GEOGRAPHICAL SETUP THOOTHUKUDI
Thoothukudi (formerly called Tuticorin) is a port industrial city in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It lies on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. The city is capital and headquarters of the district. According to the Confederation of Indian Industry, Thoothukudi has the second highest Human Development Index in Tamil Nadu, next to Chennai.[3] Thoothukudi City serves as the headquarters of Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Limited, one of the leading private sector banks in India. Major educational establishments in the city include the Government Thoothukudi Medical College, Fisheries College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Maritime Academy,[4] V.O. Chidambaram College, Kamaraj College, Anna University (Thoothukudi Campus), and Government Polytechnic College.[5] The V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority is one of the major ports in India. Thoothukudi is an emerging energy and industrial hub of South India.
Thoothukudi is known as “Pearl City” due to the pearl fishing carried out in the town. It is a commercial seaport that serves the inland cities of southern India and is one of the sea gateways of Tamil Nadu. It is also one of the major seaports in India, with a history dating back to the 6th century CE. The city is believed to be of significant antiquity and has been ruled, at different times, by the Early Pandyas, Medieval Cholas, Later Cholas, Later Pandyas, Ma’bar Sultanate, Tirunelveli Sultanate, Vijayanagar Empire, Madurai Nayaks, Chanda Sahib, Carnatic kingdom, Portuguese, Dutch, and the British. Thoothukudi was settled by the Portuguese, Dutch, and later the British East India Company.
The city is administered by the Thoothukudi Municipal Corporation, which covers an area of 353.07 km2 (136.32 sq mi) and had a population of 500,000 in 2024.The urban agglomeration had a population of 586,000 as of 2011.[1] The majority of the people of the city are employed in salt pans, sea-borne trading, fishing, and tourism.
The 21 islands between Thoothukudi and Rameswaram shores in the Gulf of Mannar are noted as the first Marine Biosphere Reserve of India and have around 36,000 species of flora and fauna. This protected area is called the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park. Our Lady of the Snows Basilica festival is celebrated annually in August. This and the Shiva temple festivals, including Adi Amavasai, Sasti, and Chittirai chariot festivals, are the major festivals of the area. Roadways are the major mode of transport to Thoothukudi, while the city also has rail, air, and sea transport..
History
Thoothukudi is also known by the name ‘Pearl City’. It is also called the “Sea Gateway of Tamil Nadu.”[7] Thoothukudi is part of the Pearl Fishery Coast and is known for its pearl fishing and shipbuilding industries.
The ancient town of Korkai, near present-day Thoothukudi, has been a center for maritime trade and pearl fishing for more than 2000 years. Ptolemy’s geography refers to Korkai as a center of pearl fishing while describing commercial relations between western India and Alexandria, the chief eastern emporium of the Roman Empire.[9][10] The Periplus says that the Pandyan Empire extended from Comari towards the north, including Korkai, where the pearl fisheries were.[11] Eventually, the Vijayanagara Empire took over Thoothukudi. Conducted trade with the Portuguese. The Empire split into Nayak kingdoms, which were overthrown by the Nawab of Arcot. The Nawab eventually ceded the land to the British in 1801.