Ramanathapuram district
The district Ramanathapuram (Tamil: இராமநாதபுரம் மாவட்டம்; formerly Ramnad ) is a district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Administrative center is the eponymous town of Ramanathapuram.
Geography
The district Ramanathapuram has an area of 4,180 square kilometers and lies on the coast in the south of Tamil Nadu. Neighboring districts are in the southwest Thoothukudi, Virudhunagar in the West, Sivaganga in the north and Pudukkottai in the Northeast. The district Ramanathapuram is divided into seven taluks Kamuthi, Mudukulathur, Paramakudi, Tiruvadanai, Kadaladi, Ramanathapuram and Rameswaram.
The Ramanathapuram district capital lies inland in the center of the district. A little further north flows into the river Vaigai in the sea. The length of the coastline of the district of Ramanathapuram is 271 km ( almost a third of the entire coastline of Tamil Nadu ). For district heard a pointed peninsula that separates the Palkbucht the north by the Gulf of Mannar in the south. At the end of the peninsula, the island of Pamban lies with the city of Rameswaram. From the situated at the very tip of Pamban Island City Dhanushkodi there are less than 30 kilometers to Sri Lanka. The strait is a chain of islands known as Adam's Bridge.
The area of the district is flat and very fertile. The climate is tropical and semi-arid. The annual mean temperature is 28 ° C, the annual precipitation is 827 mm (compared to 1,270 mm Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram 1.696 mm). Nearly two -thirds of the rainfall falls during the northeast monsoon from October to December.
History
The epic Ramayana tells how the Hindu god Rama ( an incarnation of Vishnu ) built a bridge to Lanka to rescue his wife Sita from the demon king Ravana kidnapping by the. This bridge is identified with the Adam's Bridge. On his return, Rama is said to have founded a temple in Rameswaram.
The local power broker in the region of Ramanathapuram contributed since the 14th century the title Setupati ( " Bridge Men " ) and raised the claim that they had been instructed by Rama to protect the pilgrims in Rameswaram. Beginning of the 17th century awarded the Nayaks of Madurai title Setupati officially the gender of Maravan. Raghunatha Kilavan (1673-1708) moved the capital of the Setupatis Pogalur by Ramanathapuram and let the city secure. 1725 took over a usurper to the throne. But one of his vassal allied with the rightful heirs and the Raja of Thanjavur, deposed the usurper and forced the division of his dominions: The northern part was at Thanjavur, the rebellious vassal became self-employed as Raja of Sivaganga and the heir was an area corresponding to the present-day district approximately. 1795 relieved the British the Setupati Muthuramalinga his office and assumed the administration of British India Ramanathapuram, but put the heir to his sister as zamindars ( landlords ) a. 1892, the zamindari system was abolished, the palace of Ramanathapuram is but still owned by the Setupati family.
During the colonial period, the area of Ramanathapuram first belonged to the district of Madurai. 1910, the district was founded in Ramnad ( Ramanathapuram ) from parts of the districts of Madurai and Tirunelveli. During the British colonial period, the district Ramanathapuram belonged to the province of Madras. After Indian independence, he came in the wake of the States Reorganisation 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 districts of Sivaganga and Virudhunagar split from the district Ramanathapuram.
Population
According to the Indian census of 2011, the district Ramanathapuram has 1,337,560 inhabitants. Compared to the last census in 2001 the population had grown by 12.6 percent, thus slightly slower than the average for Tamil Nadu ( 15.5 per cent). The district is sparsely populated: the population density is 320 inhabitants per square kilometer, significantly lower than the mean of the state ( 555 inhabitants PQO square kilometers) and after the District Nilgiris is the second lowest of all the districts of Tamil Nadu. 31.9 percent of the residents of the district Ramanathapuram live in cities. The degree of urbanization is thus lower than the average for the state ( 48.5 percent). The literacy ratio, which was 81.5 percent of the average of Tamil Nadu ( 80.3 per cent).
The population of the district are the Hindus according to the 2001 census, 78.1 percent majority. In addition, there are larger minorities of Muslims ( 14.7 per cent ) and Christians ( 7.1 percent ). The Muslim population is the highest among the districts of Tamil Nadu.
Economy and infrastructure
The main industries in the district of Ramanathapuram are agriculture and fishing. According to the 2001 census, 58.5 % of the population are employed in the agricultural sector. Traditionally, pearl fishing is operated in recent times, the shrimp farming has been added in aquaculture. In addition, in the district of Ramanathapuram textile industry is established.
Through the territory of the district lead two highways and a railway line. Rameswaram is the terminus of the coming of Kochi National Highway 49 and the railway from Madurai. The island of Pamban, situated on the Rameswaram is connected by the Pamban bridge with the mainland. It consists of a separate road and railway bridge (the latter is a vertical lift bridge built in 1914 ) and is 2,065 meters, the longest sea bridge in India.
Attractions
The city, located on Pamban Island in the district of Ramanathapuram Rameswaram is considered Hindus as one of the holiest places in India, attracting large amounts of pilgrims. The main temple of the city is the Ramanathaswami Temple, whose origins date back to the 12th century parts. According to the myth Rama is said to have worshiped Lord Shiva here on his return from Lanka. Therefore, Rameswaram is one of the few places that Vaishnavites and Shivaites is equally sacred.