp obtains continuous source of fresh, saline or brackish water during the south west monsoon and dries up during the summer season. The swamp is used for salt extraction and other marine-based industries. The swamps are filled by two periodical high tides that occur during the full moon days of May and June. The swamp along with the sanctuary is the important wintering and staging area for waders and water birds.


Demographics and economy

According to 2011 census, Vedaranyam had a population of 34,266 with a sex-ratio of 1,068 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929. A total of 3,261 were under the age of six, constituting 1,711 males and 1,550 females. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 14.91% and .2% of the population respectively. The average literacy of the town was 77.86%, compared to the national average of 72.99%. The town had a total of : 8665 households. There were a total of 12,694 workers, comprising 835 cultivators, 912 main agricultural labourers, 98 in house hold industries, 3,440 other workers, 7,409 marginal workers, 421 marginal cultivators, 2,277 marginal agricultural labourers, 175 marginal workers in household industries and 4,536 other marginal workers. As per the religious census of 2011, Vedaranyam had 90.17%
Hindus Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
, 8.93%
Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
, 0.74%
Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...
, 0.09%
Jains Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and ...
and 0.07% following other religions. The primary economic activities of the region are salt-manufacturing, fishing, salt water prawn culture and agriculture. Saltpans (crystallisers) are spread over along the coastline, including those of small, medium and large salt manufacturers. According to estimates, about 3.5 lakh tonnes of salt is produced annually in the region. The salt industry employs around 20,000 people. Some of the major private companies like Chemplast Sanmar, Vedaranyam Marine Products have salt manufacturing units in Vedaranyam. Salt manufacturing, the traditional occupation of the town, has been overshadowed by prawn cultivation since the 90s. All major nationalized banks such as
Indian Bank Indian Bank is an Indian public sector bank, established in 1907 and headquartered in Chennai. It serves over 100 million customers with 40,002 employees, 5,901 branches with 5,268 ATMs and Cash deposit machines. Total business of the bank has ...
,
Canara Bank Canara Bank is an Indian public sector bank based in Bangalore, India. Established in 1906 at Mangalore by Ammembal Subba Rao Pai. The bank was nationalized in 1969. Canara Bank also has offices in London, Dubai and New York. History Amm ...
and
Indian Overseas Bank Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) is an Indian public sector bank based in Chennai. During the nationalisation, IOB was one of the 14 major banks taken over by the government of India. On 5 December 2021, IOB got Degidhan Award 2020–21 by Ministry ...
and private banks like
City Union Bank City Union Bank Limited is an Indian private sector bank headquartered in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu. The bank was initially named Kumbakonam Bank Limited, and was incorporated on 31 October 1904. The bank preferred the role of a regional bank in ...
have their branches in Vedaranyam.


Municipal administration and politics

Vedaranyam is administered by a second grade municipality. It was originally declared a third grade municipality on 28 August 2004 and promoted to a second grade municipality on 9 August 2010. The municipality has 21 wards and there is an elected councillor for each of those wards. The municipality has 3 revenue villages namely Vedaranyam, Thoputhurai and Agasthyanpalli. The functions of the municipality are devolved into five departments: General administration, Engineering, Revenue, Public Health and Town planning. All these departments are under the control of a Municipal Commissioner who is the supreme executive head. The legislative powers are vested in a body of 21 members, one each from the 21 wards. The legislative body is headed by an elected Chairperson assisted by a Deputy Chairperson. The town became part of Nagapattinam district since January 1997 when the Nagapattinam district was created as a separate district. Vedaranyam comes under the Vedaranyam assembly constituency and it elects a member to the
Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It has a strength of 234 members, all of whom are democratically elected using the first-past-the-post system. The presiding office ...
once every five years. From the 1977 elections, the assembly seat was won by
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; ; DMK) is an Indian political party based in the state of Tamil Nadu, where it is currently the ruling party, and the union territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry, where it is currently the main ...
(DMK) five times during 1977, 1984, 1996, 2001 and 2006 elections,
Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; AIADMK, also abbreviated as ADMK), also shortened to Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, is an Indian regional political party with great influence in the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory ...
(ADMK) three times during 1980, 2011 and 2016 elections and
Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
for two times during 1989 and 1991 elections. The current MLA of the constituency is O. S. Manian from the ADMK party. Vedaranyam is a part of the
Nagapattinam (Lok Sabha constituency) Nagapattinam is a Lok Sabha constituency in Tamil Nadu. Its Tamil Nadu Parliamentary Constituency number is 29 of 39. The seat is reserved for Scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, scheduled castes. The constituency is noted for being an histor ...
 – it has the following six assembly constituencies – Thiruvarur,
Nagapattinam Nagapattinam (''nākappaṭṭinam'', previously spelt Nagapatnam or Negapatam) is a town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Nagapattinam district. The town came to prominence during the period of Medieval ...
,
Thiruthuraipoondi Thiruthuraipoondi is a municipality in Tiruvarur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thiruthuraipoondi is an agricultural town located south of Thiruvarur district. The town is located at a distance of 28 km (17 mi) from the dis ...
, Vedaranyam, Kilvelur (SC) and
Nannilam Nannilam is a Town and Taluk in Thiruvarur District in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu. It is the headquarters town for Nannilam Taluk. The town is a main hub for the nearby villages. Many of the population are f ...
. The current Member of Parliament from the constituency is A.K.S. Vijayan from the DMK. From 1957, the Nagapattinam parliament seat was held by the Indian National Congress for five times during 1957–1961, 1962–67, 1967–71, 1991–96, and 1996–98 elections. CPI won the seat for 5 times during 1971–77, 1977–80, 1989–91, 1996–98 and 1998 elections. DMK won 4 times during 1980–84, 1999–2004, 2004–09 and 2011 elections. ADMK won the seat once during 1984–89. Law and order in Vedaranyam is maintained by the Nagapattinam sub division of
Tamil Nadu Police Tamil Nadu Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is over 150 years old and is the fifth largest state police force in India.
headed by a Deputy Superintendent. There is one police station in the town. There are special units like prohibition enforcement, district crime, social justice and human rights, district crime records and special branch that operate at the district level police division headed by a Superintendent of Police.


Landmarks

The Vedaranyeswarar temple, an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to
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 ...
, is located in Vedaranyam. The temple has a shrine for Thyagaraja (a form of Shiva), known for "Hamsapthanathaanam", the dance pose similar to the gait of a swan. According to legend, a Chola king named Mucukunta obtained a boon from
Indra Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war.  volumes Indra is the m ...
(a celestial deity) to receive an image of Thyagaraja from the Hindu god Vishnu. Indra tricked the king with six other duplicate images, but the king chose the right image which was later installed at
Thyagaraja Temple, Tiruvarur Thyagaraja Temple is a Shiva temple, located in the town of Thiruvarur in Tamil Nadu state, India. Shiva is worshiped in the form of a lingam as Thyagarajaswami, also known as ''Putridankondar''. His consort Parvati is worshipped as Goddess ''Ne ...
. The remaining six images were installed in
Dharbaranyeswarar Temple Dharbaranyeswarar Temple, more popularly known as Tirunallar Saniswaran Temple, is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Shiva, located in the Thirunallar village of the Karaikal district, in the Union territory of Puducherry, Southeastern Indi ...
, Kayarohanaswamy Temple, Kannayariamudayar Temple, Brahmapureeswarar Temple, Vaimoornaathar Temple and Vedaranyeswarar Temple. All seven Thyagaraja images are believed to possess different dance styles and the temples are classified as ''Saptha Vidangam'', meaning temples with the seven dance moves. The twin festivals celebrated during the full moon days of Tamil month Adi (July – August) and Thai (January – February) attract large number of pilgrims from whole of Tamil Nadu. Pilgrims take a holy dip in the seashore round the year and the holy dip is considered similar to the worship practises at
Rameswaram Rameswaram (; also transliterated as Ramesvaram, Rameshwaram) is a municipality in the Ramanathapuram district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is on Pamban Island separated from mainland India by the Pamban channel and is about from ...
. The Salt Sathyagraga Memorial Stupe built in memory of the salt march during India's independence movement is another prominent landmark in Vedaranyam. The tourist destinations around the town are Ayurvedic Medicinal Forest,
Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary is a protected area in Tamil Nadu, South India, covering along the Palk Strait where it meets the Bay of Bengal at Point Calimere at the southeastern tip of Nagapattinam District. It was created in 19 ...
located Point Calimere at a distance of , Historical Light House, Ramar Paatham, Ettukudi Murugan temple located at a distance of and
Our Lady of Good Health Our Lady of Good Health ( ''Ārōkkiya annai''), also known as Our Lady of Vailankanni, is a Titles of Mary, title given to the Veneration of Mary in the Catholic Church, Blessed Virgin Mary by devotees. She is said to have appeared twice in t ...
, Velankanni located at a distance of from the town.


Transport, education and utility services

Vedaranyam municipality accommodates of roads: of cement roads, of bituminous roads, of WBM roads and of earthen roads. The municipality maintains a bus stand that accommodates local as well as long-distance buses. Bus is the primary mode of public transport from the town. There was a railway branch line connecting Vedaranyam to
Mayiladuthurai Mayiladuthurai (formerly known as Mayavaram or Mayuram) is a :ta:சிறப்பு நிலை நகராட்சிகள், Special Grade Municipality and district headquarters of Mayiladuthurai district in Tamil Nadu, India. The town ...
via
Thiruthuraipoondi Thiruthuraipoondi is a municipality in Tiruvarur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thiruthuraipoondi is an agricultural town located south of Thiruvarur district. The town is located at a distance of 28 km (17 mi) from the dis ...
and ending at Agastiyampalli. The line was opened to passenger traffic on 15 May 1919. The railway line is discontinued and in turn affects the economy of the town. The nearest railway station is located at , located away from the town. The nearest Airport is Tiruchirapalli Airport, located away from Vedaranyam. Vedaranyam has three elementary schools, three middle schools, four high schools and three higher secondary schools. The Bharathidasan University started the Bharthidasan University Model College in 2011, the first government college in the town. The college offers arts and science related courses. Electricity supply to Vedaranyam is regulated and distributed by the Nagapattinam circle of Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB). Water supply project through the Vedaranyam Municipality is approved by the Commissioner of Municipal Administration, Chennai. Water is obtained from hand pumps and fountains located in various parts of the town. Door to door collection of garbage is done by sanitary workers of the municipality and about 6 metric tonnes of solid waste are collected from the town every day. Vedaranyam municipality does not have underground drainage system and the current sewerage system for disposal of sullage is through septic tanks and public conveniences. Vedaranyam comes under the Nagapattinam Telecom circle of the
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (commonly known as BSNL) () is an Indian Public Sector Undertakings in India, central public sector undertaking, under the ownership of Department of Telecommunications, which is part of the Ministry of Communicatio ...
(BSNL), India's state-owned telecom and internet services provider. Apart from telecom, BSNL also provides
broadband internet In telecommunications, broadband or high speed is the wide- bandwidth data transmission that exploits signals at a wide spread of frequencies or several different simultaneous frequencies, and is used in fast Internet access. The transmission m ...
service There is a government hospital and two private hospitals in the town. Rajaji Park and Gandhi Park are the two parks maintained by the municipality.


Notes


Footnotes

* The municipalities in Tamil Nadu are graded special, selection, grade I and grade II based on income and population. While "grade II" is the official classification, all the municipal websites use "second grade". * Satellite pictures and carbon dating of some ancient beaches between Thiruthuraipoondi and Kodiyakarai show the Thiruthuraipoondi beach dates back 6,000 years and the Kodiyakarai beach 1,100 years. In other words, the sea was near Thiruthuraipoondi 6,000 years ago and reached Kodiyakarai around 1,100 years ago. Source: Thiruthuraipoondi#Geography.


Citations


References

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External links


Vedaranyam municipality official website
{{Municipalities of Tamil Nadu Cities and towns in Nagapattinam district