Thuckalay
 |
Thukalay | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| District | Kanyakumari |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Tamil |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 629175 |
| Telephone code | 04651 |
| Vehicle registration | TN-75, TN-74 |
| Nearest city | Nagercoil |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Nagercoil |
| Vidhan Sabha constituency | Padmanabhapuram |
Thuckalay or Thakkalai is a town in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, India. Thuckalay comes under the Padmanabhapuram Municipality, and is the administrative headquarters of Kalkulam Taluk. The Revenue Divisional Office is located in Mettukadai. Thuckalay is connected by road from both Thiruvananthapuram (51 km) and Nagercoil (17 km). The nearest railway station is located in Eraniel, which is approximately 5 km from Thuckalay. The nearest airport is the Trivandrum International Airport, which is approximately 51 km from Thuckalay.
History
Thuckalay is a part of Padmanabhapuram, which was once the capital of the historic Indian state of Travancore. Thuckalay is also known as the south border for Trivancore samsthanam and the name came as in therku yellai of Trivancore called as Thuckalay.
Education
The Thuckalay Government Higher Secondary School is the largest Government Educational institution in the region. There are also institutions such as the Amala Convent, which is run by a local church and an international school.
Health services
Kanyakumari district's headquarters hospital is located near Mettukadai. There are also privately run hospitals and clinics.
Tourism
The Padmanabhapuram Palace is located 1 km from Thuckalay. The palace is built in the Travancore architectural style, containing 17th and 18th century murals and underground passages.
The Dutch commander Eustachius De Lannoy was buried in the nearby Udayagiri Fort, situated near the Padmanabhapuram palace. It is built of massive granite blocks around an isolated hillock, 260 feet (79 m) high enclosing an area of almost 90 acres (360,000 m2). The original fort was said to have been destroyed by Raja Raja Chola. The fort was rebuilt in 1741-1744 during the reign of Marthanda Varma, under the supervision of De Lannoy, a Belgian General who served as the chief of Travancore Army for 37 years. He died on 1 June 1777 at the age of 62 and was buried within the fort. His tomb is marked out by a stone cross with inscriptions in both Latin and Tamil.
Peerappa Dargha
There is a shrine "Peer Mohamed Oliyullah Dargha" at Thuckalay named in honour of the philosopher and Tamil poet Peer Mohamed Appa, born in Tenkasi in the Tirunelveli District. After spending some time in spiritual pursuits in Peermedu of Kerala State, he came to live at Thuckalay. He was an intimate of the Kings of the Chera dynasty, and it is said that he laid the foundation stone for the Padmanabhapuram Granite Fort.
His birthday is celebrated every year on a grand scale on the full moon day in the Arabic month of Rajab. Both the people of Kerala and Tamil Nadu attend the celebrations on large numbers irrespective of their caste, creed and religion. The Tamil Nadu government declared a one-day local holiday for the function.
Kumara Koil
Located 3 km away from Thuckalay, Kumara koil is the site of the Murugan temple dedicated to the Hindu god Maruga where daily rituals and regular festivals take place.
References
- Notes
- Source
- History of temple 'Velimalai Kumarakoil Thala Varalaru' written by Shri Annalar Adigal.
