Karungal


Karungal is a panchayat town in Kanniyakumari district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Karungal is the localized name of this town from the word "Karingai" which was again derived from "Tharum kai".Tharumkai Bhagavathy Amman temple is a very ancient temple situated in Karungal on the roadside of Karungal-Chellamkonam road. Originally Tharumgai Bhagavathy Amman Temple was situated on the top of Karingai Malai,a hillock situated near Karingai.Still we can see traces of stone slabs and building materials of this old temple on the top of Karingaimalai. Legend has it that in due course of time, due to difficulty for an old aged women to have dharshan of Bhagavathy at top of Karingaimalai, Tharungai Bhagavathy descended and settled in the plain near Karungal town.

Demographics

At the 2001 India census, Karungal had a population of 15,832. Males constituted 49% of the population and females 51%. It had an average literacy rate of 79%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 82%, and female literacy is 76%. 10% of the population were under six years of age.
Karungal is densely populated compared to other panchayats..

Geography

Karungal is the predominant town in Killiyoor, the 234th constituency of Tamil Nadu. After Marthandam, it is the next well-known town, and it spans an area of over. Keezhkulam is situated in the southwest, Paliyadi in the northeast, Thiruvithamcode in the east and Thikkanamcode in the southeast.