Tourism Place in Tirunelveli

Formally known as Nellai, Tirunelveli is a city in Tamil Nadu. It is the sixth largest city of Tamil Nadu and is the head quarters of the Tirunelveli District. Bordered by Kerala in the west and the Indian Ocean in the south-east, this district lies 612 km south-west of Chennai and 140 km east of Thiruvananthapuram.

Being close to the southern most tip of India, Tirunelveli is also known for its varied geographical features. It consists of five types of geographical terrain – Kurinji (mountains), Mullai (forests), Marudham (paddy fields), Neithal (coastal) and Palai (deserts) and is situated in the west bank of River Tamiraparani.

Tirunelveli is an ancient city which was formed on 1st September 1790 by the East India Company. But much before that the history of this place dates back to the 900 BC which was the time when the Pandayas ruled this region. The past of Tirunelveli was also researched by one of the Christian missionaries, Robert Caldwell (1814-1891), who was known to have contributed a lot to the Tamil language.

The city was formally named by the Arcot Nawabs and the Nayaks as 'Nellai Cheemai'. The Nayaks, in 1781, granted the local administration and revenue of Tirunelveli to the British and they governed it until India achieved independence in 1947.

Tirunelveli has a rich cultural and architectural heritage which is evident from the various temples, mosques and cathedrals located here. Some of the prominent religious structures are Nellaiappar Temple, Holy Trinity Cathedral and the Mela Tiruvenkatanathapuram Temple.

The nearest airport to Tirunelveli is located in Tuticorin which is 32 km away from the centre of the town. Being a railway junction, Tirunelveli is well connected to all the major cities of India such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata by rail. It is also well connected to the nearby and far away major cities in India by road as National Highway 7 goes right through Tirunelveli.