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Around 145km; south of Virudhanagar in the route from Tuticorin to Trichendur
there exists a beautiful little village by name Amman Puram. Due to the presence
of Thamirabharani riverbed the river is full of greenery with paddy fields banana
plantation and also palm grooves in the outskirts of the village.
This agricultural healthyness shows the economic wealthy ness of the village.
Ammanpuram and its peripherals would have been under the direct and indirect administration
of near by politically important town namely Tuticorin. Political changes in Tuticorin
had impact in Ammanpuram also. During the Madurai Pandyar regime. Tuticorin was
the pearl city where pearls were harvested hugely in the offshore of Tuticorin.
So its wealth ness also reflected in Ammanpuram. In the beginning of 16th century
after the decline of Pandyars Tuticorin came under the control of Kerela ruler
Udaya Marthanda Varma. Then in 1540 to 1560 Portuguese captured and took over
the control of Tuticorin. People were converted to Christianity through missionaries
and military. In 1669AD Tirumalai Naicker of Madurai captured Tuticorin and handed
over the revenue administrial responsibilities to pallayakars. In 1700AD once
again it went to the hand of foreign regime but at this time to Dutch. In 1795
Tuticorin was captured by British and for a very short period say for one year
i.e. in 1799 it was under the control of the great Panchalam Kunchi Palayakar
Veera Pandyan Katta Bomma during the south Indian mutiny. But British military
over powered him, he was hanged to death. Since then Tuticorin was under the control
of British till Independence . All changes in Tuticorin had its own impact in
Amman Puram also. At the end boundary Ammanpuram there exists a Junai i.e. natural
water spring pond and side by that there is Oor Kaval Deivam Arun Junai Katha
Ayyanar. To say Ayyanar, may be the Palayakar person who would have saved the
village Ammanpuram and the Junai from the foreign invaders and from their forceful
religions conversion. In the course of operation or at the successful end of the
operation ayyanar might have been died. In his name a statue would also have been
raised. In course of time that place came to be noted Arun Junai Katta Ayyanar
Kovile i.e. the temple of Ayyanar who have saved the beautiful pond. Addition
to the Ayyanar statue there are some other small statues of Kaval Deivams namely
Periya Karuppar, Peria Petchi etc. These statues exemplify the body guards of
Ayyanar.
"One thing is clear, even today that Junai is having perennial spring of water
and that too clean and soft drinking water. Geologically also it is proved that
the Junai is there for many centuries . No changing of its name and the everlasting
permanency of its sacredness for the past 500 years exposes the unique character
of the Junai and the village Ammanpuram. The address of Arun Junai Katha Ayyanar
temple is Mela Pudu Kudi Arun Junai Katha Ayyanar Kovil, Ammanpuram" ‚ “ 628201,
Tuticorin district. Ph. +91-04639-236359.
Cont...
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