Ramanathapuram (District)

Ramanathapuram ; District இராமநாதபுரம் மாவட்டம்
State	Tamil Nadu
Administrative headquarters :	Ramanathapuram
Area :	4,104 km²
Residents :	1,353,445 (2011)
Population density :	330 inhabitants / km²
Website :	ramnad.tn.nic.in

The district of Ramanathapuram ( Tamil : இராமநாதபுரம் மாவட்டம் ; formerly: Ramnad ) is a district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu . The administrative center is the eponymous city of Ramanathapuram . The Ramanathapuram district has an area of 4,104 square kilometers and around 1.4 million inhabitants (2011 census). The district area includes the city of Rameswaram , an important Hindu pilgrimage site.

geography

The island Pamban of the Pamban Bridge seen from

The Ramanathapuram District is located on the coast in southern Tamil Nadu. Neighboring districts are Thoothukudi in the southwest, Virudhunagar in the west, Sivaganga in the north and Pudukkottai in the northeast.

The area of the Ramanathapuram district is 4,104 square kilometers. The district capital, Ramanathapuram, is inland in the center of the district. A little further north, the Vaigai River flows into the sea. The length of the coastline of the Ramanathapuram district is 271 kilometers (almost a third of the total coastline of Tamil Nadu). The district has a pointed peninsula which separates the Palk Bay in the north from the Gulf of Mannar in the south. At the end of the peninsula is the offshore island of Pamban with the city of Rameswaram . From Dhanushkodi , on the very tip of Pamban Island, it is less than 30 kilometers to Sri Lanka . In the strait lies a chain of islands known as Adam's Bridge .

In the district of Ramanathapuram there is a humid tropical climate . The annual mean temperature in Ramanathapuram is 28.8 ° C, the annual mean precipitation is 835 mm. Most of the rainfall occurs during the northeast monsoon between October and December.

history

The epic Ramayana describes how the Hindu god Rama (an incarnation of Vishnu ) had a bridge built to Lanka to save his wife Sita from being kidnapped by the demon king Ravana . This bridge is identified with the Adams Bridge. On his return, Rama is said to have founded a temple in Rameswaram.

Setupatis Palace of Ramanathapuram (photo from 1868)

The local rulers in the Ramanathapuram region had been called Setupati ("bridge lords") since the 14th century and claimed that they had been commissioned by Rama to protect the pilgrims in Rameswaram. At the beginning of the 17th century, the Madurai nayaks officially conferred the title Setupati on the Maravan family. Raghunatha Kilavan (1673-1708) moved the capital of the Setupatis from Pogalur to Ramanathapuram and had the city fortified. In 1725 a usurper took over the throne. One of his vassals allied himself with the rightful heir and the Raja of Thanjavur , deposed the usurper and forced the division of his territory: the northern part fell to Thanjavur, the rebellious vassal made himself independent as the Raja of Sivaganga and the heir received an area which roughly corresponds to today's district. In 1795 the British removed the Setupati Muthuramalinga of his office and placed Ramanathapuram under the administration of British India , but appointed his sister's heirs as zamindars (landlords). The Zamindari system was abolished in 1892, but the Palace of Ramanathapuram is still owned by the Setupati family.

During the colonial period, the area of Ramanathapuram initially belonged to the Madurai district . In 1910 the district of Ramnad (Ramanathapuram) was founded from parts of the districts of Madurai and Tirunelveli . During the British colonial era, the Ramanathapuram district was part of the Madras province . After Indian independence , he came under the States Reorganization Act 1956 to the newly formed state of Madras, which now included the Tamil-speaking areas and was renamed Tamil Nadu in 1969 . In 1985, the Sivaganga and Virudhunagar districts split off from the Ramanathapuram district.

population

The Keelakarai Friday Mosque

According to the 2011 Indian census, the Ramanathapuram district has 1,353,445 inhabitants. The population density of 330 inhabitants per square kilometer is well below the Tamil Nadu average (555 inhabitants per square kilometer). 30 percent of the district's residents live in cities. The degree of urbanization is thus also lower than the mean value for the state (48 percent). 18 percent of the district's population are scheduled castes . At 81 percent, the literacy rate corresponds to the Tamil Nadu average (80 percent).

According to the 2011 census, Hindus make up the majority of the residents of the Ramanathapuram district with 77 percent. There are also larger minorities of Muslims (15 percent) and Christians (7 percent). The Muslim population is the highest of all Tamil Nadu districts. Islam came early to the coastal areas of southern India through maritime trade with the Arabian Peninsula . The city of Keelakarai in the Ramanathapuram district is a historical center of Islamic culture in Tamil Nadu and is still strongly influenced by Muslims today.

The main language in the Ramanathapuram district as in the whole of Tamil Nadu is Tamil . According to the 2001 census, 97 percent of the district's residents speak it as their first language. There are also small minorities of speakers of Saurashtri (2 percent) and Telugu (1 percent). The former focuses on the city of Paramakudi .

Economy and Infrastructure

Fish laid out to dry in Dhanushkodi

The main industries in Ramanathapuram District are agriculture and fishing. Around 300,000 residents of the district are employed in the agricultural sector. The most important crop is rice . The fishery employs around 170,000 people. Historically, pearl fishing played a major role, but its importance has declined today. As before, after sea snails dipped. In addition, there has recently been shrimp farming and fish farming in aquaculture . The Kamuthi solar park is located in the Ramanathapuram district . When it was completed in 2016, it was the most powerful solar park in the world.

The Ramanathapuram District is connected to the trunk road network via National Highway 49 . This leads from Madurai via Paramakudi and Ramanathapuram to Rameswaram . There is also a rail link to Rameswaram. The island of Pamban, on which Rameswaram lies, is connected to the mainland by the Pamban Bridge . It consists of two separate bridges: a road bridge built in 1974 and a railway bridge from 1914. At 2,065 meters, it is the longest pier in India. In the past the railway line ran to Dhanushkodi , from where there was a ferry connection to Sri Lanka . However, the railway and quay facilities were destroyed in 1964 by a devastating cyclone. The replacement ferry service from Rameswaram was also discontinued in 1984/85 due to the civil war in Sri Lanka .

Attractions

Interior view of the Ramanathaswami Temple

The city of Rameswaram , located on Pamban Island in the Ramanathapuram district, is considered one of the holiest places in India by Hindus and attracts large numbers of pilgrims. The main temple of the city is the Ramanathaswami Temple, the oldest parts of which date back to the 12th century. According to myth, Rama is said to have worshiped the god Shiva here on his return from Lanka . Therefore, Rameswaram is one of the few places that is sacred to Vishnuits and Shivaites alike.

The main attraction of the district capital Ramanathapuram is the palace of the Setupati rulers. It goes back to the ruler Raghunatha Kilavan (1673–1708), but most of the building fabric is more recent. The Christ Church from 1799 is also worth seeing .

The strongly Muslim coastal city of Keelakarai is one of the historical centers of Islamic culture in Tamil Nadu. Numerous mosques in the city testify to this, the largest of which is the Friday Mosque ( Jami Mosque ). The ruins of a 1759 by the Dutch established trading post are also still available. There is also a catholic church.

Administrative division

The Ramanathapuram District is divided into seven taluks :

Taluk	main place	Population (2011)
Kadaladi	Kadaladi	145.277
Kamuthi	Kamuthi	135,658
Mudukulathur	Mudukulathur	113,432
Paramakudi	Paramakudi	265.142
Ramanathapuram	Ramanathapuram	399.232
Rameswaram	Rameswaram	82,675
Tiruvadanai	Tiruvadanai	212.029

Cities

In the district of Ramanathapuram, there are four cities with its own city government ( Municipalities ), seven after the Panchayat managed system townships ( Town Panchayats ) and six census towns ( census town ). The number of inhabitants is given according to the 2011 census.

Municipalities

Keelakarai (38,355)
Paramakudi (95,579)
Ramanathapuram (61,440)
Rameswaram (44,856)

Town panchayats

Abiramam (8,144)
Kamuthi (14,754)
Mandapam (18,427)
Mudukulathur (14,789)
RS Mangalam (14,565)
Sayalgudi (14,801)
Thondi (18,465)

Censorship cities

Devipattinam (11,599)
Melaparthibanur (8,232)
Pattinamkattan (17,601)
Periapattinam (9,730)
Sakkarakottai (15,355)
Sundarapandianpattinam (4,007)

literature

The Imperial Gazetteer of India. Volume 21: Pushkar to Salween. New edition. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1908, pp. 177 ff. , Keyword: Rāmnād Estate .