Kayal

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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.

Kayal

Village in the Srtvaikuntam taluk of Tinnevelly District, Madras, situated in 8° 40' N. and 78 degree 5' E., near the sea, on the northern bank of the Tambraparni river. It was once a famous port, and was visited in 1292 by Marco Polo, who calls it 'a great and noble city,' and notices it at length (Col. Yule's translation, vol. ii, p. 305). A similar glowing account of the place is given by two Persian historians quoted by Colonel Yule. Kayal sprang into existence after Kolkai, but the silt of the Tambraparni ruined both places as ports and has now turned them into inland villages. Relics of the ancient greaThess of Kayal are, however, still discoverable in the shape of broken tiles and remnants of pottery. There are also two old temples with inscriptions. An interesting and detailed account of the place will be found in Bishop Caldwell's History of Tinnevelly.