Devakottai is a first-grade
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in the state of
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is 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 India ...
, India. Located in the
Sivaganga district, the town is situated close to the
Karaikudi
Karaikudi is a Greater municipality in Sivaganga district, Sivagangai district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu. It is the 21st largest urban agglomeration of Tamil Nadu based on 2011 census data. It is part of t ...
, near Rameswaram National Highway Road (NH-210). It is one of the major cities comes under the Chettinad area with rich heritage of houses built with limestone called "Karai Veedu". This Region is one of the towns in
Chettinad
Chettinad (also known as Chettinadu) is a region located mainly in the Sivaganga district historically ruled by Ramnad kingdom of Pandya Nadu and has a small portion extending into the Pudukottai District in Tamil Nadu, India..Karaikudi and ...
belt. The town is famous for its ancient temple Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple also known as Nagara Sivan Kovil.
As of 2011, the town had a population of 76,037.
History
The name "Devakottai" is derived from the Tamil word "Devi Kottai", meaning ''the fort of a Goddess''.
Devakottai was an active town in the
Indian Independence Movement
The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947.
The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...
. The
municipal court City court or municipal court is a court of law with jurisdiction limited to a city or other municipality. It typically addresses "violations of city ordinances and may also have jurisdiction over minor criminal cases...and over certain civil cases ...
of Devakottai was burned to the ground during the
Quit India Movement
The Quit India Movement, also known as the August Kranti Movement, was a movement launched at the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee by Mahatma Gandhi on 8th August 1942, during World War II, demanding an end to British rule in ...
. This leads to the town becoming one of the historical landmarks of
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is 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 India ...
with typical building structures and monuments.
Devakottai is now under the
Karaikudi
Karaikudi is a Greater municipality in Sivaganga district, Sivagangai district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu. It is the 21st largest urban agglomeration of Tamil Nadu based on 2011 census data. It is part of t ...
constituency following the reformation of constituencies. However, for parliamentary elections, it comes under the
Sivaganga
Sivaganga () is a city and headquarters of the Sivaganga district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Sivaganga is a rani velunachiyar kingdom of Tamil Nadu. It is an important city in this district for official and commercial purposes. Its ni ...
constituency.
Demographics
Devakottai is Taluk in Tamil Nadu state, Devakottai Taluk population in 2022 is 97,327. According to 2011 census of India, Total Devakottai population is 76,037 people are living in this Taluk, of which 38,448 are male and 37,589 are female. Population of Devakottai in 2021 is 94,286 Literate people are 54,080 out of 30,517 are male and 23,563 are female. Total workers are 42,674 depends on multi skills out of which 24,638 are men and 18,036 are women. Total 13,697 Cultivators are depended on agriculture farming out of 8,297 are cultivated by men and 5,400 are women. 5,900 people works in agricultural land as a labour in Devakottai, men are 3,069 and 2,831 are women.
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...
accounted for 8.5% and 0.16% of the population respectively. The average literacy of the town was 80.95%, compared to the national average of 72.99%.
In total, the town had 13192 households. In particular, there were a total of 18,696 workers, comprising 865 cultivators, 415 main agricultural laborers, 219 in house hold industries, 14,056 other workers, 3,141 marginal workers, 53 marginal cultivators, 1,011 marginal agricultural laborers, 58 marginal workers in household industries and 2,019 other marginal workers.
As per the religious census of 2011, Devakottai had 82.85%
Hindus
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
, 9.92%
Muslims
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...
, 7.%
Christians
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
, 0.02%
Sikhs
Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism (Sikhi), a monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ...
, 0.01%
Jains
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...
and 0.2% following other religions.
Transport
Devakottai is situated on
Tiruchirappalli
Tiruchirappalli () ( formerly Trichinopoly in English), also called Tiruchi or 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 bein ...
-
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 40 kilo ...
National Highway Road (NH-210). The nearest airport is in
Madurai
Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...
, about 92 km away. The nearest major railway station is Devakottai Road Railway Station.
There are frequent bus services available in Devakottai. Regular bus services are available to all important cities of Tamil Nadu.
Culture
The town is famous for its ancient temple, Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple also known as Nagara Sivan Kovil. This temple is associated with
Sekkizhar
Sēkkilān Mādēvadigal Rāmadēva (12th century CE), known popularly by his family name as Sekkizhar, was a saint and a contemporary of Kulottunga Chola II. He compiled and wrote the ''Periya Puranam'' (Great Story or Narrative) in 4253 vers ...
, one of the famous Nayanars, who wrote Periapuranam, an epic eulogizing Lord shiva, hence the temple is also known as Sekkizhar temple. The temple is a big complex housed next to a vast sacred pond. Lord Sundareswarar and his consort Meenakshi are housed in separate shrines with separate rajagopurams. The town also has an
Agraharam
An ''Agraharam'' or ''Agrahara'' was a grant of land and royal income from it, typically by a king or a noble family in India, for religious purposes, particularly to Brahmins to maintain temples in that land or a pilgrimage site and to susta ...
which locals identify to as the ''Sivankoil Agraharam''.
The town is known for its rich and traditional culture where the community of
Nagarathar
The Nagarathar (also known as Nattukottai Chettiar) is a Tamil people, Tamil caste found native in Tamil Nadu, India. They are a mercantile community who are traditionally involved in commerce, banking and Money-Lending, money lending.
They u ...
s play a big role. The Kandar Sasti Vizha, a festival for the rich culture of Devakottai, has been conducted by Kandar Sasti Vizha Kazhagam for the past 68 years (as of the year 2013) at the Nagara Sivan Kovil, at Devakottai.
Notable people
*Dr.
Soma Valliappan
Soma Valliyappan is an Indian writer, speaker, trainer, and an expert in the areas of Human Resource Management, Personality development, and Financial Investments. He has written over 60 books in Tamil and English on various subjects including ...
Writer.
*
S Vasanth veteran Cinema Director.
*
Charles Borromeo
Charles Borromeo ( it, Carlo Borromeo; la, Carolus Borromeus; 2 October 1538 – 3 November 1584) was the Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584 and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was a leading figure of the Counter-Reformation combat a ...
, a track and field athlete won a gold medal at the 1982 Asian Games in Delhi with a record time of 1:46:81 seconds. He was awarded the Arjuna Award in 1982 and the Padma Shri in 1984 by the Government of India.
*
Justice A.R. Lakshmanan, the first Supreme Court Judge from Tamil Nadu. He was also Chief Justice of the High Court of Kerala, High Court of Andhra Pradesh. He was the president of the National Law Commission. Currently, he is the member representing Mullaiperiyar Dam Commission headed by Justice A. Anand.
*
M. Karpaga Vinayagam
M. Karpaga Vinayagam (born 16 May 1946) is one of the greatest Indian Judge, Tamil scholar and former Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court.
Early life
Vinayagam was born in 1946 at Devakottai, Tamil Nadu in a family with legal background. He ...
, Former Chief Justice of
Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court is one of the newest high courts in India. It was established in 2000. The court has jurisdiction over Jharkhand state.
The seat of the court is at Ranchi, the administrative capital of the state. The court has a sa ...
.
*Dr.
Devakottai Ramanathan orator.
References
External links
Devakottai Municipality
{{Chettinad Villages
Cities and towns in Sivaganga district