01Shiva who fenced the paddy
The city takes its name from a katha of the temple. A poor devotee, Vedasarman, had spread paddy to dry for the god’s offering when a sudden storm broke; as he prayed, Shiva held off the rain from that one patch, fencing the paddy, nel, with a hedge, veli. So the god is Nellaiappar and the town Tirunelveli. Two temples, of Shiva and of Kanthimathi Amman, stand side by side and are joined by the Sangili Mandapam built in the 17th century. In the halls are the famous musical pillars, clusters of slender stone columns that ring with different notes when tapped. Sambandar sang this shrine in the Tevaram.
02The country that would not pay
In the 18th century the Tirunelveli country was held by palaiyakkarars, hereditary chiefs with forts and armed men. When the Nawab of Arcot claimed their tribute with Company troops, Puli Thevar of Nerkattumseval refused from 1755 and fought for twelve years; later Kattabomman of Panchalankurichi refused the Collector and was hanged in 1799. On 13 March 1908, the day after V. O. Chidambaram Pillai and Subramania Siva were arrested, crowds in Tirunelveli burned public offices and the police fired. On 17 June 1911 Vanchinathan shot the district Collector Robert Ashe at Maniyachi junction and then shot himself.
The life of this place
- 1755 CEPuli Thevar refused tribute to the Nawab of Arcot and held off the first Company expedition.
- 13 March 1908Tirunelveli rose in protest at VOC’s arrest; police fired on the crowd.
- 17 June 1911Vanchinathan shot Collector Ashe at Maniyachi.
The temple is in Tirunelveli Town, about 3 km from the Junction railway station; the Aani chariot festival (June–July) is the biggest.
