Marthandam

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Marthandam
மார்த்தாண்டம்
Thoduvetty
Town
Marthandam
Coordinates: 8°18′27″N 77°13′18″E / 8.3076°N 77.221785°E / 8.3076; 77.221785Coordinates: 8°18′27″N 77°13′18″E / 8.3076°N 77.221785°E / 8.3076; 77.221785
Country India
State Tamil Nadu
District Kanyakumari
Languages
 • Official Tamil, Malayalam
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 629165
Telephone code 04651
Vehicle registration TN-75
Nearest city Nagercoil & Trivandrum
Lok Sabha constituency Kanyakumari
Vidhan Sabha constituency Vilavancode
CSI Church in Marthandam
Light Decorations During Christmas

Marthandam or Martandam is a major trade centre in Kuzhithurai municipality across National Highway (NH 47) in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, India. Also known to some by the name Thoduvetty, it was a portion of Kanyakumari district which was added to the state of Tamil Nadu on November 1, 1956.[1]

Marthandam is the second biggest town next to Nagercoil in Kanyakumari district.

Produce

Marthandam is famous for honey, cashew nut processing, rubber and hand-embroidered motifs.[citation needed] The area is full of greenery, and there is a river adjoining.

Education

  • Mar Ephraem College of Engineering and Technology.
  • Marthandam is home to the Nesamony Memorial Christian College.[citation needed]
  • Sree Devi Kumari Women's College Kuzhithurai
  • Christuraja Matriculation Higher Secondary School founded 10 August 1971, when the Lions Club of Kulasekaram handed over the ownership and management of its ‘Lions Club Kinder Garten School’ to the Congregation of the Daughters of Mary. Marthandam has an old church built exclusively of stone by a British architect, John Sinclair, in 1883.[citation needed]
  • Marthandam Hindu Vidyalaya Matriculation Higher Secondary School (near Kotheswaram Temple).
  • Good Shepherd School, situated in the North Street, has been known for its excellent features, infrastructure.[citation needed]
  • White Memorial Matriculation School is located near the railyway station road.[citation needed]

Geography

It is one of the most fertile lands of Tamil Nadu and has the climatic conditions of Kerala.[citation needed] It has a railway line connecting the capital of Kerala, Trivandrum, with the southernmost tip of India, Kanyakumari. The station is still called Kuzhithurai. Marthandam is well connected to Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore by rail service also bus service to all over Tamil Nadu.

Vedisasthan Kovil

Temples

There is a Lord Ayyappa temple in Marthandam at the banks of Kuzhithurai River.[citation needed]

This temple is known as either "Vettuvenni temple" or "Vedi sasthan Kovil". The latter one due to the fire cracker being burst at the temple as a mark of prayer to Lord Ayyappa. This temple is just by the side of National Highway NH-47 connecting Trivandrum with Nagercoil. The famous St. Antony's church is also located close by.

There is a famous Sree Krishna temple at Kannacode in Marthandam.Historical records say that Travancore king Sri Vishakam Thirunal who ruled from 1880 AD to 1885 AD used to pray every month at this temple to ward off his BudhagrahaDosham.Renovation of the temple has been recently done by contribution from devotees.Situated in a peaceful location on the banks of Tamravarni river,this temple is called Guruvayoor of Kanyakumari district.

  • The very famous and old temple in Marthandam is Kotheshwaram temple.
  • Kurumbetti Bagavathi Amman KoVil : famous Amman temple Near to Marthandam New Bus Stand (towards Viricode)
  • The famous esaki amman kovil present in the pnp complex..

Alappancode Sree Easwarakla Boothathan Temple is just 4 km from Kuzhithurai Jn to wards Arumanai Road and adjacent to Melpuram Jn. In Tamil Nadu it is the only temple where a large number of caparisoned elephants are participating in the annual festival. Every year more than thirty five decorated elephants are joining for the procession. The procession will start from the Kariyathara Temple in Anducode and finishes in Alappancode and the procession will cover about seven kilometers. Devotees from Kerala and Tamil Nadu are gathering here to see the festival. The festival will be held on the last Saturday of December.

The famous Trimoorthy temples called Mahadevar, Brahma and Mahavishnu temples are in one compound at banks of famous Tamraparni River just walkable distance from Kuzhithurai Bus stand. The Sree Chamundesari temple is just adjacent to the mahadevar temple. Though the temples are under Devaswam board but these temples are maintained by a best trust called kuzhithurai sree mahadevar shektra samrakshna samithi, with the help of devotees of this surrounding area the committee has spend a huge amount for the renovation of the temples. A large number of devotees from Kanyakumari and Trivadrum District are visiting Sree Chamundeswari Temple for special poojas especially unmaried girls for a good marriage life.

Anjukannu Kalungu Sree Madan Thampuram IssakkiAmman temple: Festivals celebrated here are : Year Festivals for 7 Days, Shivrathri (Shivalaya Ottam), Saraswathy pooja, Deepawali, Thrikkarthika, Monthly Ammavasya, Yearly Kumbhabishegam, Pongal.

The main festivals celebrated here are Samivaravu, Sivarathri, Christmas and Onam.[citation needed]


Chitharal Jain Monuments

Chitharal Jain Temple, Tamil Nadu
Main article: Chitharal Jain Monuments

The famous Jain temple known as Malayil kovil is just 4 km from Marthandam, the exact name of the place is Chitharal. The Jain temple is one of the very few surviving temples in Tamil Nadu while many others were either demolished or converted into Hindu ones. Frequent buses are available from Marthandam to Thikurichy. A number of foreigners are visiting this temple. The temple is under the control of Archaeology department.[citation needed]

Churches

The Marthandam CSI Church in the Main Road at the junction was built by Rev. Robert Sinclair born in Scotland who came to India after his ordination as a minister on 3 August 1910, in Scotland. He succeeded Rev. H.I Hacker in 1919 and came to Marthandam and served from 1920 to 1939.

Folk Arts

There are several Folk Arts practiced in temples for Sastha (ayyanar), Sudalaimadan and Isakkiamman. Villupattu is especially for Sastha temples and Kaniankoothu is practiced for Sudalaimadan. Grand Tamil poetess Avvaiyar temples are found along with Isakki amman temples and worship of teachings of Avvaiyar can be observed

Many Folk arts and dances are popular in this district. They are played during the time of festivals in temples, celebrations in schools etc. Bow Song (Villu Paatu) is an ancient form of musical- storytelling art of southern Tamil Nadu. Villu Paatu has been especially popular in Thovalai and neighbouring areas of the district.

Bow, the age-old weapon of warriors - paradoxically lends itself to be used as a primary musical instrument for the Villu Pattu artists.[2] There are Udukku, Kudam, Thala, Kattai, etc. as supplementary instruments in their performances. Udukku, mentioned in the ancient Tamil literature as Thudi, is a small drum with a slender middle portion which is held in the left hand and played by the fingers of the right hand. Occasionally, the Villu Pattu team divides itself into two groups, each trying to prove opposite points-of-view of a subject. This is called Lavani Pattu. The songs used by the Villu Pattu artists are mostly traditional folk-songs.

Thiruvathirai Kali occupies the pride of place among the folk dances. It resembles Kummi and is played especially during Onam festival. The players are young girls. The necessary number of girls is 8,10,12 or 16 for each dance. They move round and sing in chorus. Each girl strikes the stick (Kole) which she holds in each hand, and the striking of the sticks and the steps, which she makes are rhythmical to the tune.

Kalial is a folk dance played by group of men or boys in the country side. A group leader sings songs and keeps time with cymbals. The players stand in a circle with sticks in their hand and dance round a lighted lamp repeating the songs sung by the leader. They turn, twist, lean forward and backward, squat and move round singing to the tune. At the beginning the steps are elaborate and at times, they are also very quick. When invited to perform in a function, the players generally begin the dance with an invocation for heavenly aid and conclude the dance with a torch - dance using lighted torches. This folk dance exhibits the artistic and recreative life of the country side.

Kathakali is a unique form of drama, which has its origin in Travancore. Kathakali (story-dance) is a relatively recent (fifteenth or sixteenth century) development of earlier dances, which, like dances every where, arose out of religious expression through symbolical action. In this art-form, the characters express their ideas not by words, but by significant gestures. In Kanyakumari District, it is now played in the temples at Thiruvattar, Thirparappu, Ponmana, Kuzhithura, Neyyoor,Nattalam and Munchira during the time of festivals.

Ottam Thullal is a form of story telling. It is a popular for of amusement, staged in the temple premises and Malayalam is the language commonly used. Ottam Thullal is now played in the temples of Thiruvattar, Thirparappu, Ponmana ,Nattalam and Thirunanthikara in the district during the time of festivals.

Kalari, is an ancient martial art of Kerala. A tradition believed to have been founded by Parasurama is known as Vadakkan Kalari ; another is credited to Agasthiar in which the emphasis is on striking at vital points of the body and not on weapons, even through sword, knife, Urumi (rolling sword), Mankombu (horns of a deer), Kandakkodali, (a kind of axe), mazhu (a kind of axe) etc., are also used. Kanyakumari district is home to an indigenous form of martial arts called 'Adimurai' or 'naadan', which is often confused with the Kalari of Kerala, in spite of its uniqueness.

Places nearby Marthandam

Nattalam

Notes

  1. ↑ http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/11/stories/2008011159220600.htm
  2. ↑ "Arts - Villu Paatu". Tamilnadu.com. 26 February 2013. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Marthandam.
Kanyakumari District
History
Administration
Taluks
Blocks
Municipalities
Town panchayats
Religious sites
Tourism
Major festivals
Education
Colleges
Schools
Railway stations

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.