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Home , Kollidam block, Mayiladuthurai block, Muthupet, Nagapattinam, Nagapattinam district, Nagore

Brother Mentor

NAGAPATTINAM

A Coastal District of tamilnadu, on the eastern coast, , 326 Km south of the state capital, and 145 km from trichy, a middle town.

It is known for its rich religious Heritage and communal harmony. district was carved out by bifurcating the erstwhile composite district on 18.10.1991.

Nagapattinam is a unique district with all its historical and cultural significance. It is the house of a place of worship belongs to Major faiths.

 HISTROY

 Nagappatinam is a unique District with all its historical and cultural significance. Nagappattinam is one of the constituents of chola , acclaimed as the Most Prominent among the ancient Tamil Kingdoms. Its salient features more than anything else have contributed to the glory of the cholamandalam.  Coastal town Nagappattinam was the Headquarters of a region during the period. This region has been named after Kshathiriya sigamani. One of the titles of Raja Raja Cholan. Nagappattinam was also known as Cholakula Vallippatinam .  The Heritage of the town is found in‘ the Burmese historical text’ of 3rd century B.C. The same text gives evidences of a Budha Vihar built by the great Ashoka. The chineseTraveler Hiuen Tsang also mentioned the Budha vihar in his book.  Nagappattinam is mentioned as Padarithitha in ancient Buddhist literature According to scholars avurithidal the name of the part of Nagappattinam might have been derived from the word Padarithitha is the name of the fruit tree Bhirtree [฀฀฀฀฀฀ ฀฀฀฀ in Tamil] very common in this region. ‘ ’ ‘ ’ 1

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 In ancient times, NagaNadu , Nagappattinam referred only to . Buddhist monks in

Sri Lanka had close‘ links with’ ‘this town Nagappatti’ nam.  Anaimangalam Copperplate of Kulothungachola notes that Kasiba Thera’ [Buddhist Monk]

Renovated the Buddhist temple in 6th century AD with the the‘ help of Buddhist monks of Naganadu This nagar annam vihar later came to be known as Nagananavihar .  “Pallava King” Rajasimha“ [690-728A D]” permitted a Chinese king to“ build Buddha vihar” in Nagappattinam. Hence there existed a Chinese built budha vihar in Nagappattinam.  According to Anaimangalam copper plate of Kulothunga I , sri Vijayathunga Varman of sri Vijaya kingdam built Raja Raja Perumpalli in the name of Raja Raja Cholanand [Rajendra Chola Perumpalli] in the name of Rajendra Chola in1090 A D. This budha vihar also called Sudamani vihar.

painting of sudamani vihar  was called so because it was inhabited by the Nagars. TheNagappatinam Kayaroganam temple existed even in the 6th century. , and were associated with this temple ;Kayaroganam Shivatemple is based on the Laguleesa Pusuptha Cult .

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Kayaroganam shiva temple, nagapattinam

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 Soundaraja Perumal ViashnavaTemple is one of the notable features of Nagappattinam. This favorite town of Chola Kings was also celebrated latter; by Vijaya Nagara Kings.  Portuguese had a commercial contact with this town during the Tanjore Nayakkas rule [Sevvppa Nayakkar] and [Acchuthappa Nayakkar] Portguese commercial centure was eastablished in 1554; Since then began to take root under the commercial contact, 10 -villages are taken control of by Portugese traders With the advent of Portugese Church came into existence.  In 1658, the Dutch tried to evict the Portugese town Nagappattinam to establish the commercial centre there under the agreement reached between King Vijaya Nayakkarof Thanjavoorand the Dutch on 05-01-1662. The following ten villages namely Nagappattinam Port; Puthur; Muttam, Poruvalancheri, Anthonippettai, Karureppankadu, AzhingiMangalam, Sangamangalam, Thiruthinamangalam, Manjakollai, Nariyankudi were transferred from the Portugese to the Dutch.  Ten Christian churches and a hosptial were built by the Dutch. They also released coins with the name Nagappattinam; engraved in Tamil letters. According to the agreement between the first Maratta King Egoji of Tanjore and the Dutch. Naagappattinam and surrounding villages

were handed over‘ to the’ Dutch.on 30.12.1676. Latter this town fell into the hands of the British in 1781 after the prolonged struggles 277 villages with Nagur as the Headquarters were handed over to the East companyin1779 Gold coins bearing the names Nagappattinam

Varagan and ‘Nagappattinam chornam’ were in circulation during Tanjore‘ Kings period. Thus’ the Nagappattinam has the history of over 2000 years for its credit. Today Nagappattinam remains the Head quarters of Nagappattinam District.

 GEOGRAPHY  The district of Nagapattinam was carved out by the bifurcation of the in the year 1991. This district has traditionally been referred to as East Thanjavur and Paddy granary of .  The lies on the shores of the Bay of Bengal. This is a peninsular delta district surrounded by Bay of Bengal on the East, Palk Straight on the South and land on the West and Northern side.

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 It is predominantly, a coastal district having a large coast line and the entire district is having an area of 2715.83 square kilometers. The maximum temperature of this district is 32 degree centigrade and the minimum temperature is 24.60 degree centigrade.  It has an average elevation of 9 metres (30 ft) above the mean sea level. The district has a coastline of 187 kilometres (116 mi).

 CLIMATE AND RAINFALL  The average maximum temperature of the district as a whole is about 320 C and the average minimum temperature is 24.60C. Dust storms whirl winds and dusty winds blow from various quarters towards the end of May.  The Southwest winds sets in during April, it is the strongest in June and continues till September. Northeast starts during the month of October and blow till January.  Cyclonic storm with varying wind velocity affects once in 3 or 4 years during the months of November-December. The storms affect the plantation crop. During Southwest monsoon the air is calm and undisturbed.  The Northeast monsoon which starts in October and ends in December contributes about 60% of the total annual rainfall. The southwest monsoon rains occur from June to September.

 RESOURCES  LAND RESOURCES Sandy coastal alluvium and black soil types cover 88.71% and 6.58% respectively in this district. The other soils in the district comprise 4.71%. The soil of the district is mostly alluvial but varies greatly in quality. The saline soil is found in the Tirutturaippundi and Nagapattinam taluks where the drainage is very defective.

 AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE One of the major economic activities of the district, agriculture contributes a higher share of production in the State. Important crops in the district include rice, groundnut, pulses, gingelly, and cotton.

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Details of important crops area in hectares The first crop is known as `Kuruvai' (the short-term crop) with duration of three and a half to four months from June-July to October-November. The second crop called the `Thaladi' has duration of five to six months from October - November to February-March. Third is the `Samba' (thelong-term) crop and has duration of almost six months from August to January. Other cereal crops of the district are cumbu, ragi, , korra and varagu. The pulses grown in the district are redgram, greengram and blackgram. Other food crops are condiments and spices, sugar crops, fruits edible oils crops (groundnuts, and gingelly) and vegetables. Among the non-food crops, cotton/fibre, non-edible oils crops (castor, miger seeds, though in very small area) are the important ones.

 FOREST RESOURCES There are 41 forest areas in the Nagapattinam district constituting a total area of 5,311.70 ha with 35 forest areas falling under the Reserve Forest category with 5,037.21 ha and 6 under reserve land category with 274.49 ha. The division consists of 4 ranges with headquarters at Nagapattinam, Kodiakkarai, and Thanjavur. The basic responsibilities of the division include afforestation activities like raising coastal shelterbelt, greenbelts, restoration, wildlife management and attending to environmental issues.

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The important forest and wildlife area in the division includes Wildlife sanctuary. The other important areas are, 1. Vaduvoor 2. Udayamarthandapuram 3. Karaivetti bird sanctuary 4. Muthupet Tropical dry-evergreen forest covers nearly 15 sq.km of Point Calimere Wildlife sanctuary. The forests are mostly of the nature of scrubland that stands on low sand dunes located on the western half of the sanctuary. Manilkara hexandra, locally called Palai is the most important evergreen species of the sanctuary. Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary and the Muthupet mangroves are the most important forests and wildlife areas of Nagapattinam district. Point Calimere Wildlife sanctuary with a total protected area of 30 sq.km is home to the largest population of the endemic Blackbuck in south India. Other animals of the sanctuary include the jackal, spotted deer, jungle cat, feral horses, black napped hare, including a variety of reptiles. From October to January nearly 90 species of migratory water birds visit the sanctuary and its surroundings. They include Flamingoes, Painted storks, Pelicans, Spoonbills, ducks, teals and a variety of shore birds. The best time to visit the sanctuary for bird watching is November December. The sanctuary is open to visitors throughout the year.

 MINERAL RESOURCES Major minerals The important major minerals available in Nagapattinam District are as follows: 1. Crude oil 2. Natural gas 3. Silica sand 4. Lime shell 5. Heavy mineral sand (Garnet, Iluminite, Rutile Zircon, Monozite)

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Silica sand The silica sand is an oxide of silicon which is used mainly for the manufacture of Sodium Silicate, which in turn is used in the soap and detergent manufacturing industries and also used in foundries, glass making and ceramics as an abrasives. The Silica sand deposit is 4.86 million tonnes, occuring in Vadamalai Manakkadu, Vanduvancherri, Thanikottagam villages of Taluk in Nagapattinam District. There are 7 silica sand leases functioning in Nagapattinam District. Crude oil and natural gas Crude oil is petroleum in its natural state before it has been refined. Petroleum is naturally occurring hydrocarbons in Free State whether in the form of natural gas or in a liquid viscous (or) solid form. Natural gas means gas obtained from bore holes and primarily consisting of hydro-carbons. The oil and natural gas are being extracted in Narimanam, villages by the Oil and Natural Gas Commission. Lime-shell Lime-shell deposits are available in Sirkali and Nagapattinam taluk of Nagapattinam district (1, 87,064 Tonnes). It is used for making lime-mortar and bleaching agent in sugar industries. In Nagapattinam district, one lime-shell lease is functioning. Heavy minerals The heavy mineral sands comprise an assemblage of minerals of higher specific gravity and occur as placer deposit along the sea coast in the beach sand. It occurs in Tharangampadi and Sirkali taluks in Nagapattinam district Garnet is used in the abrasive industries, and manufacturing synthetic gems. Ilminate is used for aircraft industry Zircon is used for manufacturing Zirconium crucibles.

Minor Minerals In Nagapattinam district, minor minerals such as sand and brick earth quarries are available. There are 8 sand quarries operating in this district in , Thirumalairajan river and Vettar areas.

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 Water Resources The district is situated in the deltaic region of the famous river Cauvery and criss-crossed by network of irrigation canals. Kollidam River forms the Northern boundary of the district, whereas Arasalar, Thirumalairajan, Vettar and Vennar rivers drain the other parts of it. All these are tributaries and branches of the river Cauvery. Canals serve nearly 80 percent of the total net area irrigated and only the river Cauvery feeds these canals. The Cauvery delta system is the most ancient of all irrigation schemes in the undivided Thanjavur. This comprises mainly of three important projects. They are the famous Grand Anicut, the Upper Anicut and the Cauvery Vennar Regulator Project. Tanks and wells are rarely used for irrigation is the district. The gross area irrigated by canals and other sources is 1, 13,374 ha and 21,405 harespectively. The gross area irrigated by the tanks and the wells are 40 ha and 50 ha respectively. Therefore canal irrigation constituting 84.07% of the total irrigated area remains the predominant source of irrigation. On an average about 58.20% of the total cropped area is irrigated. block achieves about 74% irrigation at the maximum and Vedaranniyam achieves 17.85% at the minimum. Some blocks achieve irrigation at about 60%.

Courtesy: Maps of India

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 Fisheries production The Nagapattinam district has a coastal line of 188 km. Fishery is the economic backbone of this coastal district. Having a long coastal area, this district plays a major role in marine commodities. The marine ecosystem provides mankind with food, medicines, industrial products etc. This ecosystem has to be maintained in a healthy state, if it is to provide people the benefits in a sustained manner. The waters along the Bay of Bengal coast of India are biologically very productive and possess several unique environmental features. However, little is known about the marine biodiversity resources along the Bay of Bengal coast near Sirkali taluk, Nagapattinam district (Tamilnadu State). Numerous industries, chemical factories and aquaculture farms are also developing along this coast, which already threatens the mangrove forests and marine life along the coast in Sirkali taluk. The input of freshwater and silt impacts the salinity of the coastal and estuarine waters as well as coastal circulation patterns. Some coastal areas serving as nursery grounds for commercially valuable species of prawns are polluted. The areas of critical biological diversity are the mangrove rich habitat along the coast of Nagapattinam district. The district has good fishing potential in view of its rich coastal area. The coastal fish production is more than the inland fish production.

 DEMOGRAPHY  As per the Census India 2011, Nagapattinam district has 4,13,837 households, population of 16,16,450 of which 7,98,127 are males and 8,18,323 are females.  The population of children between age 0-6 is 1,65,245 which is 10.22% of total population.  The sex-ratio of Nagapattinam district is around 1025 compared to 996 which is average of state.  The total area of Nagapattinam is 2,569 sq.km with population density of 629 per sq.km.  The urban population is 3, 64,624 constituting 22.55 % of the total Population, the remaining 77.45% ie. 12, 51,826 is rural population. SC population is 509182, ST Population is 3718.

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Population of Nagapattinam district[ CENSUS 2011]

 Nearly 77 percent of the population live in rural areas and they have to depend on rural livelihoods.  The district population is 1,616,450 in 2011 as against 1,488,839 in 2001. The decadal growth rate of the population in the district is 8.57 percent.  Nagapattinam district sex ratio (2011) shows a positive sign invariably in all the blocks. The overall sex ratio of Nagapattinam district is 1025 females per 1000 males, which is higher than the State average of 995 in 2011.

 OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE  The population has increased from 14.88 lakh to 16.16 lakh in the district, but there is no substantial increase in the workers participation.

 The total workers of the district increased‘ from 586 thousands to 671 thousands between the year 2001 and 2011. The decadal growth rate of total workers is 14.53 in the district.  The main workers of the district has steadily increased from 4,68,754 (2001) to 4,86,328 (2011). The computed growth rate of the district is 3.75.

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 HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX

Human Development Index is a composite index that takes into consideration:

1. Life expectancy 2. Education 3. Per capita income.

Nagapattinam holds 26th rank with HDI of 0.601 {2017 } as comparable with LOAS[ is a socialist state and the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia.]

 INCOME AND POVERTY  Per Capita income of the district is low when compared to that of the State average. Majority of the people of the district are dependent on agriculture and fishing for their living.  Further, the district is vulnerable to devastations by natural calamities such as cyclones and storms which hamper growth.  Over the years, the district had recorded a decreasing trend in agricultural yield even in the absence of disasters. This could be attributed to the salinity and lower fertility of the soil.

 HEALTH AND NUTRITION  Across the blocks, the crude birth rate varied marginally, 15.2 was registered in Vedaranyam block and 19.1 was reported in Sirkali block.  The average Crude Death Rate of the district is 4.7 in 2012 and 5.0 in 2014.  Out of the 11 blocks, the Vedaranyam block witnessed the highest IMR among blocks with 21.43 followed by the block (17.40) and the block (17.10).  The district IMR is 14 in 2014. The and the Thirumarugal blocks recorded the lowest IMR in Nagapattinam district.  The block that witnessed the highest MMR during 2014 is Kilvelur (347) and the lowest was recorded in Thirumarugal and Vedaranyam.  The percentage of immunization coverage varies from 100 per cent in Kollidam and Kuthalam blocks, 85 per cent in Sirkali block.

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 Of the total 1,03,421 children reported during 2014, 20.2% were treated as malnourished children.

 LITERACY AND EDUCATION  There is a significant increase in literacy rate both in rural and urban areas as well as among male and female.  The literacy rate had increased from 76.34% in 2001 to 83.59% in 2011. The male literacy rate had increased from 84.89% in 2001 to 89.79%.  But the female literacy rate had shown a remarkable increase from 67.96 % in 2001 to 77.58 % in 2011.  The dropout at the upper primary level was relatively high compared to primary level education in the district. The dropout rate of girls was marginally high compared to boys.

‘  SOCIAL SECURITY  Out of the total population of the district, 10.49 percent of the people were aged and above 60.  Around 64% of the population was covered by the social security schemes. Often, women were in less secure employment, such as casual labour, homework, and certain types of self- employment lacking social security coverage.  The most vulnerable groups outside the labour force were people with disabilities and old people who could not count on family support, and were not able to make provisions for their own pensions

 INDUSTRIES  There are more units were registered under micro, small and medium enterprises category and there a huge scope to promote micro, small and medium rural enterprises in nagapattinam district.  This District has got around nine large/medium scale industries, offering employment to nearby people. Some of the products manufactured in the above units are cotton thread spinning, sugar, rice bran oil, liquid bromide, liquid alkaline bromide, liquid petroleum gas, naphtha, high speed diesel, high purity kerosene, etc.

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 Mat weaving, Cane work industrial clusters are seen in .  Salt Manufacturing clusters are seen in Sirkali and Vedaranyam blocks. Vedaranyam salt swamp runs along the coast from Point Calimere for about 48 Kms and is about 7 to 8 Km. wide. This is the longest swamp of its kind in the State. It is filled by two periodical high tides during the full moon of months May and June and retains sea water to a depth of two feet over a considerable area enclosed by low earthen banks, which is closed to prevent the water from flowing back into the sea after the tide recedes, and it is in this manner that the well-known Vedaranyam spontaneous salt is produced.  Candle manufacturing clusters are prevalent in Vellankanni town

 IMPACTS

 Urbanization The estimated sewage generation is 123.75 lakh liters among and 45.57 lakh liters among town panchayats. Nature of disposal is through river water and quantities is 123.75 lakh liters in municipalities and 45.57 lakh liters in town panchayats.. The solid waste generation is highest in Nagapattinam among municipalities and Vedaranniyam among town panchayats. Overall the solid waste generated adds up to 37.16 tonnes with a collection efficiency of 75.22%.  Industrial development The district is deprived of any major industry but it is a flourishing centre of cottage industries and handicrafts. The district is equally well known for its pith articles consisting of beautiful models of Hindu idols, temples, , flower , bouquets, parrots and peacocks. There are 490 industrial units situated in the composite Thanjavur district, of which, four sugar units, a petroleum refinery, a distillery, a thermal power plant are coming under highly polluting industry. M/s. ONGC has explored crude oil and natural gas in Nagapattinam District.

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The crude oil is made available for Madras Refineries Limited whereas natural gas is utilized as fuel in ten numbers of sodium silicate units. Also this gas is utilized as a fuel for one thermal power generation unit (2X5 MW) by TNEB in this area. A SIDCO Industrial Estate is located at Nagapattinam. The industrial units in these estates are non-polluting or less polluting in nature. Madras Refineries Limited (MRL), a major refinery in South India with an exemplary track record, has been conscious of its role in maintaining the eco-balance through a number of environmental control measures. Cauvery River Basin Refinery at Panangudi in Nagapattinam, MRL refines 0.5 million metric tonnes per annum of crude. MRL, ever since its inception, has been methodically planning and implementing several environment relative projects to contain pollution within the Minimal National Standards (MINAS) on several fronts. Ground water contamination is observed in certain locations due to sea water intrusion. In several places along the coast either the ground water is naturally saline or it is artificially made saline by over extraction and consequent intrusion of sea water into the land aquifers.

 Natural hazards The tsunami caused heavy damage to houses, tourist resorts, fishing boats, prawn culture ponds, soil and crops, and affecting the livelihood of large numbers of the coastal communities. It was found that 1,320 ha of agricultural and non-agricultural lands were affected by the tsunami. The lands were affected by soil erosion, salt deposition, water logging and other deposited sediments and debris. Pre and Post Tsunami surveys on soil quality showed an increase in pH and EC values, irrespective of distance from the sea. Rainfall during season showed dilution of soluble salts in sediments. Pumping of water has reduced the salinity levels in the well water samples as well as in the open ponds.

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 TOURIST ATTRACTIONS Nagore The Dargha in Nagore near Nagapattinam, the district headquarters is aholy place. Nearly five hundred years ago a son was born in a devout Muslim family in a village in the central provinces [Madhyaspradesh], He was named Abdul Kadhar. He came to Tamil Nadu after visiting different places like Keelakkarai and preaching the doctrine of love, service devotion to the Almighty. He settled down in Nagore in a piece of land granted by a devotee of this saintly preacher. His words and deeds were divine and prophetic.

Nagore He said preaches the fatherhood of God and brotherhood of Man. He sent his disciples to work among the people and spread the message of Prophet Mohammed. He passed away in year 1,558 at the age of 68 in Nagoredargha. Khandoori festival is the anniversary celebrations and devotees from all over the world join the festivals to get blessed by NagoreAndavar.

Velankanni This renowned shrine Basilica of the Lady of Health draws pilgrims from all over the World. Knowing the importance of this town the Pope in the Vatican City has declared Velankanni as Holy city. This Roman Catholic Church has an extended Basilica, which has two floors where one can find the statue of Jesus Christ.

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The Gothic style of architecture is a unique feature of the church. The church itself is an imposing building with inspiring architecture. While the buildings have been painted white, roof of the church is made by tiles with striking red in contrast to the colour of the walls.

Velankanni church The environment around the shrine is spick and span. There is also a shrine of 'lady of sorrow' where in the sorrowing Mother is depicted carrying infant Jesus in her hand.

Keelaperumpallam Situated 3 km from Poompuhar, Keelaperumpallam receives a stream of devotees every day for worshipping Shri Naganatha Swami. This temple is the seat of the Ninth Navagraha, the Kedhu.

Thiruvengadu Thiruvengadu is situated 8 km from Poompuhar. Navagraha Budhan is situated inside the Temple of Arulmigu Swetharanya Swami. Devotees from all over India andabroad come to worship Budhan every day

Vaitheeswaran In the divine songs of Devaram, is called Pullirukkuvellur . The Presiding deity Lord Vaithiyanathan and the Devi is Thaiyalnayagi. Lord Muruga is called here as Arulmigu Muthukumaraswami. Vaitheeswarankoil is situated 12 km from Mayiladuthurai and 5 km from . This temple is the seat of another Navagraha, the Mars.

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Thirukaddaiyur is in and the route between Chidhambaram - Nagappattinam. In this temple, Lord Siva had annihilated Yama, the God of death and destruction to save the life of Markandeya and bestowed immortality on him. It is one of the most important seats of Sakthi. Inside the precincts of the temple of Arulmigu Amerthakadeswarar is located the temple of Shri Abirami Amman.

 FAMOUS PERSONALITIES  Marai Malai Adigal

Maraimalai Adikal was born on 15 July 1876 at Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu. He studied Tamil under Ve. Narayanasamy Pillai. He had his schooling in the Wesleyan Christian High School. He enjoyed the friendship of Sundaram Pillai, author of Manonmaniyam. He settled in Madras thanks to the efforts of Sandamarutam Somasundara Nayakar. He joined the Madras Christian College as a Tamil teacher. He founded the Saiva Siddhanta Maha Samajam. He edited Gnanasagaram’ in which appeared Kokilambal s letters, and Kumudavalli. He edited the English journal, Oriental Mystic Myna. He was a research scholar proficient in ‘ ’ Tamil, and English. He translated‘ Kalidasa s Sakuntalai’ into Tamil. He advocated purism in Tamil and changed his very name Vedachalam into Maraimalai ’ Adikal . He later renounced family life. Contrary to practice, he began writing a commentary on the ‘ ’ ‘ Thiruvasagam. His famous research work is Manikkavacakarin varalarum kalamum. He passed ’ away on 15 September 1950.

 SR RANGANATHAN

A Scholor from Sirkazhi is known to have democratised access to knowledge by postulating five laws of library science and the colon system of classification followed by libraries throughout the country. ’ His birth anniversary on August 12 is observed as the library day throughout the country. Ranganathan, born on 9 August 1892, came from a moderate background in British-ruled India. He was born in the small town of Shiyali (now known as Sirkazhi), in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India.

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Ranganathan began his professional life as a mathematician; he earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in mathematics from Madras Christian College in his home province, and then went on to earn a teaching license. His lifelong goal was to teach mathematics, and he was successively a member of the mathematics faculties at universities in , and Madras (all within the span of five years).The awarded to Dr. S.R. Ranganathan for valuable contributions to Library Science.

 Sardar vedaratnam Sardar Vedaratnam Pillai was an Indian freedom-fighter, a leader of the and a famous philanthropist who served as an MLA for three terms over a period of 14 years. He is known for his heroic contributions in the salt march of Vedaranyam in 1930, alongside C. Rajagopalachari.

Following the influence of Gandhiji, Vedaratnam opted to boycott foreign cloth (Swadehsi) and strictly make and wear pure cotton clothing, and encouraged those around him to do the same. He was also passionate about the Freedom Struggle, in which spent much time protesting and even getting arrested for doing so.

In the year 1931, Vedaratnam was conferred with the title of Sardar at the meeting of the Tamil Nadu Agriculturists and laborers at , for his ‘exploits’ in the Vedaranyam Salt March.

 Thillaiyadi valliamai

Born to Mangalam and Muthusamy Mudaliar, Valliammai was initiated into political struggle by Gandhi, when the colonial State of South Africa declared null and void all marriages forged outside of the South African law or Church law. Thousands of marriages were annulled. Valliammai marched with her mother from Transvaal to Natal protesting against the unjust laws.

 Valliammai also participated with her mother in protests against exorbitant taxes levied against workers. They were arrested and sentenced to three months of hard labour.

 It is recorded that when Gandhi visited a fragile and ill Valliammai shortly after her release, the young girl vowed to be arrested any number of times to carry on the fight for people s

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 Gandhi quoting the girl cited her as someone who inspired him to stay the course in the fight for equality in South Africa.

 But the girl s physical health did not match her mental strength. Shortly after her release,

Valliammai, ’all of 16 years, died on February 22, 1914.  16 year old Tamil girl Valliammai Thillaiyadi lived in Johannesburg, the daughter of immigrants who travelled to South Africa in search of a better life. Her mother s home village

was Thillaiyadi in rural Tamil Nadu, she became more commonly known ’ as Thillaiyadi Valliammai.

 It was there in South Africa where she was first exposed to the non-violent protests, works and beliefs of Mahatma Gandhi.

 At the tender age of 15 she, along with her mother, joined in the women s protest march from

Transvaal to Natal against the discrimination of Indians and South Africans’ by the British rulers.

 This protest, however, was banned by the South African government and as such Valliammai was arrested and placed in jail for three months.

 These three months would see her struck with a viral fever that would leave her a skeleton of her former self, standing tall by sheer determination and self-belief.

 Yet it was in this state that when someone had asked her Why don t you people register and

become South Africans instead of Indians? Indians! India “ doesn t even’ have a ! What are you really fighting for?, she ripped a off her saffron-white-green’ and replied If having a flag is what would give form” to India, then here it is, MY FLAG! MY MOTHERLAND! .“  Thillaiyadi Valliammai died 22nd February 1914, on her 16th birthday and later ”Gandhi was quoted saying it was her sacrifice that had increased his resolve in fighting for Indian independence.

 What is most touching about her struggle and her bravery to stand up for what she believed in was the fact she felt so strongly about an independent India despite never having been there herself.

 Gandhi later designed the Indian flag with the colours saffron, white and green. It is rumoured that these were the three colours that made up Valliammai sari.

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 In honour of her memory a public library and Thillaiyadi Valliammai Memorial Hall was constructed in 1971 by the Indian government in the village of Thillaiyadi, in Nagapattinam, India.

 Within the public library a spectacular memorial was built to honour the 16 year old tamil girl and her sacrifice in the form of a statue of Valliammai, manuscripts of Gandhi as well as several rare photographs.

 Added to this the Thillaiyadi Valliammai Nagar and the Thillaiyadi Valliamma High School in Vennanthur were also built in her memory.  On 31st December 2008 a commemorative stamp, picturing her face was released.

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