Kolkai
Kolkai, 1908
(Korkhei, Kolchei, Kolchoi). — Village in the taluk of Srivai- kuntam, in Tinnevelly District, Madras, situated in 8° 40" N. and 78 degree 5' E., 12 miles east of Srivaikuntam town. Population (1901), 2,518. Tradition asserts that it was the earliest seat of Dravidian civilization, and the spot where Chera, Chola, and Pandya, the legendary pro- genitors of the three famous South Indian dynasties, ruled in common before the two first founded kingdoms of their own in the west and north. It eventually became the capital of the Pandyan line, and was known to the early European geographers as one of the most important trading marts in India. It is mentioned by the author of the Periplus (a.d. 80) as a celebrated place for pearl-fishing, and is also referred to by Ptolemy (130). The sea gradually retired from Kolkai, owing to the deposit of the silt of the Tambraparni on the shore in front, and in consequence a new emporium (Kayal) arose between Kolkai and the sea. This in its turn met with a similar fate, and is now a small village 5 miles inland. Further interesting particulars about Kolkai are given in Bishop Caldwell's History of Tinnevelly.
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
