Uvari

Uvari is a coastal village in the Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu, India. It is located about 50km from Kanyakumari.

Uvari
Village
Uvari
Location in Tamil Nadu, India
Coordinates: 8.276°N 77.89°E / 8.276; 77.89
Country India
StateTamil Nadu
DistrictTirunelveli district
Elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Population
 (2001)
 • Total25,000
Languages
 • OfficialTamil
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)

Economy

A large proportion of Uvari residents make their living from fishing. Other professions which contribute to the local economy include farming, trading, and sailing.

Education

Uvari has four schools:

  • St. Mary's Higher Secondary School
  • St. Joseph Middle School
  • St. Mary's Primary School
  • TDTA Elementary School

Healthcare
  • St. Joseph Hospital
  • Government Hospital

Locations

Notable locations in Uvari include St. Anthony's Shrine Basilica, a Catholic church dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua. Uvari is the only place in Tamil Nadu that has a coastal St. Anthony's church.

Antonyar Church, Uvari

The Kappal Matha Church (Our Lady of Good Health), also known as the Selva Matha Church, is another Catholic church in Uvari. The church's structure resembles that of an airplane. It features four shrines and many grottoes.[1]

Kappal Mantha Church, Uvari

Other churches in Uvari 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 Bharathars of the Neithal World. Uvari's historical name was Obeer Pattanam, which means "town of Obeer".[2] 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.

A legend originating from the seventeenth century tells that the crew of a Portuguese ship sailing near Uvari contracted cholera. In an attempt to avert death, a sculptor aboard the ship carved an image of Saint Anthony. Soon after, the entire crew was restored to health. As an act of gratitude for the miracle, the ship's sailors and sculptors created a statue of St. Anthony holding the infant Jesus in his hand.[3] In 1940, the villagers dedicated a shrine to St. Anthony.[3] According to residents of Uvari, the shrine still houses the original statue of St. Anthony built by the Portuguese sailors.[3] St. Anthony is said to have performed many miracles for the people who flock there with faith in his intercession. Uvari is visited by many Hindus and Christians from all over South India.

Transport

Uvari is 80 km from Thoothukudi, 40 km from Tiruchendur, 54 km from Nagercoil, 48 km from Kaniyakumari, 75 km from Tirunelveli, 230 km from Madurai, and 260 km from Rameswaram.

The village has no train service. The nearest railway stations are Kanyakumari (48  km away) and Tiruchendur (40  km away). The nearest airport is Tuticorin Airport (100  km away).

References
  1. "Kappal Matha Church Tirunelveli Tamil Nadu". www.tourmyindia.com. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  2. Obeer
  3. Vernacular Catholicism, vernacular saints: Selva J. Raj on "Being Catholic the Tamil way". Raj, Selva J., Locklin, Reid B.,. Albany, NY. ISBN 978-1-4384-6506-7. OCLC 957057077.CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
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