Tirunelveli is located on the banks of the river Thamiraparani. It is bordered by the state of
Kerala, the
Gulf of Mannar and the districts of
Virudhunagar,
Tuticorin and
Kanyakumari. Tirunelveli District has a total area of 6,823 sq km, with 1,22,000 hectare of forest land. The district gets south-west monsoon by the end of May or beginning of June and north westerly or westerly winds during May to September. It receives an average rainfall of 814 mm and has a population of over 2.8 million.
Tirunelveli is an agricultural district. There are two cropping seasons – Kar (June to September) and Pishanam (October to February). Paddy is the main crop. Other crops grown are ragi, pulses, groundnut, gingelly, coconut, chillies and indigo. The main center of protestant missionaries in India is Tirunelveli. It is also famous for the joint temple of Parvati and Shiva.
Mundanthurai Wildlife Sanctuary, District Science Center, Kunthakulam Bird Sanctuary, Krishnapuram Temple, Pulithevan Palace, Swamy Nellaiappar Temple and Kanthimathi Ambal Temple, Sankaranayinar Koil, Manjolai Hill Station, Thiruvalluvar Two Tier Bridge and Holy Trinity Cathedral are the major tourist places.