Idaiyangudi is a village , at Idaiyangudi panchayat in Tirunelveli district in the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

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 ...

. It lies between

Uvari Uvari is a coastal village in Thisayanvilai Taluk, Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is also called Karaichuthu Uvari. The total geographical area of the Uvari is around . History According to Tamil history, the citizens of Uvari wer ...

and

Thisayanvilai Thisayanvilai is a special grade town panchayat. It is one of the taluks in Tirunelveli district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Demographics India census, Tisaiyanvilai has a population of 23,702. Males constitute 48% of the population a ...

. The nearest railway station is

Nanguneri Nanguneri is a panchayat town in Tirunelveli district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Nanguneri is a Taluk Headquarters in the District of Tirunelveli situated at a distance of from the headquarters of the District. Vanamamalai Peruma ...

and the nearest airport is in

Thoothukudi Thoothukudi (formerly Tuticorin) is a port city, a municipal corporation and an industrial city in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The city lies in the Coromandel Coast of Bay of Bengal. Thoothukudi is the capital and he ...

. It is well connected to

Thirunelveli Tirunelveli (, ta, திருநெல்வேலி, translit=Tirunelveli) also known as Nellai ( ta, நெல்லை, translit=Nellai) and historically (during British Raj, British rule) as Tinnevelly, is a major city in the Indian ...

, 40 miles north-west. This village was the recipient of the Uthamar Gandhi award in 2008.

Geography

The region is mostly semi-arid and the weather is humid though the evenings are cooler as the Bay of Bengal is just two kilometres away.

History

Robert Caldwell Robert Caldwell (7 May 1814 – 28 August 1891) was a missionary for London Missionary Society. He arrived in India at age 24, studied the local language to spread the word of Bible in a vernacular language, studies that led him to author a tex ...

, who is known as the father of Dravidian languages, spent most part of his life in this village as a missionary. He was an Irish. Due to his firm faith in Christianity, he joined a missionary and arrived India to spread Christianity. During his Indian journey, he selected this village to stay, and he decided to spread Christianity in this region. From then , he lived in this village until his death. After death, his grave remain in altar of the Holy Trinity church. To recognize his contributions for Tamil language, Robert Caldwell's house in Idaiyangudi was converted into a memorial by Government of Tamil Nadu.

Demographics

Majority of the people living here are Christians. They were mostly converted by

in the 18th century.

Landmarks

Holy Trinity Church, which is situated in the heart of the village, is considered as the landmark of this village. The church was constructed by Robert Caldwell. The church was built in Gothic style. This church was inaugurated on 6 July 1880. Most of the land around this village is owned by the church.

Education

The Caldwell Centenary Memorial Higher Secondary School caters to educational needs of the children present in the village, though many move to schools in the neighbouring places. There is a nursing college that trains students for the nursing profession.

References

{{Reflist Cities and towns in Tirunelveli district