Thengapattinam
has the unique and rare distinction of being
one of the few first places in India where
Islam was propagated and accepted during
the time of Prophet Muhammad (sal). Islam
got firmly rooted here due to the peaceful
propagation of the great spiritual leader
malik ibn deenar (rah) who came from Arabia
in the 7th century a.d. through kodungalloor
in kerala. His Arabic team built a big mosque
here made of hard rocks which is known here
as ‘valiapalli’. The ancient
Arabic history book ‘rihlathul muluk’
states that the headquarters of syed ubaithath
kazhi’ appointed as the religious
propaganda secretary of the district was
located here.Many Islamic religious scholars
later came to this place to propagate Islam.
The mosque built of hard rocky stones knows
as malik ibn dinar palli or valia palli,
the aatttupalli built on the rocky mountains
by the shores of the sea and river bank,
the mohideen palli located near the canal
in thoppu, the chenta palli built on kuntadipattan
paarai, the rifai palli located close to
the bus station and the khaja palli located
by the shores of the arabian sea are the
mosques of this tiny town.
Life Style
@ Thengapattanam
It
is a Muslim town which has close links with
nearby towns as Thuckalay, Thiruvithancode,
Colachel, Midalam, Enayam, Enayam Puthenthurai,
Poothurai, Nambali and Poovar in the nearby
Kerala State. Marriage and social relations
thrive among the people of these towns.
Other than the above, Thengapattinam has
closely connected by trade and social relations
with Trivandrum, the capital city of Kerala
State. A big number of people from Thengapattinam
engage in various trade activities in Trivandrum.
Houses, here, are built with separate compounds
for each house. Sweet drinking water is
in plenty with each house a separate well
in it.
A proportionate number
of people pursue trade and business activities
whereas a large chunk has moved to various
Gulf countries to earn their livelihood.
'Gulf' is craze here that it is not uncommon
to hear that a male member of a house is
working in U.A.E., Bahrain, Saudi Arabia
and Oman.
Thengapattinam is a main
commercial hub for more than 50 small surrounding
places, to name a few are, Mulloor Thurai,
Raman Thurai, Enayam, Enayam Puthen Thurai,
Erayumman Thurai, Poothurai, Panankal Mukku,
Arasa Kulam, Keezhkulam, Chentharai, Amsi,
Painkulam, Parakkani, Maniyaran Kunnu etc.
Pattanam-
A Tourist Spot
“Thengapattinam”,
thennaipattinam” and “thenpattinam”
are the other relevant names of this town.
it is called so because of the dense coconut
groves found everywhere here, being located
on the coast of Arabian sea, and sitting
on the southern tip of India in kanyakumari
district in Tamil nadu.
This town is a delight
to the eyes of the beholder, one of the
few picnic spots in the district, where
nature has showered her blessings abundantly.
The beautiful beach (next in comparison
with Cape-Comorin beach) with its breath
taking sunset, the tiny hill-tops and the
backwater beckon the tourists where one
enjoys a refreshingly cool wind that blows
throughout the year.
Sea-short with backwaters,
it is an ideal place for eveningers who
come from nearby places to enjoy a stay
and fun & frolic on the waters, in small
boats of Valiyar. The merger of this river
with sea (estuary / firth) known as 'Pozhi"
in local vernacular is a star attraction
and the one and only of its kind in the
State itself.
Pride of
Kanyakumari
The
history of this beautiful coastal town dates
back to more than 2000 years.It was an important
port of Chera Nadu, when trade relations
boomed with the Middle East and the Arab
world.There was direct cargo boat service
between Thengapattinam and other foreign
maritime towns around the world.
Part of the culture and
tradition found here was inherited through
its trade relations with the Arab world.
This Muslim town has a Juma Masjid known
as Valiya Palli, which is more than 1200
years old.Thengapattanam was also called
"Dharmapattanam" and "Kuzhanthai
Nagar" in the early days.
