Tirunelveli, also known as Nellai and historically (during British rule) as Tinnevelly, is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirunelveli District. It is the sixth-largest municipal corporation in the state after Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Trichy and Salem. Tirunelveli is located 700km southwest of the state capital Chennai, 58km away from Thoothukudi and 73km from Kanyakumari. Tirunelveli is an ancient city, and is more than 2000 years old. Tirunelveli is the capital of Tirunelveli District. The downtown is located on the west bank of the Thamirabarani River; its twin Palayankottai is on the east bank. Palayamkottai is called as the Oxford of the south India. It is a hub of many schools, colleges and many important government offices. Tirunelveli is believed to be an ancient settlement of great importance. It has been ruled at different times by the Early Pandyas, the Medieval and Later Cholas, the later Pandyas, the Ma'bar, the Vijayanagar Empire, the Madurai Nayaks, Chanda Sahib, the Karnatic kingdom and the British. The Polygar War, involving Palaiyakkarars led by Veerapandiya Kattabomman and forces of the British East India Company, was waged on the city's outskirts from 1797 to 1801. Tirunelveli has a number of historical monuments, the Swami Nellaiappar Temple being the most prominent. Industries in Tirunelveli include administrative services, agricultural trading, tourism, banking, agricultural machinery, information technology and educational services. The city is an educational hub of southern India, with institutions such as Anna University Regional Campus - Tirunelveli, Tirunelveli Medical College, The Tirunelveli Veterinary College and Research Institution, Tirunelveli Law College, the Government College of Engineering, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University and much more. Tirunelveli is administered by a Municipal Corporation, established on 1 June 1994 by the Municipal Corporation Act. The city covers an area of 189.9sqkm, and had a population of 473,637 in 2011 excluding some Municipal corporation region then.The total population after expansion is 968,984. Tirunelveli is well-connected by road and rail with the rest of Tamil Nadu and India. The nearest domestic airport is Thoothukudi Airport. The Nearest International Airports are Madurai International Airport and Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. The nearest Seaport is Thoothukudi Port.
