Ettayapuram

Ettayapuram எட்டையாபுரம்
city
Ettappan's palace Ettappan's palace
Ettayapuram
Coordinates:
Country	India
State	Tamil Nadu
District	Thoothukudi
Government
• Chairperson of Town Panchayat	K. Govindha Raja Perumal
Elevation	60 m (200 ft)
Population (2001)
• Total	12,800
Languages
• Official	Tamil
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	628902
Telephone code	04632
Vehicle registration	TN 69 Z
Sex ratio	52:48 ♂/♀

Ettayapuram is a panchayat town in Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the birthplace of Tamil poets Mahakavi Bharathiar and Umaru Pulavar. Muthuswami Dikshitar, one of the triad of Carnatic music was patronized in his final years by the ruler of Ettayapuram.

File:HandLoomInEttayapuram.jpg

Weaving with a handloom in Ettayapuram

History

Ettayapuram was originally Ilasanadu, which was ruled by the Pandya Kings. After the Pandyas, Ettappan was appointed as Zamindar by Madurai Nayak dynasty under the supervision of Vijayanagara empire. After 150 years of rule by the descendants of Ettappan, Ilasanadu became Ettayapuram in 1565.

Civic administration

Ettayapuram is a town panchayat that is part of the Thoothukudi district, which was carved out of the erstwhile Tirunelveli district. It was in Kovilpatti constituency till 2006 general Elections and Now it comes under the Vilathikulam constituency of Tamil Nadu legislative assembly from 2011 Elections.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Ettayapuram had a population of 12,800. Males constitute 48% of the population and females 52%. Ettayapuram has an average literacy rate of 69%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 78%, and female literacy is 61%. In Ettayapuram, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Economy

People of Ettayapuram are primarily engaged in weaving, making matches and agriculture. Traditional weavers weave cotton yarn using handlooms. Small companies operate power looms and allied trades of preparing the thread for weaving and dyeing. The other major industry is the manufacture of match boxes, which includes manufacturing small boxes that contain matchsticks, preparing match sticks and loading them on to the matchboxes. The area of land under cultivation has fallen due to failing rains and relatively poor soil fertility. The soil type is black soil, which supports crops like kezhvaragu, cumbu, cholam, cotton and sunflower. Kanni breed of goats, a drought-resistant variety reared for its meat, is most common in this region.

Transport

Ettayapuram is connected to Madurai, Thoothukkudi, and Tirunelveli by road. The nearest railway station is Kovilpatti, which is 15 km from Ettayapuram.

Places of interest

The house in Ettayapuram where Bharathiar was born

• Bharathiar's House
• Bharathy's Memorial
• Muthuswamy Dikshitar's Memorial
• Umaru Pulavar Dargah
• Ettappan's Palace
• Kali Temple
• Vandimalaya Sametha Vandimalaichiamman Temple
• Sri Suppusamy Samathi

Notable people

Subramanya Bharathy, better known as Mahakavi Bharathiar was born here on 11 December 1882. A prolific writer, philosopher and a great visionary of immense genius and perspicacity, Bharathiar was also one of the most prominent leaders of the Indian independence movement in South India. Ettappan, after whom the place was named carried a negative impression as he gave away the information regarding Veerapandiya Kattabomman's whereabouts to the British, which eventually led to his arrest and hanging. Ettappan became a metaphor for a traitor. His namesake descendants were involved in welfare activities including arrangements for water supply through huge tanks and patronized poets and musicians including Bharathy and Muthuswami Dikshitar.

See also

• Ettaiyapuram estate

External links

• Tamilnadu Government Site on Ettayapuram
• Tamilnadu Government Site on Ettayapuram History & Tourism
• Ettayapuram Town Panchayat