Sethiathoppu


Sethiathope is a panchayat town in Bhuvanagiri Taluk, Cuddalore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is situated on the crossroads of Chennai - Tanjore Highway. Sethiyathope was established as a civilian town by the Cholas in the 11th century C.E. According to Tamil scholars, Sethiyathope was formed as a settlement when the famous Chola King Rajendra moved his capital from Thanjavur to Gangaikondacholapuram which lies 20 km south.
Sethiyaar, a landlord used to own this piece of woodlands on the banks of river Vellar and thus derives the name Sethiyarthoppu. There are close to 60 villages around this town largely agrarian communities.

Demographics

India census, Sethiathoppu had a population of 7962. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Sethiathoppu has an average literacy rate of 72%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 80%, and female literacy is 64%. In Sethiathoppu, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.
How to reach Sethiyathope:
By road:
NH 45C - Between kumbakonam to Chennai. Distance between Chennai to Sethiyathope is 222 km and Kumbakonam to Sethiyathope
Distance is 60 km.
By train:
Chennai to Chidambaram Junction and Chennai to Virudhachalam Junctions are near to Sethiyathope.
Other cities near Sethiyathope:
A primary health centre, police station, and a couple of higher secondary and nursing schools are situated here.
There are 15 wards in Sethiyathope Panchayat.

Tourist attractions

Veeranam Lake
Veeranam Lake, located 2 kilometres south of Sethiathope, is the second largest lake in the state of Tamil Nadu. The lake, located 235 km from Chennai, India, is one of the important water reservoirs that supplies drinking water to Chennai. Veeranam Lake was created during Chola period in the tenth century, built from 1011 to 1037 AD and is an long dam in northern Tamil Nadu.
Birth Place of Ramalinga Swamigal
Arutprakasa Vallalar Chidambaram Ramalingam,, whose pre-monastic name was Ramalingam, is commonly known in India and across the world as Vallalar. He was one of the most famous Tamil saints and also one of the greatest Tamil poets of the 19th century and belongs to a line of Tamil saints known as "gnana siddhars". The Suddha Sanmarga Sangam was spread and passed on by him not only in theory but mainly in practice by his own way of living which was itself inspiration for his followers. Through the notion of Suddha Sanmarga Sangam, the saint endeavored to eliminate the menace of caste. According to Suddha Sanmarga, the prime aspects of human life should be love connected with charity and divine practice leading to achievement of pure knowledge.
Ramalinga Adigal was the youngest child of Ramiah Pillai and his sixth wife Chinnamaiar, who lived in Marudur in South Arcot district, a village 7 km north of Sethiyathoppu in the National Highway 45C.
Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Gangaikonda Cholapuram was erected as the capital of the Cholas by Rajendra Chola I, the son and successor of Rajaraja Chola, the great Chola who conquered a large area in South India at the beginning of the 11th century C.E. It occupies an important place in the history of India. As the capital of the Cholas from about 1025 C.E. for about 250 years, the city controlled the affairs of entire south India, from the Tungabhadra in the north to Ceylon in the south. The great temple of Siva at this place is next only to the Brihadisvara temple at Thanjavur in its monumental nature and surpasses it in sculptural quality.
Gangaikonda Cholapuram is located 15 km south of Sethiathoppu on the National Highway 45C. Gangaikonda Cholapuram can be reached by taxi and bus from Sethiathoppu.
Birth Place of Raghavendra Swami
Sri Guru Raghavendra Swamy is an influential 16th-century Hindu saint who advocated Vaishnavism and Sri Madhvacharya's Dvaita philosophy. He ascended Brindavana at Mantralayam in present-day Andhra Pradesh in 1671. Sri Raghavendra Swami was born as Sri Venkanna Bhatta, the second son of Sri Thimanna Bhatta and Smt. Gopikamba on Thursday, Sukla Saptami of Phalguna month in 1595, when the moon was in Mrigashirisha Nakshatra, at Bhuvanagiri, near present-day Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu.
Bhuvanagiri is about 11 Kilometers east of Sethiathoppu on the National Highway 227. Bhuvanagiri can also be reached from Sethiathoppu by State Highway 70.
Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram
The ancient Chidambaram Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva in His form of the Cosmic Dancer . It is one of the five Dancing Halls of Nataraja and the most famous one. Chidambaram hosts the most ancient set of 108 Karana stone carvings, the key dance movements of Nataraja. The temple complex is spread over 40 acres in the heart of the city. Many thousands of devotees come to this auspicious temple to pay homage to the Dancing Siva.
Chidambaram is located in the Kollidam River valley about 11 km from the Bay-of-Bengal coast, 20 km east of Sethiathoppu in NH 227 and 240 km south of Chennai by rail.
Pichavaram Mangrove Forest
Pichavaram the second largest mangrove forest in the world, near the temple town of Chidambaram, is one of the unique eco-tourism spots in South India. The backwaters, inter connected by the Vellar and Coleroon river systems, offer abundant scope for water sports, rowing, kayaking and canoeing. Pichavaram mangroves are considered among the healthiest mangrove occurrence in the world. Pichavaram consists of a number of islands interspersing a vast expanse of water covered with green trees. The area is about and is separated from the sea by a sand bar which is a patch of extraordinary loveliness.
Pitchavaram is located on the Bay-of-Bengal coast about 20 km east of Sethiathoppu.

Nearby villages

Boothangudi is another village close to Sethiyathoppu. In fact Arulmigu Theepaindha Nachiyar temple''' is in revenue limits of Boothangudi only. Recently Paavadairayan temple, Periyanayagi-Periyandavar Temple and Ayyanar temples have been newly constructed in Boothangudi and Kumbabishegam performed on 19 April 2010.

Sethiyathope Anicut

Sethiyathope anicut was constructed in 1851 under British Government period. this anicut was one of the oldest anicut in Tamil Nadu.this anicut was constructed on vellar river,from this anicut lots of villages get profits for their agriculture. In this river vellar, the Veeranam Lake water also merge, from this river vellar water flow place X-Road of Sethiyathope,Pinnalur,karaimedu,Maruvai,kolakudi,Boddampadi then reach entrance of perumal lake near place kurinjipadi & kullanchavadi it's kms distances around 8. on Maruvai the name of river was Paravanaaru River Bank.
Veeranam lake
veeranam lake birth from cauvery river place of kollidam river lower anicut.Veeranam Lake was built in the Tenth Century during the time of Greater Cholas, from 907–955 AD and is a 16-kilometre long dam in northern Tamil Nadu. It was created by Rajaditya Chola. He named it after his father Parantaka I Chola, who had the title "Veeranarayanan". Veera Narayanapuram modified into Veeranam over time. Veeranam lake gets water from Kollidam via Vadavaru River. The lake remains dry for the major part of the year. Water released from the Mettur dam through Kollidam and Lower Anicut would also bring in sufficient inflow into the Veeranam Lake. The lake received sufficient inflow in April enabling supply to the city for three months. With heavy rain in Western Ghats, the lake almost got its storage capacity as it received inflow from the Cauvery tributaries Bhavani and Amaravathi. Name of places travel of veeranam lake -nattarmangalam,lalapettai,kollumedu,kaliyamali,therkkuvirudhangan,vadakkuviruthan,vazhakkollai,boothangudi and finally merge withriver vellar.
The Veeranam Project
The Veeranam project, to supply water to Chennai, was conceived in 1967 by the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, C. N. Annadurai, and executed under his successor, M. Karunanidhi. The project was subject to rampant corruption and money earmarked for the project was lost leading to stagnation of the project. The project's completion in 2004 by the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, J.Jayalalitha. It was impossible to use any water from the lake since it had run dry, and the face-saving proposal adopted by the authorities was to dig 45 deep borewells around the area and pump the resulting water 235 km to Chennai via the pipeline. The length of the lake is 14 km and this is the largest lake in Tamil Nadu. The credit goes to ancient people who have done this job with ordinary hand made tools.
perumal lake
Perumal aeri's irrigation covers around 1000 acres of agricultural land. villages includes from puduchatram, Alapakkam, theerthanagiri, thaanur, samba Reddy Palayam, aayi Thurai, mettuPalayam, Pundiaan Kuppam,T.Kalaiyan Kuppan, kundiyamallur aathi Narayanapuram, etc... The over flow water is let through a water Chanel to sangolikuppam river.
http://india-wris.nrsc.gov.in/wrpinfo/index.php?title=Sethiathope_Anicut_Major_Irrigation_Project_JI03383