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Vedaranyam : A Sacred Natural Site in Tamil Nadu Coast

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Vol. 14, No. 1 April - June 2008

Quarterly Magazine of CPR Environmental Education Centre

Annual Subscription - Rs.80/-

C.P.R. ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTRE

The C.P.Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation
1, Eldams Road, Alwarpet, Chennai 600 018, Tamilnadu, India.
Phone : 91-44-24337023 / 24346526 Fax 91-4424320756
Email : cpreec@vsnl.com
Websites : www.cpreec.org / www.ecoheritage.cpreec.org
A Centre of Excellence of the Ministry1of Environment and Forests, Government of India
Eco News, Vol. 14, No. 1 April - June 2008
Vedaranyam : A Sacred Natural Site in
Tamil Nadu Coast
M. Amir thaling
mirthaling am
thalingam

costume presiding in the temple (Jayasenthilnadhan,

1988).

Her itag
itagee o
off Vedar an
anyyam
daran
The forest stretch was traditionally protected by the
local people out of religious beliefs, fear, and taboos,
often associated with the heritage sites in the forests.
Several sites of religious, historical or cultural
importance are located within the Vedaranyam
sanctuary. They are:

Ramar P Paa dam (literally: Rama’s Footprint) is located

Int
ntrroduc
uctt ion
ion
Tropical Dry Evergreen Forests (TDEF) in Tamilnadu
are restricted to the East Coast, running from Pulicat
in the north to Vedaranyam in the south, covering 60
km from East to West. TDEFs generally occur along
the sandy coast, interior coastal plains with red laterite
soil or isolated hillocks scattered along the east coast.
Natural vegetation on the south-eastern coast of
Peninsular India has now been reduced to patches
(Meher-Homji, 1986). One such patch of forest is
Vedaranyam, which is a traditionally protected
ecological heritage site of Tamilnadu.
on the highest point of land in the sanctuary. It is a
small shrine containing the stone footprints of Lord
Rama. Large numbers of Rama devotees gather here
during the 2nd week of April to celebrate festival of
Rama Navami.
S an
anyyasin M unieswar
Munieswar
unieswararar Kov il is a shrine between the
Ko
eastern bank of Muniappan Lake and Kodaikarai Road
visited by devotees on auspicious occasions. A small
area near the Sanyasin Munieswarar Temple was used
by the British as a hunting ground and later, cleared
and replanted with Casurina and Euculyptus for
firewood production. Some of these old trees still
remain. Palmyrah trees were planted to mark the village
forests from the Reserved Forest near Muniappan Lake.

Vedar an
anyyam
daran
The ancient name for the present Point Calimere was
Thirumaraikadu or Vedaranyam. The four Vedas were
believed to be excavated in the temple and thus this
place got the name Vedaranyam. The great Saivaite
Saints Appar and Sundarar competed to sing and show
off their talent at this site. Legend holds that it was at
Vedaranyam that Lord Shiva (Vedaraneeshwar) fulfilled
the wishes of Sage Agastya by appearing in his wedding
costume. Because of that gesture, there is a temple
dedicated to Lord Shiva in Vedaranyam. In a unique
way, the Lord and the Goddess appear in their wedding

12
Eco News, Vol. 14, No. 1 April - June 2008
 Matt um
attum unian K
umunian ov il is a small temple in the south of
Ko Flo
Florr a
the sanctuary, where people worship and offer prayers
throughout the year. Tropical dry evergreen forests of the great Vedaranyam
swamp include about 106 plant species within 90
Mo di M andapam is a shrine located near Ramar
Mandapam genera belonging to 48 families. Of the 106 plant
Padam where people of all castes worship. Hindu species, 60 are herbs, 25 are shrubs, 11 are trees and 10
legend says that Lord Vedaraneswarar spend a night species are climbers, represented by Manilakara
here with his consort. hexandra, Memecyclon umbellatum, Maba buxifolia,
Syzygium cumini etc. Mangrove forests with the
She
Shevv r ay an Kov il is a shrine to the deities Shevrayan
Ko domination of Avicennia marina, Avicennia alba,
and Soni, located deep in the forests of the northern Aegiceros corniculatus, Rhizophora sp., Acanthus
part of the sanctuary. A small village near this shrine illicifolius, and Suaeda species are also found here
was relocated outside the sanctuary after the creation (Baruah, 2005; http://nagapattinam.nic.in/profile.html).
of Kodaikarai Reserve Forest. A few uncommon
Thespesia populnea and Azdirachta indica trees from the Threats
hreats
old settlement still remain.
The erosion of beliefs along with the compounding
A d iivv a s i C
Coolo
onn y is a backward community of alien cultural influence, centralised forest protection
Ambalakars who live in ramshackle huts of mud, system, moving away from the earlier decentralised
coconut fronds and palmyrah leaves on the edge of pattern, paved the way for the decimation and
Kodaikarai village. destruction of the forests in this region.

Fauna Decline of species diversity due to invasion by Prosopis,

Vedaranyam sanctuary is an area of high biodiversity,
with many unique species of animals and birds. It forms
a major refugia for migratory and resident birds.
Flamingo, Gulls, Coots, Storks, Pelicans, Plovers,
Cormorants, Ducks, Egrets, Curlews, Lbises, Teals,
Herons, Terns, Spoon bills, Sand pipers are some of
the water birds found in the sanctuary. Indian pitta,
Bee eaters, Sparrows, Thrushes, Doves, Munias,
Warblers, Owls, Kites, Wagtails, Flower peckers, Eagles,
Swifts and the White necked Stork are the common
terrestrial birds.
The fauna also includes several reptiles including Olive
Ridley sea turtle, Star tortoise, Marsh crocodile,
Monitor lizard, saw scaled viper, Green whip snake,
Cobra, Hook-nosed sea snake, Rat snake and the
Common krait.
habitat loss from soil and water salinization by salt pans,
and cattle grazing are also some of the major threats to
the sanctuary.
References
nces
1. Meher-Homji, V.M., 1986, “Puttupet: A Sacred
Termite Mount Protects a Forest”, Blackbuck, Vol.
2, No. 4.
2. Jayasenthilnadhan J.A., 1988, “Thirumurai
Thalangal”, Indhu Samaja Mandram, Kanchi.
3. Baruah A.D. (March 2005), “Point Calimere Wildlife
& Bird Sanctuary – A Ramsar Site, 180 pp illus. color”,
Tamil Nadu Forest Department, Wildlife Warden,
Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu.
4. http://nagapattinam.nic.in/profile.html

ECONEWS welcomes articles and news items from its readers.

Please send them to
The Editor
C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre
1, Eldams Road, Alwarpet, Chennai – 600 018, India.
Phone : 91-44-24337023 / 24346526 Fax : 91-44-24320756
www.cpreec.org / www.ecoheritage.cpreec.org
Email: cpreec@vsnl.com

13
Eco News, Vol. 14, No. 1 April - June 2008

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