Tharuvaikulam is a
village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...
in
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 ...
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 ...
in southern
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 ...
. There are about 3,000, mostly
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, families living there. It falls under the Roman Catholic diocese of Thoothukudi and the feast of
St.Michael is a popular religious festival.
Geography
Tharuvaikulam is located 10 km from
Thoothukudi near the
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line between ...
in
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 ...
.
History
Catholic settlement is believed to have started as early as 1750. At that time the village was located in Kaamanaikanpatti Parish and then in Vembar. In 1907 the present Taruvaikulam Parish was created.
Originally, people were fully dependent on palm trees and fishing. Later, in 1974, a match factory was built by Rev. Fr. Ambrose, providing jobs and income to thousands of villagers.
Places of interest
*Church of St. Michael – The first stone built church was built in 1875 and the present church was built in 1922. The {{convert, 26, m, abbr=on tower was built in 1960 by Rev. Fr. Maria Manikam by receiving contributions from the villagers. From 20 to 29 September every year the church attracts a huge crowd for the feast of St. Michael.
*Church of St. Nicholas – The church of St. Nicholas resides in the centre of Tharuvaikulam. It is famous for its festival, which occurs at the end of January.
*Church of St. Antony
*Tharuvaikulam Beach
*Statue of Kamaraj
Economy
Fishing is the major industry, with fish such as tiger prawns and lobsters being mostly exported. Coral mining and diving for conches is also performed, though activity is declining. The government actively discourages these activities as Tharuvaikulam falls under the
Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park
The Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park is a protected area of India consisting of 21 small islands (islets) and adjacent coral reefs in the Gulf of Mannar in the Indian Ocean. It lies 1 to 10 km away from the east coast of Tamil Nadu, Indi ...
.
A number of prawn hatcheries had sprouted up since 1990, but most shut down by 2000.
Salt mining is another lucrative industry. Production is mostly for industrial use.
Early in its history there was a flourishing trade in palm tree products which has gradually declined over time.
Agriculture is practiced on a small scale. Tharuvaikulam tomatoes are quite popular in the region. Red chilies are another favorite from the region. The vagaries of weather, however do not permit regular cultivation.
External links
Yahoo! GroupsHome of TharuvaikulamLatest news from ThoothukudiOfficial website of Thoothukudi District
Villages in Thoothukudi district
Thoothukudi