Watrap {{IPA-ta, ʋattiɾaːjiɾɯppɯ, lang) is a

taluk A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

Virudhunagar Virudhunagar is a city and the administrative headquarter of the Virudhunagar district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located southwest of the state capital Chennai and south of Madurai. Virudhunagar emerged as an important trade ...

District, in the Indian 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 ...

History

Watrap's traditional name before the British came was Vatratha Iruppu, which translates as "surplus water".

Culture

A Perumal temple (Pěrumāḷ Kōyil, பெருமாள் கோயில்) sits in the centre of the village and a

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

and

Hanuman Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...

temple is at the outskirts of the village. The holy uphill shrine "Sundara Mahalingam (Lord Shiva) temple" (also known as Thaani Paarai and Sathuragiri Malai) is there. ''Aadi amavasai'' (New Moon Day in the month of

Aadi Aadi or Aadhi or AADI may refer to: Calendars * Aadi, the fourth month of the Tamil calendar. Media Film * ''Aadi'' (2002 film), a 2002 Telugu film. * ''Aathi'', a 2006 Tamil film. * ''Aadi'' (2016 film), a 2016 Bengali film. * ''Aadhi'', ...

) is when devotees throng here. A Krishna, Rukmini and Sathyabama temple called Gopala Swamy Malai tops a small hill, 22 km from Watrap. A Shiva Cave temple called Motta Malai is 16 km from Watrap.

Economy

Agriculture is the primary livelihood. The main work is cultivatioagriculture, led by paddy, coconut and cotton. Branches of State Bank of India, Union Bank of India, Virudhunagar District Cooperative Bank and Rural Cooperative Bank are there.

Education

Three government-aided schools and two private schools operate there.

Geography

The town sits on the bank of the Arjuna River. Dams Pilavakal (பிளவக்கல் அணை) and Kovilaaru provide irrigation.

Sathuragiri Hills Sathuragiri Hills (; ), also known as "Chathuragiri" or "Sundara Mahalingam", is a pilgrimage site located 10 km from Watrap, near Srivilliputhur, in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India. The hills are a part of the Western ghats. Ther ...

contains dense tropical greenery, undisturbed forests and wildlife. Natural caves, some 2 km away from Sathuragiri temple and a fresh water pond at the top of the hill attract visitors. Perrumal Mottai is the highest and coldest spot in these hills. Natural spring Maavuthu (big spring) us 8 km from Watrap. It is situated at the foot of the western Ghats.

References

Villages in Virudhunagar district Taluks of Virudhunagar district