Vandavasi
Town in Tiruvannamalai district, Tamil Nadu, India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vandavasi, historically rendered in English as Wandiwash, is a municipality in Vandavasi taluk of Tiruvannamalai district in Tamil Nadu, India.[1][3] The taluk is administered within the Cheyyar revenue division and is recorded as containing 161 revenue villages.[4] An area of 9.71 km² is listed for the municipality, within which a population of 31,320 was recorded in the 2011 census, comprising 15,566 males and 15,754 females distributed among 24 wards.[1][2]
Vandavasi
வந்தவாசி Wandiwash | |
|---|---|
Town | |
Vandavasi Fort | |
  Vandavasi Location in Tamil Nadu  Vandavasi Location in India | |
| Coordinates: 12.5°N 79.62°E | |
| Country | India |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| District | Tiruvannamalai |
| Taluk | Vandavasi |
| Revenue division | Cheyyar |
| Town panchayat constituted | 1886[1] |
| Selection town panchayat | 1942[1] |
| Third-grade municipality | 20 May 1994[1] |
| Second-grade municipality | 22 May 1998[1] |
| Wards | 24 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Second-grade municipality |
| • Body | Vandavasi Municipality |
| Area | |
• Total | 9.71 km2 (3.75 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 74 m (243 ft) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
• Total | 31,320 |
| • Density | 3,230/km2 (8,350/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Tamil |
| Time zone | UTC+05:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 604408 |
| Telephone code | 04183 |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Arani (No. 12) |
| Assembly constituency | Vandavasi (SC) (No. 69) |
| Website | www |
The town is particularly associated with its fort and with the Battle of Wandiwash, which was fought on 22 January 1760 during the Anglo-French struggle of the Carnatic Wars.[5] The fort had been taken by forces of the British East India Company on 30 November 1759, and an attempt by the French army to recover the position culminated in the battle outside the town less than two months later.[5]
Name and administrative development
The spelling Wandiwash was used in British administrative and military records, while Vandavasi has been adopted in present-day government usage.[3][1] In the late nineteenth-century administrative record, Wandiwash was listed both as a town and as the principal station of a taluk in the former North Arcot district.[3]
Municipal administration was introduced when a town panchayat was constituted in 1886.[1] Selection-town-panchayat status was conferred in 1942, third-grade municipal status was granted on 20 May 1994, and classification as a second-grade municipality was made on 22 May 1998.[1] Under the present district revenue arrangement, Vandavasi taluk is placed within the Cheyyar revenue division.[4]
Geography and climate
Vandavasi is situated on State Highway 5, which connects Tindivanam with Arcot. It lies approximately 110 km (68 mi) south-west of Chennai, 40 km (25 mi) south of Kanchipuram, 80 km (50 mi) north-east of Tiruvannamalai, 42 km (26 mi) south-east of Arani and about 80 km (50 mi) from Vellore.[6]
An average elevation of approximately 74 m (243 ft) above sea level has been recorded for the town.[6] A predominantly hot and humid climate is experienced during much of the year.[6] The nearest railway stations are at Melmaruvathur, approximately 28 km (17 mi) away, and Tindivanam, approximately 35 km (22 mi) away, while Chennai International Airport is approximately 100 km (62 mi) from the town.[7]
| ↖ Arani 42 km (26 mi) |
↑ Kanchipuram 40 km (25 mi) |
↗ Chennai 110 km (68 mi) |
| ← Arcot 65 km (40 mi) |
Vandavasi | → Melmaruvathur 28 km (17 mi) |
| ↙ Tiruvannamalai 80 km (50 mi) |
↓ Tindivanam 35 km (22 mi) |
↘ Puducherry 70 km (43 mi) |
Historical geography
In the nineteenth-century administrative description, the former Wandiwash taluk was recorded as covering 466 square miles and as containing a population of 177,728.[8] The tract was described as predominantly level, with only a small number of rocky hills; Dhavalagiri, immediately adjoining the town, and Nedungunam farther west were identified among the principal elevations.[8]
The Cheyyar River was recorded as the principal river of the former taluk, while a smaller watercourse described as the Bookhanuddy or Wandiwash River was recorded as rising west of the town and flowing eastwards towards the Palar River.[8] An anicut constructed on the Cheyyar in 1856 was recorded as supplying 104 irrigation tanks within the historical taluk.[8]
Dhavalagiri was described in the same administrative record as a grey-granite hill situated north of the fort and divided into two principal peaks, with a shrine occupying the higher summit.[3]
History
Fort and operations of 1759
The fort at Wandiwash formed an important fortified position in the interior of the Carnatic during the renewed Anglo-French conflict of the late 1750s.[5] An unsuccessful assault upon the fortified suburb, or pettah, was made by Company troops on 30 September 1759, after which the position remained in French hands.[5]
A renewed operation was undertaken in November 1759. After the British field force had moved from Conjeeveram, the fort was invested on 26 November and two batteries were opened against its defences on 29 November.[5] A breach having been created, the French garrison surrendered on 30 November; six officers and 53 European soldiers were recorded as having been taken prisoner.[5] The capture was subsequently treated as the establishment of a British-held post from which further operations in the interior could be conducted.[5]
Battle of Wandiwash
After the loss of the fort, a French field army commanded by Thomas Arthur de Lally was moved against Wandiwash in January 1760.[5] The British garrison was reinforced, and the defence was entrusted to Captain Sherlock with approximately 150 European troops and eight companies of sepoys.[5] By 16 January the pettah had been occupied by the French and preparations for a siege battery had been commenced.[5]
A relieving army commanded by Eyre Coote was brought towards the town, and the opposing forces were drawn up for battle on 22 January.[5] Fourteen British field guns and eighteen French field guns were recorded in the Fort St George account, with sustained musketry being opened around midday.[5] During the engagement, pressure was applied against the French left after an ammunition tumbril had exploded near that part of the line, and a retreat of the French formation followed.[5]
Charles Joseph Patissier de Bussy, who had served as one of the senior French commanders, was taken prisoner during the action and was subsequently permitted to return to Pondicherry on parole.[5] The siege of Wandiwash was thereby brought to an end, and subsequent operations were directed against other French-held positions in the Carnatic.[5]
Nineteenth-century description of the fort
In the 1893 Madras Presidency manual, the fort was described as probably having been constructed under Maratha authority and as having a rectangular plan of the type then characterised by the administration as an ordinary South Indian fortification.[3] Traces attributed to its successive sieges were reported as remaining, and an indigo plantation was recorded within the enclosed area.[3]
The fort was also recorded as having previously been connected with members of the family of the Nawab of Arcot, after which control was eventually transferred to the Company.[3] These statements were presented in the nineteenth-century administrative record as part of the historical description of the site rather than as archaeological determinations of its original construction date.[3]
Recorded chronology
| Date | Recorded development | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 30 September 1759 | An assault on the fortified pettah was made unsuccessfully by Company forces.[5] | Fort St George military despatch |
| 30 November 1759 | Wandiwash Fort was surrendered by its French garrison after a renewed investment and bombardment.[5] | Fort St George military despatch |
| 22 January 1760 | The French relieving force was defeated outside Wandiwash and the siege of the fort was ended.[5] | Fort St George military despatch |
| 1886 | A town panchayat was constituted.[1] | Government of Tamil Nadu municipal record |
| 1942 | Selection-town-panchayat status was conferred.[1] | Government of Tamil Nadu municipal record |
| 20 May 1994 | Third-grade municipal status was granted.[1] | Government of Tamil Nadu municipal record |
| 22 May 1998 | Second-grade municipal classification was made.[1] | Government of Tamil Nadu municipal record |
| 2011 | A municipal population of 31,320 was recorded across 24 wards.[2] | Official municipal census table |
Historical economy
Cotton weaving and the production of woven reed mats were recorded among the principal industries of the former Wandiwash taluk in the nineteenth century.[8] Approximately 1,000 cloth looms were stated to have been in operation in the wider taluk, while reeds cultivated on irrigated land were split, dried and dyed before being woven into patterned mats.[8]
Within the town itself, trade in grain was recorded, while mat-making and leather manufacture were also listed among local economic activities.[3] These descriptions relate to the economy documented in the late nineteenth-century administrative record and are not evidence of the present scale of those industries.[3]
Demographics
According to the 2011 census, a population of 31,320 was recorded within Vandavasi municipality, comprising 15,566 males and 15,754 females.[9] A sex ratio of 1,012 females for every 1,000 males was recorded.[10]
A total of 3,337 residents were below the age of six, comprising 1,740 males and 1,597 females.[10] Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 13.54% and 1.31% of the population respectively, while an average literacy rate of 77.3% was recorded.[10] The town contained 7,326 households.[11]
A total workforce of 10,553 was recorded, including 152 cultivators, 302 main agricultural labourers, 309 workers in household industries and 9,093 other main workers. A further 697 were classified as marginal workers, including eight marginal cultivators, 27 marginal agricultural labourers, 52 marginal household-industry workers and 610 other marginal workers.[11]
In the 2011 religious census, 60.86% of the population was recorded as Hindu, 34.73% as Muslim, 3.03% as Christian, 1.28% as Jain and 0.02% as Sikh. A further 0.08% was recorded under other religions or persuasions.[12]
Municipal population
A population of 31,320 was recorded for the municipality in the 2011 census, of whom 15,566 were male and 15,754 were female.[2] The population was distributed among 24 municipal wards.[2]
- Ward 1 – 1,193
- Ward 2 – 1,210
- Ward 3 – 1,888
- Ward 4 – 836
- Ward 5 – 1,466
- Ward 6 – 2,486
- Ward 7 – 810
- Ward 8 – 1,691
- Ward 9 – 1,523
- Ward 10 – 1,055
- Ward 11 – 1,274
- Ward 12 – 935
- Ward 13 – 1,395
- Ward 14 – 1,314
- Ward 15 – 1,158
- Ward 16 – 1,201
- Ward 17 – 2,190
- Ward 18 – 1,265
- Ward 19 – 1,513
- Ward 20 – 899
- Ward 21 – 1,116
- Ward 22 – 766
- Ward 23 – 996
- Ward 24 – 1,140
Places of interest
Vandavasi Fort forms one of the principal historical landmarks of the town and was associated with several military operations during the eighteenth-century Carnatic Wars.[3] The Battle of Wandiwash was fought outside the fortified position on 22 January 1760, when the French field army was defeated by forces commanded by Eyre Coote.[5]
Dhavalagiri, historically also described as Wandiwash Hill, rises immediately north of the fort.[3] It was recorded in the nineteenth-century Madras Presidency manual as a grey-granite hill with two principal peaks, with a shrine situated upon the higher peak and another temple at its foot.[3] The Sri Thavalagiriswarar Temple is situated on the hill.
The Arahanthgiri Jain Math is situated at the historic Jain complex of Tirumalai, near Arani in the wider Tiruvannamalai district. The matha was established near the ancient site in 1998.[13]
Politics
Vandavasi formerly constituted a Lok Sabha constituency. Following parliamentary delimitation, the former constituency was abolished and Vandavasi was included within the Arani Lok Sabha constituency.[14] The town forms part of the Vandavasi Assembly constituency, which is numbered 69 and is one of the six Assembly constituencies forming the Arani parliamentary constituency.[14]