About Nagercoil

Nagercoil is a pristine green land in the southernmost tip of India, surrounded by hills and paddy fields. The town is the administrative headquarter of Kanyakumari. Popularly known as 'Nagarammankoil' by the locals, the name is suggestive of a famous 1000 year old Naga Raja Temple that exists in the heart of town. While ‘Koil’ means temple and ‘Nagarammam’ means the serpent God who is the prime deity of this temple. The temple is an important attraction of this beautiful town.

Nagercoil was once called Nanjilnadu and was also called Kottar 200 years back. The place has many marvelous spots like Krishnancoil Temple, Thirparappu Falls and famous Mathur Aqueduct. Till a decade after independence, Nagercoil remained a part of Kerala state, but in 1956 it was assimilated into Tamil Nadu.

Location of Nagercoil

The town lies 20 kms north-west of Kanyakumari in the state of Tamil Nadu. This is the largest town in Kanyakumari district. River Palayaru originating from Western Ghats, flows through north-east and reaches Arabian Sea which is at the West of the city.

People of Nagercoil

People follow a blend of both Kerala and Tamil cultures and hence people speak Tamil, Malayalam and English. Apart from Hinduism a part of population belongs to Islam and Christianity. A large chunk of population is Christians by religion making it a major Christian centre of the state. Nagercoil has achieved a literacy rate of 100% and a sex ratio of 1045 for every 1000 males. The area accommodates a population of 2, 08,149 with a total of 59997 households in its municipality area of 24.247 Square Kilo Metres.

Also Read: Culture of Nagercoil

Geography and Climate of Nagercoil

The climate in Nagercoil is amiable throughout the year. The temperature climbs up to a maximum of 30 degrees Celsius in summer with moderate levels of humidity. It receives both north-east monsoon and the south-west monsoon.
Also Read: Geography of Nagercoil

Trade and Commerce of Nagercoil

Situated close to the capital of Kerala (Thiruvanandapuram), Nagercoil is engaged into a major trading and supplying businesses in the market of Vadasery (Kerala). Nagercoil also has an important testing facility for Liquid Propulsion rocket engines and Croyogenic science. These testing facilities are connected to ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization). The place is also majorly engaged in production of renewable energy, with thousands of wind-mills generating electricity output of about 1.65MW.

Cottage industries of Nagercoil are majorly engaged in coir-making, handloom-weaving, rubber products, fish-net manufacturing, food-processing units, lace-making etc.

Rubber, cloves and cardamom, rice, bananas and cotton are important agricultural produce here. The minerals ilmenite and monazite are also quarried.

Also Read: Economy of Nagercoil

History of Nagercoil

Earlier history of the city states that Nagercoil came under the reigns of Chera, Chola and Pandya kings.  Later, the city became a notable location under the rule of Maharaja Marthanda Verma, who was then, the King of Travancore. The Dutch naval fleet often tried to gain the control of the region under Captain Eustachius De Lenoy, but they lost and were imprisoned after incurring defeats.  Captain Eustachius De Lenoy was released and he gained the trust of King Marthanda Verma. He was made the commander of Travancore army. Travancore grew in size and the subsequent monarchs developed the infrastructure of the state.

After Independence, Kerala gave the state to Tamil Nadu in exchange of Palghat under States Reorganization Act.

Also Read: History of Nagercoil

Tourist Places in Nagercoil

Udayagiri Fort, Padmanabhapuram Palace, Beach, Krishnancoil and St. Xavier Church are a few favorite visiting spots among tourists.

Udayagiri Fort - Udayagiri Fort is located on Thiruvananthapuram-Nagercoil National highway at Puliyoorkurichi about 14kms from Nagercoil city. It was an important military barrack of the Travancore rulers which was rebuilt during Marthanda Varma.

Padmanabhapuram Palace - Located at the foothills of Velli hills, Padmanabhapuram Palace is located about 15kms from Nellore and was the ancient capital of the Travancore kings.

CSI Home Church - The church is famous for having the maximum number of members in South Asia and is noted for its imposing Greek style.

Also Read:
Tourism in Nagercoil

Quick Facts

Best Time to Visit - October to March
Languages - Hindi, English
Connectivity by Air- Nearest airport is Thiruvananthapuram airport located at 75 Kms from Nagercoil.
Connectivity by Rail- Trivandrum Central and the Thirunelveli Junction are two important and nearest stations from Nagercoil. You can also connect Nagercoil through KanyaKumari which is only15 Kms from Nagercoil. Nagercoil Junction
Connectivity by Road- The city has an extensive road network. Both Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation and Kerala State buses ply throughout the state to connect it to other neighboring cities.