Thoothukudi district, also spelled Tuticorin district, is an administrative district in the southern part of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The district lies along the Gulf of Mannar on the Coromandel Coast and is named after its headquarters, the port city of Thoothukudi. It is known for its deep-water port, pearl fisheries, salt pans, and a long maritime trading history.
| State | Tamil Nadu |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Thoothukudi (Tuticorin) |
| Region | Southern Tamil Nadu, Pandya Nadu |
| Coastline | Gulf of Mannar (Bay of Bengal) |
| Formation | Carved out of the erstwhile Tirunelveli district in 1986 |
| Major language | Tamil |
| Major port | V. O. Chidambaranar Port |
Thoothukudi district is bordered by Ramanathapuram district to the north, Virudhunagar district to the northwest, Tirunelveli district to the west and southwest, and the Gulf of Mannar to the east. The terrain is largely a coastal plain, with sandy beaches, salt marshes, and patches of palmyra-dotted dryland in the interior. The Thamirabarani river drains the southern part of the district before emptying into the Gulf of Mannar near Punnaikayal.
Parts of the district fall within the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park and Biosphere Reserve, which protect coral reefs, seagrass beds, and a chain of small islands.
The coast around Thoothukudi has been a centre of pearl fishing and maritime trade since antiquity, mentioned in Sangam-era Tamil literature and later in Greco-Roman accounts of trade with the Pandya kingdom. From the sixteenth century, the Portuguese established a presence along this coast, followed by the Dutch, who used Tuticorin as an important outpost on the Coromandel Coast. The town later passed to the British East India Company and grew as a port and railway terminus under British administration.
The early twentieth century saw the founding of the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company by V. O. Chidambaram Pillai, a key figure in the Indian freedom movement from the region. The modern Thoothukudi district was constituted in 1986 by separating the coastal taluks from the larger Tirunelveli district.
The district is administered by a District Collector and is divided into revenue divisions, taluks, and blocks. Major towns include Thoothukudi, Kovilpatti, Tiruchendur, Ettayapuram, Ottapidaram, Kayalpattinam, Vilathikulam, and Sathankulam. The district sends representatives to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and to the Lok Sabha from the Thoothukudi parliamentary constituency.
Thoothukudi has a diversified economy with strong industrial, maritime, and agricultural components.
The district is connected by National Highways linking it with Madurai, Tirunelveli, and Kanyakumari. The Southern Railway operates services through Thoothukudi and Kovilpatti junctions, and Tuticorin Airport at Vagaikulam provides domestic air connectivity.
The district has a rich religious landscape. The seashore temple of Arulmigu Subramaniya Swami Temple at Tiruchendur is one of the six principal abodes (Arupadai Veedu) of Murugan. The Basilica of Our Lady of Snows in Thoothukudi is an important Roman Catholic shrine, reflecting the long Christian presence along the Paravar coast. Kayalpattinam and Kilakarai-influenced settlements have a notable Tamil Muslim heritage with historic mosques. Folk traditions, Carnatic music, and Tamil literary heritage—associated with poets such as Subramania Bharati of nearby Ettayapuram—are part of the district's cultural identity.