Uvari

Uvari is a coastal village in Thisayanvilai Taluk, Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu, India.|url=https://tirunelveli.nic.in/revenue-administration/ |website=Official Tirunelveli District Government Website |publisher=Tamilnadu Government |accessdate=31 August 2020 </ref> The total geographical area of the Uvari is around . Uvari is surrounded by Idaiyangudi, Navaladi, Karaisuthu Uvari and the Bay of Bengal. The mean maximum temperature is around in summer and in winter, with humidity levels over 65 percent. The rainy season starts between October and January. Uvari is rich in mineral resources like limestone, Ilmenite, and red garnet sands.

Economy

Local inhabitants primarily work as sailors or fishermen.

Education

Seven schools are located in Uvari.

St. Mary's Primary School
St. Mary's Hr Secondary School
St. Joseph Middle School
St. Antonys CBSC School

Health care

Two hospitals are located in Uvari.

St. Joseph Health Center
Government Primary Healthcare Hospital

Facilities

Two banks are located in Uvari.

Canara Bank (with ATM)
Muthoot Finance
Muthoot Fincorp

Post Office (627651)

BSNL Telephone Exchange (277 series)

Religion

Christianity is the most commonly practiced religions in Uvari.

Christian churches include:

St. Anthony's Shrine Basilica, a Catholic church dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua, and the only place in Tamil Nadu that has a St. Anthony's church beside the sea.
The Kappal Matha Church (Our Lady of Good Health), in the form of a ship carrying an airplane. The original church of St. Mary was damaged by sea erosion and replaced by this one, built in 1974. It features four shrines and many grottos.
St. Andrew's Church
Selva Matha Church (Our Lady of Good Wealth)
Velankanni Matha Church (Our Lady of Good Health)

History

According to Tamil history, the citizens of Uvari were called Bharathar's of the Neithal (ocean) World. Uvari's historical name was Obeer Pattanam. 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. Pandya retains a fish on its flag, a symbol of this era.

Legend has it that the crew of a Portuguese ship that sailed near Uvari in the seventeenth century contracted cholera. In an attempt to avert death, a carpenter aboard the ship carved an image of Saint Anthony (Anthony of Padua). Soon after, the entire crew were restored to health. When the ship docked at Uvari, the sailors placed the statue inside a hut in the village. In the 1940s, the villagers built a church with the original statue of St. Anthony holding the infant Jesus in his hand. St Anthony is said to perform many miracles daily for the people who flock there with faith in his intercession, therefore the church was upgraded to a shrine. Uvari is visited by Hindus and Christians from all over South India.

Transport

Uvari is from Thoothukudi, from Tiruchendur, from Nagercoil, from Kaniyakumari, from Tirunelveli, 130 Km from Kovilpatti, from Madurai, and from Rameswaram.

The village has no train service. The nearest railway's stations are located in Tiruchendur, away, and Kaniyakumari, away. The nearest airport is Tuticorin Airport, away. The nearest International airport is Trivandrum International Airport, away