Uvari

Uvarias
village
Uvarias

Location in Tamil Nadu, India

Coordinates: 8°16′34″N 77°53′24″E / 8.276°N 77.89°E / 8.276; 77.89Coordinates: 8°16′34″N 77°53′24″E / 8.276°N 77.89°E / 8.276; 77.89
Country  India
State Tamil Nadu
District Tirunelveli district
Elevation 0 m (0 ft)
Population (2001)
 • Total 10,000
Languages
 • Official Tamil
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)

Uvari is a coastal village with about 3,000 households and a population of 10,000 in the Tirunelveli district in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. It is 70 km from Tirunelveli and 50 km from Kanyakumari.

Economy

The main occupation is fishing. Most men work as sailors, contributing to the local economy. This is a separate Panchayat village, which is stunning and modern in nature. Uvari has four schools, a hospital run by nuns, a bank, post office and BSNL telecom exchange office.

History and Religion


Uvari is famous for its St. Antony's Church, a church dedicated to St. Antony and the deity is believed to be Anthonyar, Uvari is the only place in Tamil Nadu that has a St. Antony's church beside the sea.

According to ancient Tamil history, the citizens of Uvari were called Bharathar's of the Neithal (ocean)World. Uvari's historical name was Obeer Pattanam which was ruled by the Pandyan dynasty. In the 1530s, Portuguese and Spanish missionaries from Goa arrived and converted many Bharathars to the Roman Catholic religion. The Portuguese priests, acting as godfathers, gave surnames such as Fernando to the converted. Pandya also retains a fish on its flag, a symbol from this era.

According to local myths, a crew of a Portuguese ship which sailed near Uvari about 450 years ago contracted cholera. In an attempt to avert death, the ship's carpenter carved an image of Saint Antony of Padua from a block of wood. Soon after, the entire crew regained its health. When the ship docked at Uvari, the sailors placed the statue inside a hut in the village. In the 1940s, the villagers built a church with the original statue of St. Anthony holding the Infant Jesus in his hand. St Anthony is said to perform many miracles daily, therefore church was upgraded to shrine. Uvari is visited by Hindus and Christians from all over South India.

Antonyar Church, Uvari

The Kappal Matha Church (Our Lady of Good Health), with the form of a ship carrying an aeroplane, is also well known. The original church of St. Mary was damaged by sea erosion, and replaced by this one built in 1974. There are four shrines and many grottos.

Present situation of Uvari

Presently Uvari is one of the modest coastal towns among other coastal villages. It has a higher secondary school, a high school, a middle school and an elementary school. It also has a hospital which is run by nuns.

Churches : St. Antony's Shrine, St. Andrew's Church, Selvamatha Church (Our Lady of Good Wealth) and Velankanni Matha Church (Our Lady of Good Health).

How to Reach Uvari

a) By Road

Using Thoothukudi-Tiruchendur-Kanyakumari Road
Using East Coast Road & Thoothukudi-Tiruchendur-Kanyakumari Road

b) Train

c) Air

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