Vailankanni, Tamil Nādu, India
🇮🇳 Velankanni, is a Special Grade Panchayat Town in Nagapattinam district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It lies on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, 350 km south of Chennai (Madras), 12 km south of Nagapattinam, and 33 km south-east of Thiruvarur.
Once a port that traded with Rome and Greece, the tiny commercial centre gradually lost its importance to the larger city of Nagapattinam. The canal built to link this town with Vedaranyam still lies to the west. The Vellayar, a minor branch of the Cauvery River, runs south of the town and discharges into the sea. The town was among the worst hit by the tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. The town is home to one of the most visited Roman Catholic Latin Rite shrines called the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health.
Velankanni has been chosen as one of the heritage cities for the Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) scheme of the Government of India.
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Vailankanni has a population of over 10,144 people. Vailankanni also forms part of the wider Nagapattinam District which has a population of over 697,069 people. Vailankanni is situated near Nagapattinam.
Twin Towns - Sister Cities Vailankanni has links with:
🇫🇷 Lourdes, France