Sambavar Vadagarai

Sambavar Vadakarai is a Panchayat town (Peerooratchi) in Tenkasi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Sambavar Vadakarai Sambavarvadakarai
Panchayat town
Nickname:  S.V.KARAI
Sambavar Vadakarai Location in Tamil Nadu, India
Coordinates: 9°00′18″N 77°23′08″E
Country	India
State	Tamil Nadu
District	Tenkasi
Taluk	Tenkasi
Founded by	Dr. Suresh Mondal
Population  (2021)
• Total	24,646
Languages
• Official	Tamil
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	627856
Sex ratio	99:100 ♂/♀

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Sambavarvadakarai is a Panchayat Town city (a small town which is formed under the Panchayati Raj administrative system) in the Tenkasi district of Tamil Nadu. The Sambavarvadakarai city is divided into 5000 parts. The population of children from ages 0 to 6 is 1,812. This is 10.84% of the total population of Sambavarvadakarai (TP). In the Sambavarvadakarai Town Panchayat, the female gender ratio is 1002 compared to the state average of 996. Moreover, the child gender ratio in Sambavarvadakarai is around 932, compared to the Tamil Nadu state average of 943. The literacy rate of Sambavarvadakarai city is 74.28%, lower than the state average of 80.09%. In Sambavarvadakarai, the male literacy rate is 83.13%, while the female literacy rate is 65.52%.

The Sambavarvadakarai Town Panchayat administers over 4,423 houses. Key services include basic amenities like water and sewage disposal. The administration is also authorized to build roads within Town Panchayat limits and can impose taxes on properties falling under its jurisdiction.

History, culture and tourism

Sambavar Vadakarai was part of the Kingdom of Travancore until 1956. Its name refers to the Sambavar caste, after the ancient priests of Lord Shiva. There are two parts of the village: Melur and Keelur. Keelur hosts two important temples, Sri Ramasamy Koil and Sri Iyappan Koil, both of which are old and renovated at the cost of crores. The Iyappankoil was built by V.S. Rajasekaran with the help of donors, in the style of the original Sabarimalai Temple, and is now governed by an individual body. The main attraction of the village is an old Shiva temple built by Pandian kings on the banks of the Hanumannathi River, as a tribute to the famous Tambraparani River. The temple's main deities are Sri Moolanatha Swamy and Maduravani Ambal. The Hanumannadhi River originates in Western Ghats near Sengottai (18  km west of this village) and merges into the Tambaraparani River near Srivaikuntam.

South West of the Hanumannadhi River lies the Brahmin community of Agraharam, which consists of two streets-- Perumal Koil Street (formerly North Street) and Pillayar Koil Street (formerly South Street). Agraharam features two ancient temples, Sri Vedanarayana Perumal Koil and Sri Varasiddhi Vinayagar Koil, along with temples in and around the areas for Vishnu Durgai, Pavalakotha Ayyanar (Sastha), and Neelakanti Amman. An age-old Annadhana Chatram established and endowed by the former Brahmin community caters to the needs of visitors and pilgrims for short stays and feedings. It is supported by the agricultural income derived from lands endowed by ancestors for this specific purpose. It also supports various temple festivals and charities, however, over a period of time and due to insufficient returns, these activities have died down. Many families of Agraharam have since migrated and have settled elsewhere in India and abroad. Nevertheless, the descendants stay in touch and visit the Village occasionally to have darshan, an opportunity or occasion to see and worship their family deities.

Schools

The town has one government higher secondary school, three government primary schools, one Salvation Army primary school, and one private school, The Salvation Army church (under Tenkasi Division), the CSI Church, and Masjid (located at Muslim street).

Temples

A big festival for the Sri Ramsamy Temple is Vaikasi Visakam and the 3 Sri Muppudathi Amman temples have a festival called Purattasi Masam in Keelur.

Another two temples are the Moopanar Cast Temple for Sivananynthaperumal and Sudalaimadan Kovil, the most famous temple in Sambavarvadakarai. This temple is located on the south side of the Hanuman Nadhi river. The Moopanar community temple has another one called the Mariamman Temple on the north side of the village.

The Angala Parameshwari Temple in Sambavarvadakarai is very famous for the Mahashivaratri Festival celebrated for 10 days every year by the Sengunthar Kaikola Mudaliyar community people. The Pathirakali Amman Temple on the river banks of Hanuman river is also famous.