Kayathar / Kayatharu is a

panchayat town A nagar panchayat (town panchayat; ) or Notified Area Council (NAC) in India is a settlement in transition from rural to urban and therefore a form of an urban political unit comparable to a municipality. An urban centre with more than 12,000 ...

Thoothukudi district Thoothukudi District is one of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The district was formed by bifurcation of Tirunelveli district on 20 October 1986. Thoothukudi is the district headquarters and largest city of the distric ...

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 ...

Etymology

Kayathar / Kayatharu means "bitter river", from ''Aaru'' (Tamil for river) and ''kayarpu/kasappu'' (Tamil for bitter). This name may refer to the river flowing through the town and was attributed to Sri Kodhandaramar who always wore a ''thulasi malai'' (in English "basil garland" which has a bitter taste) and whose temple is located on the banks of the river. Arulmigu Kothandarameswarar Temple located here is one of the oldest temples in Thoothukudi district.

History

The last Pandiya King, Marthanda Varman, fought and lost to the Nayakar Dynasty at Kayathar. The local chief Veerapandiya Kattabomman, whose fort was located near Kayathar (Panchalan kurichi), was hanged by the British in this place. A statue commemorating him was built in Kayathar by Tamil cinema actor

Sivaji Ganeshan Villupuram Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy, better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001) was an Indian actor and producer. He was active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th century. Sivaji Gan ...

. The poet Kalamega Kavi came to Kayathar and was hungry but didn't get any food in the Perumal temple. He was forced to carry Lord Perumal statue and was frustrated by his hunger. He sang poems to destroy the Perumal temple. After much decay it has been rebuilt in 2009. The patriotic and revolutionary poet Mundasu Kavi Thiru Bharathiyaar was born near Kayathar (Ettayapuram).

Geography

It is situated along National Highway 7 (NH7) between

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

and

Kovilpatti Kovilpatti is an Industrial City and Special Grade Municipality in Thoothukudi District in the Indian States of India, state of Tamil Nadu. History The town already existed before 1876. Kovilpatti was a water stop for steam engines after the ...

. Kayathar / Kayatharu is situated about from

on the way to

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 ...

Veerapandiya Kattabomman Veerapandiya Kattabomman was an 18th-century Tamil Palayakarrar and king of Panchalankurichi in Tamil Nadu, India. He refused to accept the sovereignty of the British East India Company and waged a war against them. He was captured by the Briti ...

, one of the earliest opponents of

British rule in India The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

(in the first

Polygar War The Polygar Wars or Palaiyakkarar Wars were wars fought between the Polygars (''Palaiyakkarars'') of the former Tirunelveli Kingdom in Tamil Nadu, India and the British East India Company forces between March 1799 to May 1802 or July 1805. The ...

), was hanged here on a

Tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a Legume, leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is probably indigenous to tropical Africa. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic taxon, monotypic, meaning that it contains only this species. It belongs ...

tree, by the British in 1799. A memorial to him has been built here by the

government.

Conservation

Kutti Kulam: The water harvesting area. The rain water is saved in this pool for agricultural usage.

Demographics

Population

India

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

, Kayatharu had a population of 9497. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Kayatharu has an average literacy rate of 66%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 74%, and female literacy is 57%. In Kayatharu, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Religion

Hinduism, Christianity and Muslim. The city has temples, churches and mosque.

Economy

Mat production is a huge industry. The area is famous for heavy winds so it has windmills. The city has a weekly market, held every Thursday. There is an exclusive area for the functioning of this market. Several goods from cooking items to animals are sold here. Kayathar is the center for marketing many agricultural things for the farmers around ~50 villages.

Education

Veera Pandia Kattabomman Govt. Hr. Sec. School. The school is named after the Veerapandiya Kattabomman. He was remembered for his activism against the British. The school is located midst farm fields. And BABA MARTIC CULATION HR.SEC.SCHOOL for financially settled people for English medium.

Sports

Several cultural and sports events are arranged by the youngsters during the Pongal festival (14-20 January). The Kabadi game conducted is the most famous among those. More than 20 teams from nearby villages are participating every year.

References

{{Reflist Cities and towns in Thoothukudi district