Nanguneri

Nanguneri நான்குநேரி
Suburb
Nanguneri Location in Tamil Nadu, India
Coordinates: 8°29′N 77°40′E / 8.48°N 77.67°ECoordinates: 8°29′N 77°40′E / 8.48°N 77.67°E
Country	India
State	Tamil Nadu
District	Tirunelveli
Elevation	141 m (463 ft)
Population (2001)
• Total	6,764
Languages
• Official	Tamil
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)

Nanguneri is a panchayat town in Tirunelveli district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Nanguneri is a Taluk Headquarters in the District of Tirunelveli situate at a distance of 18 miles (29 km) from the headquarters of the District. The place gained importance for the location of a famous Vaishnavite temple commonly known as Totadri Mutt. The Jeer (Spiritual Head) at Vanamamalai at Nanguneri commands wide reputation over Thenkalai Vaishnavites. He exercises unfettered powers over the subordinate monasteries numbering over 200 scattered all over India.

Geography

Nanguneri is located at 8°29′N 77°40′E / 8.48°N 77.67°E.^[1] It has an average elevation of 141 meters (462 feet).

Demographics

As of 2001 India census,^[2] Nanguneri had a population of 6764. Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%. Nanguneri has an average literacy rate of 76%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 83%, and female literacy is 70%. In Nanguneri, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Community and culture

One of the most practiced food culture is Nadar cuisine. The dish includes mutton curry after offering in temples like pechiyamman, Madasamy etc. and potato which gives one a fine taste of tradition and the aspirations of an enterprising warrior community. More often taken with an initial sip of pathanir and sweets made of palm jaggery it tells about the past of the Nadar (Sooriya Kulam) community who are doing business with palm tree products link to the palm tree sap going back to their Santror roots and their traditional occupation of planting palm trees and living off the products.

Nanguneri SEZ

Joint Venture agreement between TIDCO and AMR and its Associates signed on 10 April 2008 in the presence of the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

Approval given by Government of India in July 2008

SEZ Notified by Ministry of Commerce & Industry, vide Notification Ref. S.O.2690 (E) dated 18.11.2008

Dr Karunanidhi said the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Nanguneri in Tirunelveli district would produce television sets for the first stage of distribution of colour television sets, which forms a major election promise of the DMK, would begin in September this year. http://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20060605/354742.html

The government of Tamil Nadu has announced setting up of a pharma park at the Special Economic Zone at Nanguneri in Tirunelveli responding to the long-standing demand of the pharma industry in the state. A 250-acre (1 km²) pharma park will be set up within the Nanguneri Special Economic Zone in Tirunelveli, Health Minister K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran announced in the Assembly on Thursday.

Between 40 and 50 large and small pharmaceutical manufacturers and eight to 10 allied institutions would set up shop in the Nanguneri SEZ, providing 2,800 direct jobs and 6,000 indirect jobs. It was estimated that drugs worth over Rs. 500 crore would be manufactured. http://www.hindu.com/2006/08/18/stories/2006081811960100.htm

The minimum area of land required for establishing an SEZ – 10 km² – has been achieved.

This has revived hopes of people here that work on the Rs. 14,000-crore project may take off soon.

Disclosing this to reporters here on Wednesday, the Collector, G. Prakash, said that representatives of Advanced Technology Manufacturing and Assembly City (ATMAC), formed by the California-based INFAC Management Corporation for executing the project, would meet him next week. As per the State Government’s plan, the SEZ should have light manufacturing, design and assembly facilities, modern infrastructure facilities and amenities to attract workforce from across the globe. The industries to be established would include electronic and telecommunication components, electronic and consumer durables, light and precision engineering, information technology, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals etc.

Jurong International, Singapore, has submitted its conceptual master plan, according to which the industrial sector would include ready built factories, custom built factories, units of multi-national corporations, science, business and hi-tech or information technology parks.

In the utility sector, there would be water and sewage treatment plants, power plants, telecommunication centres etc., along with roads of international standards. The State Government has planned to earmark Rs. 700 crore for creating infrastructure facilities.

Windmill spare parts units to come up at Nanguneri (http://www.nanguneri.com/webpages/Default.asp

Vanamamalai or Totadrikshetram

Legend also has it that Bhrahma, Indra, Bhrigu muni and Markandeya were blessed with a vision of Vishnu at this shrine.

The temple: This grand temple has two prakarams(closed precincts of a temple) ornamented with the Pandal Mandapam, Jayanti Mandapam, Srivilli Mandapam, Kulasekhara Mandapam and the Veerappa Mandapam. An imposing 7 tiered rajagopuram adorns its entrance. There are also shrines to Varamangai Taayaar, Andal, Lakshmi Narayanar, Lakshmi Varahar and Venugopalar. The oil used in ablution ceremonies here is considered to be of medicinal value.

Festivals: This temple is administered by the Vanamamalai jeeyar Mutt. The annual festivals are held in the months of Pankuni and Chittirai.Nanguneri, differently known as ‘Bhooloka Vaikuntham’, ‘Totadrikshetram’ or ‘Vanamamalai’ is situated in Tirunelveli, around 25 km. away from the district headquarters. Among other temples, the famous shrine of Lord Vishnu in his form as Totadri Naadhan is situated in Nanguneri. Apart from this, it is important to the Vaishnavites, particularly the Thenkalai Vaishnavites, as the Vanamamalai Jeer Mutt is located here, with more than 200 subordinate Mutt or monasteries coming under its auspices.

The presiding deity is known as Totadri Naadhan and His consort as Siree-varamangait-taayaar. The postures of the Lord in His108 abodes (Divya Desam) are known as Nindraan (One Who stands), Irundhaan, (One Who sits) Kidandhaan (One Who lies) and Nadandhaan (One Who walks). The Lord is seated on the throne, with a leg folded and placed on the seat and the other touching the floor, under the canopy of the divine thousand-hooded snake, Aadhi Sesha, flanked by His consorts Sri Devi and Bhoo Devi, as he is seated in Vaikuntham and hence the name Bhooloka Vaikuntham.

Nanguneri is one of the most important Divya Desams as it is also the swayamvyakta kshetram. A swayamvyakta kshetram is a place where God is said to have appeared on his own accord. There are eight such swayamvyakta kshetrams - Srirangam, Naimisaranyam, Tirupati, Pushkaram, Saligrammam, Totadri, Badarinarayana and Srimushnam.

Politics

Nanguneri assembly constituency is part of Tirunelveli (Lok Sabha constituency).^[3]

References

1. Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Nanguneri
2. "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
3. "List of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies" (PDF). Tamil Nadu. Election Commission of India. Retrieved 2008-10-13.