Journal of Information and Computational Science ISSN: 1548-7741 TUTICORIN PORT DEVELOPMENT UNDER RAILWAYS Dr.K.Marimuthu Guest Lecturer Department of History Bharathidasan University Tiruchirappalli-24, Tamil Nadu, India
[email protected] Abstract The Port of Tuticorin is important as it forms the Southernmost Port on the east coast and has the largest trade in South India. In his enumeration of ports on the east coast of India. The first railway line, on South Indian Railway from Madurai to Thoothukudi was opened on 1st January 1876, to a distance of 157.9 Km. and from Thoothukudi to Foreshore (0.65 Km.) on 7th August 1899. The section of railway line from Maniyachi to Tirunelveli (28 km) was opened on 1st January, 1876. Keywords— Tuticorin, Port, Hinterland, Industry, Railways I INTRODUCTION Thoothukudi formed a part of Pandyan Kingdom from the 7th century and the Chola Kingdom from the 9th to 12th Centuries. There is a little doubt that the Chola invasion of Ceylon was launched from Thoothukudi, the base closest to Sri Lanka (llangai). The obvious advantage of a well guarded and convenient roadstead where sailing vessels and ships can anchor and were silting poses no problem throughout Thoothukudi to the forefront as a Port. Lured by the wealth of Tamil Nadu, travellers, adventurers and colonisers locked the East Coast. The Portuguese who first came in 1 532 were engaged in spreading Christianity along the fishing coast apart from trade activities. In 1542 St.Francis Xavier landed in Thoothukudi. The flourishing trade of Portuguese in Thoothukudi attracted the Dutch who had by then occupied Sri Lanka and took over Thoothukudi in 1658.