MEKKARAI^[1] is a village in the Achanputhur^[2] Panchayat of Sengottai Taluk in the Tenkasi district of Tamil Nadu, comprising 2 wards. The village is a revenue village under the Sengottai Sub-Registrar office. The Adavi Nainar Dam in this village is built across the Hanuman River. Mekkarai village is an area where agriculture is the main occupation on the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The land here is cultivated with cassava, paddy, coconut, banana, etc. Paddy is cultivated on a total of 3,500 acres of land, including 2,500 acres that are directly irrigated by car cultivation. Currently, an organization called Mekkarai Residents and Farmers Protection Association (MRFPA) is functioning here for the welfare of the public, education, environment, farmers, women, children and protection of agricultural lands.

History of Mekkarai Village:

The village of Mekkarai was declared to have been formed by the Travancore State in 1886 and according to the government census of 1901, only 13 (thirteen) people lived in the village of Mekkarai, as per the Travancore State records. Later, the village of Mekkarai was given to Tamil Nadu from Kerala in November 1956.

These lands, which were once thorny bushes and swampy forests, were converted into agricultural lands by the ancestors of the village of Mekkarai Today, people have been farming on those lands for generations and have been living in this village of Mekkarai. Although there are many different types of people living here, including Hindus, Muslims, Christians and hill tribes, everyone lives in unity and brotherhood, regardless of caste or religion.

The village of Mekkarai, which had a population of 13 people in 1901, was divided into Tamil Nadu after our country gained independence, and after about 140 years from 1886 to the present, the population is about 5000.

It is surrounded by the Western Ghats on three sides, north, west and south, and Panpozhi Panchayat on the east. It is about 610 feet above sea level. The village is located 15 km from the district headquarters, Tenkasi. Achankovil, which was once the first ward of Achanputhur village, is now in the state of Kerala. The Arulmigu Ayyappa Sastha Temple is located here. Devotees from all over South India, carrying Irumudi, come to visit Lord Ayyappa at Achankovil via Mekkarai. Also, the Erumaichavadi waterfall is located near the Adavinaynar Dam, which is special.

Mekkarai village is a scenic tourist hill village located along the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border, and thousands of tourists visit here every day during the season. Similarly, on other normal days, tourists from the southern districts of Tamil Nadu and surrounding areas of Kerala also visit during the weekend.

The Village has a Government Middle School, Forest Department Office, Fair Price Shop, Temples, Mosques, churches, Community Welfare Center, Mekkarai Residents and Farmers Protection Association (MRFPA), and the Adavinayanar Reservoir (dam).

The Hanuman Nathi, Thenparai and Erumaichai rivers flow in Mekkarai village. They are 20 feet wide. These rivers originate in the Western Ghats and travel for 50 km through Mekkarai, Achanputhur, Idaikal, Sampavarvadakarai, Surandai and V.K.puthur before merging into a small stream. The special feature of these two rivers is that water flows throughout the year. There is a Sri Agasthiya Navagraha Temple at Gurumunivan Pudai, where Vanamaha Ganapathy and nine Navagraha are located in one place, which you have to go up a hill 2 km from Mekkarai. There is a Kottai Vasal Karuppasamy Temple on the border of Mekkarai village (Tamil). This is a very old temple. The festival is held in this temple in the month of Thai. There is a Bhoothathar Temple in the middle of Mekkarai village. There are four old Trees here. There is a Government Middle School in Mekkarai village

Jayaram Bus: This bus runs from Mekkarai to Alankulam via Sengottai, Tenkasi, Courtallam, and runs three times a day.

Kerala Government Bus: Two buses will run from Achankovil to Punalur via Makerai and Sengottai.

Tamil Nadu Government Bus: This bus runs from Mekkarai to Tenkasi twice a day, morning and evening.

Category:Villages in Tirunelveli district