Tirunelveli
Tirunelveli is located on the banks of the river Tamiraparani and it is 630 kms from the State Capital Chennai. It was the capital of Pandiyas and has a history of over 2000 years. A legend says Vedasarma a strong devotee of Lord Siva had sown the paddy and went to the river. There was heavy rain in the area, in spite of the downpour, the paddy did not submerge in the water. Hence this place was called as “Tiru-nel-veli” (Divinely protected paddy). On acquisition from the Nawab in 1801, the British named this area as Tinnevelly. Popular Kanthimathi-Nellaiyappar temple, dedicated to Siva and Parvathy is located here. 1000 pillar hall with musical pillars and beautiful sculptures are special architectural features of this temple. Krishnapuram Temple located 13 kms from the town, is dedicated to Lord Vishnu called as Thiruvenkatanathar. The District has a population of 30,77,233[2011 census] and Town’s population is 4,74,838 [2011 census].