Srivaikuntam Town

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This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS.

Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.

Srivaikuntam Town

Vishnu's holy heaven

Head-quarters of the taluk of the same name, in Tinnevelly District, Madras, situated in 8° 38' N. and 77° 55" E., on the left bank of the Tambraparni river, 18 miles below Tinnevelly town. It is a Union, with a popu- lation (1901) of 10,550. It contains a fine and richly endowed Vaishnav temple, the annual festival at which attracts large crowds. An enclosure in the town surrounded by mud walls and known as the ' fort ' is occupied by a peculiar subdivision of the Vellala caste, called the Kottai ('fort') Vellalas, who keep their womenkind strictly secluded within the four walls of the enclosure and marry only within their own subdivision. Their number, as might be expected, is dwindling in consequence of this restriction. There is a fine iron bridge over the dam across the Tambraparni at Srivaikuntam.