Karaikal
| Karaikal | |||
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| State : |
 India
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| Union Territory : | Pondicherry | ||
| District : | Karaikal | ||
| Location : | 10 ° 56 ' N , 79 ° 50' E | ||
| Residents : | 86,838 (2011) | ||
Karaikal ( Tamil : காரைக்கால் Kāraikkāl [ ˈkaːɾai̯kːaːl ]; also Karaikkal , French Karikal ) is a city in southern India with around 86,000 inhabitants (2011 census). The former French colony is now part of the union territory of Puducherry (Pondicherry).
geography
Karaikal is located around 280 kilometers south of Chennai (Madras) on the Coromandel coast on the Bay of Bengal in the delta of the Kaveri River. The Arasalar, one of the numerous mouths of the Kaveri, flows into the sea directly south of the city. The next larger city is Nagapattinam , around eight kilometers south, and Tharangambadi (Tranquebar) around twelve kilometers north .
Karaikal is the administrative seat of the Karaikal district . In addition to Karaikal, this includes some villages in the hinterland and is surrounded by the territory of the state of Tamil Nadu . Along with Puducherry , Mahe and Yanam , Karaikal is one of four spatially non-contiguous exclaves of the Union territory of Puducherry. The city of Puducherry , the capital of the Union Territory, is also located on the Coromandel Coast 130 kilometers north of Karaikal.
history
Karaikal has a long history. The city is the hometown of the hymn poet Karaikal Ammaiyar ("mother from Karaikal"), who lived around 550 AD and is venerated by the Tamils as one of 63 Shivaite saints ( Nayanmars ). The Periyapuranam , a medieval hagiography, describes Karaikal as a prosperous port city with tall buildings and rich traders.
The French colonial era in Karaikal began when the French bought the area from the King of Thanjavur in 1739 and established a trading post in Karaikal. During the Carnatic Wars , in which France and Great Britain vied for supremacy in southern India, Karaikal was conquered twice by the British. As a result of the wars, France had to surrender most of its possessions in India to Great Britain in the Peace of Paris in 1763. Karaikal remained one of five trading bases in French hands. After the city was occupied again by the British during the coalition wars, France did not regain total control of Karaikal until 1817.
After India gained independence in 1947, it annexed the French colonies in 1954. The treaty in which France ceded its colonies to India was signed in 1956, but only came into force de jure in 1962 after ratification by the French parliament . The following year, the Union Territory of Puducherry was founded, to which Karaikal also came.
population
According to the 2011 census, Karaikal has 86,838 inhabitants. 68 percent of the city's residents are Hindus , 21 percent are Muslims and 11 percent are Christians . As in neighboring Tamil Nadu, the main language is Tamil , which according to the 2001 census is spoken by around 97 percent of Karaikal's residents as their mother tongue.
Attractions
The French influence is still palpable in Karaikal, if not as strong as in Puducherry . The city center of Karaikal has a regular, checkered road network. A number of preserved colonial buildings and the old French cemetery are reminiscent of the French rule. Other sights in Karaikal City are a small Hindu temple for the poet saint Karaikal Ammaiyar in the city center, as well as the main mosque and the Dargah ( Sufi shrine) opposite on the site of the grave of the Muslim saint Syed Dawood, who died in Karaikal in 1829, and the Our Church Lady of Angels (built 1891).
A major Hindu pilgrimage destination is located five kilometers west of Karaikal in the village of Tirunallar . Part of the Navagraha Temples , a group of nine temples in the Kaveri Delta dedicated to the heavenly bodies, the Temple of Tirunallar is home to a shrine to Shani , the personified planet Saturn . Also not far from Karaikal are the Muslim pilgrimage site Nagore and the Christian pilgrimage site Velankanni .
Karaikal Ammaiyar Temple
Main mosque
Our Lady of Angels Church
Economy and Infrastructure
Karaikal is connected to Pondicherry in the north and nearby Nagapattinam in the south via National Highway 45A, which runs parallel to the coast. From Nagapattinam, National Highway 67 also heads west towards Thanjavur and Tiruchirappalli . Karaikal station is the terminus of a railway line from Tiruchirappalli via Thanjavur and Nagapattinam. The nearest airport is Tiruchirappalli Airport , 160 kilometers away.
In 2009, the port of Karaikal was opened twelve kilometers south of the city . It is to serve as a transshipment point for the goods of Central Tamil Nadu and thus form an alternative to the existing seaports in Chennai and Thoothukudi . In 2011–2012, 6 million tonnes of goods were handled, an increase of more than a quarter compared to the previous financial year. The plan is to increase the capacity to 47 million tons per year by 2017.
Economically, Karaikal benefits from its membership of the Union territory of Puducherry and the lower tax rates compared to neighboring Tamil Nadu. Above all, alcohol taxes are significantly lower in Puducherry, which leads to alcohol tourism and smuggling between Tamil Nadu and Karaikal.
Individual evidence
- ^ Census of India 2011.
- ^ Census of India 2011: C-1 Population By Religious Community. Pondicherry.
- ↑ Census of India 2001: C-16 City: Population by Mother Tongue (Pondicherry), accessed under Tabulations Plan of Census Year - 2001 .
- ^ The Hindu, April 5, 2012: "Good show by MARG Karaikal Port".
- ↑ Karaikal Port website.
- ^ The Hindu, June 11, 2011: "Inter-state liquor smuggling keeps police on their toes".
