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Parangipettai

Parangipettai (/pɑːrpit/ Pa-re-gi-Pe-Tie), historically called Porto Novo ("New Port" in Portuguese), is a coastal panchayat town in Cuddalore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Parangipettai is located on the north bank of the mouth of the Vellar River at a distance of 30 km from Cuddalore. From the state capital city of Chennai, Parangipettai can be reached through the National Highway NH32 stretch between Cuddalore and Chidambaram.

Its strategic location on the Coromandel Coast has long made it a major trading center. In particular, it was an important trading destination for the Arabs, especially the Yemenis. During the colonial era, the Portuguese, the Dutch and the English successively colonized the area.

There is also a Gandhian connection to Parangipettai. Anne Marie Petersen[permanent dead link] became in 1909 a missionary in the so-called Loventhal Mission. The foundation stone was laid by Mahatma Gandhi himself in 1921, and a few years later, the school was officially opened under the name Seva Mandir at a place called Porto Novo, near Chidambaram, in Tamil Nadu, South India.

Today, Parangipettai has evolved into a well-developed town with nearly all necessities such as healthcare, education and transport. It also hosts a marine biology station that is affiliated with the Annamalai University.

The town is an important pilgrimage center for Muslims and Hindus.

Throughout history, Parangipettai has taken many different names. Parangipettai is mentioned in classical Tamil literature as Varunapuri, meaning the place where the rain god Varuna had worshipped Lord Shiva. During Nayyakar rule, it was renamed Muthukrishna Puri and then Mahmood Banthar during Mughal rule. The Portuguese, during their rule, named the place "Porto Novo", which means "New Port" in Portuguese, because they set up a port here and made it their trading stronghold.

The town is now known as Parangipettai. In Tamil, the word parangiar refers to Europeans, and pettai means place. Thus, Parangipettai translates to the "abode of the parangiars or "Europeans" in Tamil.

Tamil Muslims (prominently Sunni) living in Parangipettai claimed to have a unique African Arabian ancestry. Tamil is their mother tongue but it has been heavily influenced by Persian and Arabic. Previously, especially during the Tamil Chola rule of Tamil Nadu, Arab traders used to heavily trade around the Coromandel coast in which Parangipettai is located. Some traders claimed, throughout time decided to settle down here.

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towns in Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu, India
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