5/5 SURYA NAGENDRA G. 5 years ago on Google
Devipatnam is
a
village
in
Devipatnam mandal,
located
in East
Godavari
district of
the Indian state
of Andhra
Pradesh.
Devipattinam
is
an
ancient
coastal
town
and
a
port,
located
in
the
southern
state
of
Tamil
Nadu.
It
was
a
flourishing
sea
port
and
a
gateway
to
places
as
far
as
Madurai
until
the
early
20th
century.
The
famous
pearl
belt
known
as
the Gulf
of
Mannar in
the
Bay
of
Bengal
is
dotted
with
small
islands;
Appa
Tivu, Nallathanni
Theevu,
Shuli
Tivu,
Uppu
Tanni
Tivu,
Talari
Tivu
and
Musal
Tivu.
The
coastal
line
of
Devipattinam
is
formed
by
series
of
small
bays
and
finest
coral
reefs
in
Thiruppaalaikudi.
Devipattinam
derives
its
name
from
the
temple
dedicated
to
Devi
built
at
the
spot
where
she
is
said
to
have
killed
the
demon
Mahishasura.
It
is
said
that
Lord
Rama
calmed
the
sea
at
this
coastal
village
to
install
nine
stones
representing
the
Navagrahas,
hence
the
name
Navabashanam.
These
stones
can
still
be
seen,
partly
submerged
in
the
water
close
to
the
beach
near
a
bathing
place
of
the
Thilakeshwar
Temple
or
the
Navagraha
Temple.
Navagraha
stones
are
located
in
the
sea,
at
a
distance
of
about
100
meters
from
the
sea
shore.
These
can
be
seen
in
morning
when
the
tides
of
the
sea
are
low;
however
in
evenings
when
the
tides
are
high
most
of
the
navagraha
stone
lie
submerged
in
the
water.
Hindus
perform
religious
rites
for
their
deceased
forefathers
here. [2]
The
prime
occupations
of
the
people
were
pearl,
conch,
sea
trade
and
transport.
The
mid-20th
century
saw
a
decline
in
the
occupations
of
the
people
of
Devipattinam.
With
the
advent
of
the
surface
transport
the
Merchant
Navies
faded
away
and
Devipattinam
ceased
to
be
a
harbour
and
port.
The
cultured
pearl
industry
and
the
mindless
dragnet
fishing
that
destroyed
the
coral
reefs,
choked
the
once
robust
pearl
trade
or
Muthu
Salabam.
The
conch
and
coral
industries
declined
due
to
new
regulations
and
restrictions.
Devipattinam
is
renowned
for
its
communal
harmony.
The
majority
of
the
population
here
is
Muslim
with
people
of
other
faith
Hindu,
Christians
living
together.
Devipattinam
has
6
Masjids.
They
are
Mela
pallivasal,
Periya
pallivasal,
Thaqua
pallivasal,
Bukhariya
pallivasal,
Masjid
Al
Aqsa
and
Towheed
Pallivasal.
Arab
Traders
during
the
sea
trade
era
settled
here
and
adopted
the
local
language.
They
developed
a
dialect
called
âArwiâ
which
is
a
combination
of
Arabic
and
Tamil.Arab
food
and
traditions
are
still
followed.
Islam
is
the
dominant
religion
and
they
mostly
practice
the
âShaafi
school
of
thought.
The
Arab
descendants
are
called
Maraikayars
and
are
found
all
over
the
coastal
regions
of
India
and
Sri
Lanka.
The
migration
of
the
people
after
the
decline
of
the
marine
trade
and
industry
resulted
in
people
exploring
the
other
parts
of
the
globe.
Devipattinam
has
a
large
expatriate
population
and
a
very
high
literary
rate.[2]This
enabled
the
people
of
Devipattinam
to
span
the
globe
and
Found
new
riches
in
the
Gulf,
far
east,
Americas
and
Europe.