Uvari
Uvari is a village in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
| Uvari | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
  Uvari Location in Tamil Nadu, India | |
| Coordinates: 8°16′34″N 77°53′24″E / 8.276°N 77.89°ECoordinates: 8°16′34″N 77°53′24″E / 8.276°N 77.89°E | |
| Country |
 |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| District | Tirunelveli district |
| Elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2001) | |
| • Total | 10,000 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Tamil |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| Website | www.uvari.net |
Economy
The main occupation for inhabitants is fishing. Most men work as sailors, contributing to the local economy. A separate Panchayat village is modern in nature.
Education
Uvari has four schools:
- St Mary's Hr Sec School
- St Joseph Middle School
- St Mary's Primary School
- Mother Theresa Nursery School
Health care
St. Joseph Hospital is run by nuns.
Facilities
The village hosts Canara Bank (with an ATM), post office and a telephone exchange office.
Religion
Uvari hosts St. Antony's Shrine Baslica, a Catholic Church dedicated to St. Antony of Padua. Uvari is the only place in Tamil Nadu that has a St. Antony's church beside the sea.
The Kappal Matha Church (Our Lady of Good Health), in the form of a ship carrying an airplane, is there. The original church of St. Mary was damaged by sea erosion and replaced by this one, built in 1974. It features four shrines and many grottos.
Other curches include St. Andrew's Church, Selvamatha Church (Our Lady of Good Wealth) and Velankanni Matha Church (Our Lady of Good Health).
History
According to Tamil history, the citizens of Uvari were called Bharathar's of the Neithal (ocean) World. Uvari's historical name was Obeer Pattanam. It was ruled by the Pandyan dynasty.
In the 1530s, Portuguese and Spanish missionaries from Goa arrived and converted many Bharathars to the Roman Catholic religion. The Portuguese priests, acting as godfathers, gave surnames such as Fernando to the converted. Pandya retains a fish on its flag, a symbol of this era.
Legend has it that the crew of a Portuguese ship that sailed near Uvari in the seventeenth century contracted cholera. In an attempt to avert death, a carpenter aboard the ship carved an image of Saint Anthony. Soon after, the entire crew were restored to health. When the ship docked at Uvari, the sailors placed the statue inside a hut in the village. In the 1940s, the villagers built a church with the original statue of St. Anthony holding the infant Jesus in his hand. St Anthony is said to perform many miracles daily for the people who flock there with faith in his intercession, therefore the church was upgraded to a shrine. Uvari is visited by Hindus and Christians from all over South India.
Transport
Uvari is 80km from Thoothukudi, 40 km from Tiruchendur, 54 km from Nagercoil, 48 km from kaniyakumari, 75 km from Tirunelveli and 230 km from Madurai and 260 km from Rameswaram.
The village has no train service. The nearest railway's station kaniyakumari (48km) & tiruchendur (40km). The nearest airport is Tuticorin Airport (100 km).
References
WWW.Uvari.com
WWW.Uvari.net
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Uvari. |