Watrap
| Watrap Vathirayiruppu | |
|---|---|
| village | |
  Watrap Location in Tamil Nadu, India  Watrap Watrap (India) | |
| Coordinates: 9°38′7″N 77°38′20″E / 9.63528°N 77.63889°ECoordinates: 9°38′7″N 77°38′20″E / 9.63528°N 77.63889°E | |
| Country |
 |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| District | Virudhunagar |
| Government | |
| • Body | Town Panchayat |
| Elevation | 73 m (240 ft) |
| Population (01-Jan-2001)[1] | |
| • Total | 15,999 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Tamil |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 626 132 |
| Telephone code | 04563 |
| Vehicle registration | TN-67 |
| Nearest city | Madurai |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Thenkasi |
| Vidhan Sabha constituency | Srivilliputtur |
| Civic agency | Town Panchayat |
| Climate | Apr-May - Min 20 Deg C Max 42 Deg C and May - Mar - Min 20 Deg C Max 30 deg C (Köppen) |
Watrap or Vathirayiruppu is a small village located in Virudhunagar District, Tamil Nadu, India.
The traditional name of Watrap, prior to British Colonization, was "vatratha iruppu" which translates to surplus water. Though the ancient village had very clear caste based settlement as one can understand the street constructions, there had never been any caste fights. With the streets named after castes, it boasted a peaceful village. There is a perumal temple in the centre of the village. There is a shiva and hanuman temple at the periphery of the village.
The holy uphill shrine "Sundara Mahalingam temple" (also known as Thaani Paarai and Sathuragiri Malai) is located here. Aadi amavasai (No Moon Day in the month of Aadi) is when devotees from all over Tamil Nadu throng here. Agriculture is the primary livelihood. The main work is cultivation of paddies, coconut and cotton, with paddy cultivation being the most important. There are three government-aided schools and two private schools in the town. It have a branches of State Bank of India, Union Bank of India, Virudhunagar District Cooperative Bank and Rural Cooperative Bank. The physicist Dr. K. S. Krishnan was born in the village; he was the assistant to Sir. C. V. Raman.
Local attractions
As a mode of entertainment there is one cinema theater, called Ramakrishna.
The town is on the bank of the Arjuna River. There is a dam here for irrigation and agriculture called "Pilavakal dam" and it is one of the beautiful excellent picnic spots in this area.
Sathuragiri Hills is a must-see place if you are a nature lover. You need to trek for about 5 hours to reach the top of the hill, there won't be a proper road or restroom or any facilities. Free lunch will be served on new moon days, you get to see dense forest, waterfalls and undisturbed nature on the way. One should be there at the foothills by early in the morning, so that you can return before sunset, if you plan for a day. If you are a treker willing to smell those natural moments, it is a safe place to camp at night. People, localities here are more ethical and possess no danger. For trekkers a one or two night stay would be interesting to see some of the rarest caves, which are some 2 km away from Sathuragiri temple, a fresh water pond at the top of the hill. All these areas have to be trekked through dense forest which is a very thrilling and delightful experience. There is a top spot called Perrumal Mottai which is recommended only for people with good stamina to trek. But it is the coldest spot in these hills. Kindly take guidance from any localities if you plant to trek any place beyond Sathuragiri Temple. The best season to trek is post-monsoon. There is a Krishna and Rukmini and Sathyabama temple called Gopala Swamy Malai, at the top of a small hill, which is 22 km from Watrap at NH-47 (between Kallupatti, Krishnankoil and Srivilliputhur towns), and a Shiva Cave temple called Motta Malai 16 km from Watrap (between Watrap and Alagapuri road, take a diversion after a village called Akkanapuram villaku) recommended for Shiva disciples. For people who would love to swim in natural waters, you have a place called Maavuthu (big spring, 8 km from Watrap or take a diversion between Maharajapuram and Thambipatti), a pond which has a spring at its corner and flows 24/7 throughout the year. A very beautiful place at the foot of Southern Ghats. An excellent place to be during rainy season (recommended only for people who know to swim above average).
The following are a few important temples in the town of Watrap:
- Sri Kasi Viswanatha Swamy Temple
- Sri Sethu Narayana Perumal Temple
- Sri Muthalamman Temple
- Sri Ammaiyappa Sri Vidhya Maha Ganapathy Temple
- Sri Vella Pillaiyar Temple
- Sri Nallathangal Temple
- Sri Valla Palathu Karuppasamy Kovil
- Arulmigu Nagalaxmi Thirukkovil
- Sri Sathuragiri Sundara Mahalingam Kovil.
Hanuman Temple beside Sri Viswanatha Swamy Temple (needs upkeep)
All the above temples are very ancient.
Schools in Watrap: The Hindu Higher Secondary, Lions matriculation, Nadar school, and a government school is also available. Near Watrap a college is located known as Kalasalingam engineering college/Arts and science/polytechnic etc.,
Connectivity
Watrap Village is very well connected by rail, road and air and below are details:
Railway Connectivity: The nearest railway station is Srivilliputtur. There are several passenger trains from Madurai to Srivilliputtur. The Pothigai Express is a daily train from Chennai Egmore to Sengottai that reaches Srivilliputtur at 6.13 in the morning. From Srivilliputtur you can take a local bus to Watrap.
Road Connectivity Watrap Town is connected from NH208 around 10 km (From Krishnan Kovil) and 17 km (from Alagapuri Village) and there are plenty of buses are operated to and from the below destination.
- Madurai - TNSTC, CK Balan Bus Service, MC Somu Busservice, Shakthi and Jothi Transports
- Virudunagar - TNSTC, Meenambigai and KVV Bus Service
- Srivilliputtur - TNSTC, KAYESR and SRM Bus Service
- Kovilpatti - TNSTC, KAYESR and KVV Bus Service
- Sivakasi - TNSTC, KAYESR
- Theni - Southern (Suba) Bus Services.
There is a Bus Stand which has been built and it is on the Road towards Koomapatti. Mostly the Buses are stopped at the Bazaar which is also known as Mutthalamman Chavadi. Watrap Town has a very busy bazaar and has around 1000 to 1500 shops in a less than 1 km radius. Mostly between 5 pm and 8 pm every day is the peak time for all the businesses.
Nearest Airport
The nearest Airport is Madurai (72 km) and there are plenty of Local Taxi Operators are operating the taxis to Madurai Airport for Pickup and Drop facility.
Banks and Financial Institution There are 4 Banks are in Watrap :
- State Bank of India
- Union Bank of India
- Virudunagar Co-operative Bank Limited
- Pandian Grama Bank
Famous personalities
- K.S.Krishnan:
He was awarded padma bhusan in 1954.
References
- ↑ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.