Cuddalore is a large and developing town in India. It is the head quarters of the Cuddalore district located in Tamilnadu.

Location

Cuddalore is situated in the southern part of India. It is quite near to Pondicherry. Cuddalore has three large divisions - Cuddalore Old Town, New Town (Thirupadirippuliyur) and Manjakuppam. A river called Gedilam flows through the town and it separates Thirupadiripuliyur and Old Town from the rest of the town . Cuddalore Old Town is a sea port well-known for its ancient trade activities. People of Cuddalore had trade realtionship with Romans some 2000 year ago. One can find evidence of this fact in Cuddalore Government Museum. Cuddalore was the first town in South India which came under the direct influence of the Europeans. Dutch were the first to conquer it, followed by other countries like Portugal, France and later Britain. British forces excercised their firm grip over South India and ruled the entire South India with Cuddalore as its capital. They built Fort St.David in Cuddalore (near Devanampattinam). Cuddalore has a natural port. It is one of the oldest on the eastern coast of India.

Places of tourist attraction

Now Cuddalore is a place of tourist attraction.It has some the magnificient beaches - well-known among them is the Silver beach. The boat house near the beach is known for its beauty. Cuddalore is also known for its temples. The most famous is the temple of Shiva, one of the three prime deities of Hinduism. The incarnation of Shiva at Cuddalore is called Padaleeshwarar. The temple is located in Thiruppadirippuliyur.Chidambaram,a city which is known for dance and temples, is only 43 km away from Cuddalore. Pondicherry, once a French colony, is also half hour drive away from Cuddalore.

Education

Cuddalore has some very well respected schools, the most popular among them being, St. Josephs & St. Mary's.

Famous people from Cuddalore

Many well-known writers of Tamil literature, such as Jayakanthan and Pudhumaipithan were born in Cuddalore. Veeramani, one of the leaders of Dravidar Kazhagam was also born here. Also, Vethathiri Maharishi ,a spritiual and social worker from Tamilnadu, started to preach his disciples from Cuddalore.

The 2004 tsunami and its aftermath

Tsunami waves that followed the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake near Sumatra hit the eastern coast of India on December 26 2004 by 08:32 in the morning. Cuddalore was heavily affected by the waves. 572 bodies have been recovered and many are still missing. Several fishing hamlets have simply disappeared. The Silver beach - a local attraction and the historically important Cuddalore Port where devestated. Fort St.David survived without damage.

Cuddalore, being more accessible from major cities like Chennai and Bangalore got good relief supplies relatively early. The management of relief operations in the district was being handled by the local authorities and villagers themselves. Some more remote villages however became inaccessible due to a bridge breaking apart, leaving rescued villagers very anxious about their homes.