Vedal

Vedal
Village

Sivan temple Constructed by The Great Emperor of South East Asia Raja Raja Chola 1
Vedal
Vedal

Location in Tamil Nadu, India

Coordinates: 12°18′03″N 79°57′40″E / 12.300853°N 79.961025°E / 12.300853; 79.961025Coordinates: 12°18′03″N 79°57′40″E / 12.300853°N 79.961025°E / 12.300853; 79.961025
Country  India
State Tamil Nadu
District Kanchipuram
Founded by Srinivasan
Government
 • Developers Srinivasan, Rajmohan
Area
 • Total 13.4 km2 (5.2 sq mi)
Elevation 31 m (102 ft)
Population (2001)
 • Total 2,338
 • Density 170/km2 (450/sq mi)
Languages
 • Official Tamil
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 603304
Telephone code 9791996606

Vedal, pronounced as Vaedaal (also known as Chozha Kerala Charurvedi mangalam or Neelasathurvedimangalam or Veera Chozha Sathurvedimangalam) is a village in the Cheyyur taluk, Kanchipuram district of Tamil Nadu, India. It is located 105 kilometres (65 mi) away from Chennai and 45 kilometres (28 mi) away from Pondicherry on the Tamil Nadu East Coast Road ECR. Vedal is situated about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) far from the Bay of Bengal coast and is well known for the temple of Shiva VADAVAYIL ANDAVAR(means - Chola's Northern gateway GOD) located here, once upon a time it was the northern entrance for The great Chola Dynasty. It was the last among the temples built by the king Raja Raja Chola I.

History

It is believed that after the death of Veerapandiya Kattabomman in 1799 CE, the Palaiyakkarar fled the region in the fear of the British army and settled in Kadapakkam, and after some time they shifted to Neelasathurvedimangalam, now known as Vedal. Vedal was once well known for paddy production in the region though it has declined with increase in conversion of agricultural land into plots.

Vedal Shivan Koil

Vedal Nandhi
Thoonganai style which resembles the back side of the elephant

அன்பும் சிவமும் இரண்டென்பர் அறிவிலார்

அன்பே சிவமாவது யாரும் அறிகிலார்

அன்பே சிவமாவது யாரும் அறிந்தபின்

அன்பே சிவமாய் அமர்ந்திருந்தாரே!

தென்னாடுடைய சிவனே போற்றி

என் நாட்டவர்க்கும் இறைவா போற்றி..

The Vedal Shivan Koil is believed to have been built during the era of Raja Raja Chola I, the emperor who built the famous Tanjore Brahadeeswarar Temple.

Little care is being taken by the villagers or the Government to preserve this architecturally excellent temple. A huge crack is running through the middle of the vimana and the backside wall of the temple. The Cholas reconstructed a lot of brick temples into granite temples. Only few brick temples are found today in Tamil Nadu state of South India. Especially, there is hardly any brick temple that exists near Chennai city today. Hence, Vadavamuga Agneeswarar temple located in Vedal is a rare one.

The temple which is almost in ruin has two separate shrines - the main shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva (Vadavamuga Agneeswarar) and the other one dedicated to Goddess Vasanta Nayaki. The main temple is built in the Gajabrashta architectural style (aka Thoonganai style which resembles the back side of the elephant).

The goshta images Ganesha, Dakshinamurthy, Vishnu, Brahma, Durga and Chandikeshwar are found on the wall surrounding the main shrine.

The vimana along with the images of the Gods is still impressive, though in ruins.

Climate

VEDAL During Monsoon Winds

Vedal is heavily dependent on monsoon rain and wells, and is therefore prone to droughts when the monsoons fail. The climate of the village ranges from dry sub-humid to semi-arid. The village has three distinct periods of rainfall: Climate

The climate in Vedal region is basically semi-arid tropical. Four distinct seasons occur here, viz.

Here, the dry season lasts from January to May. The Annual rainfall of Vedal is 627.1 mm with an average of 52.25 mm. The hottest months are April–June and the cold climate prevails during December and January.

Month Temperature in Average
Jan 24.5
Feb 25.5
Mar 27.5
Apr 29.5
May 31
Jun 31
Jul 30
Aug 30
Sep 29.0
Oct 27.5
Nov 25.5
Dec 25

Cultivation starts only when the Monsoon wind begins.

A lush paddy field at VEDAL

Population Distribution of Vedal

Male Population 1187

Female Population 1151

Total Population 2338

Economy

The bulk of the population is engaged in agriculture and related activities. Rice and Groundnut very well suited to the semi-arid climate and Rice is the staple food item in vedal. Coconut, Sugarcane, chilies, are the other crops grown here. And some horticultural products like bananas, mangoes, guava, papaya and jack fruit are also grown. Much of the agricultural output is dependent on the south west monsoon and hence gets challenging at times.

Vedal village has five rice mills, two flour mills,four tea shops in which two rice mills have been recently upgraded to meet the growing demand.

Vedal Lake

Vedal lake is the second largest lake in the Kanchipuram District after the Madhuranthakam lake, with an span of 716 acres (3.9 km) and Vedal lake had been recently renovated under Tamil Nadu lake Rehabilitation project at a cost of seventy five lakhs to enhance agriculture and ground water level.

About half of vedal's cultivatable land depends on this lake water, also ground water is keenly kept high because of this water.

View of Vedal lake
View of Vedal lake

Transport

Road to Vedal
East Coast Road

Vedal is well connected by road to Chennai,Pondicherry,Melmaruvathur,Ginee and other major cities.

Vedal is easily accessible through ECR East Coast Road, Its about 105 km from chennai and 50 km from Puducherry.

Auto rickshaws,cabs are available in Vedal at fairly reasonable rates. KUMARAN bus service connects Vedal with cheyyur,soonambedu,tambaram and also travel to the nearby towns and Villages.

Railways

Vedal is set to have a railway station in the future.

Vedal Cuisine

Vedal cuisine is basically South Indian cuisine, where rice and rice-derived dishes form the major portion of a diet. Traditionally food is served on a banana leaf instead of a plate (dishware) plate and eaten with the right hand. Rice is the staple food of Vedal People and is typically eaten mixed with Sambhar (dish) or other vegetarian or non-vegetarian kulambu, rasam, curdand buttermilk is accompanied with various vegetarian and/or non-vegetarian dishes like kootu aviyal poriyal, and chicken, mutton, or fish fry. Breakfast and snack items include dosai adai, idly, vadai, pongal, appam, paniyaram, uppumavu These items are eaten along with Sambar (dish) sambar, varieties of chatni.

Temples

Temple at the Background

Schools

Places near Vedal

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