Kachchatheevu Island

India / Tamil Nadu / Rameswaram /
 island, uninhabited island, territorial dispute
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Kachchatheevu (also Kachcha-thiva or Katchatheevu or Kachchativuis) a controversial uninhabited island administered by Sri Lanka. In 1974, India forcibly recognized the Sri Lankan ownership to the island on a conditional agreement. There stands the only religious structure, St.Antony's Catholic Shrine which holds 100+ year old traditions, and was built by an Indian Catholic called Srinivasa Padaiyachi.The church festival runs for 3 days. The priests from both India and Sri Lanka conduct the mass and car procession. As many as 35 country boats and 106 mechanized boats ferried the pilgrims, mostly from Rameswaram, there is not a drop of drinking water on the island and the only structure is a decrepit church named after St. Antony, patron-saint of seafarers, to whom the feast is dedicated.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kachchatheevu
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   9°23'18"N   79°31'34"E

Comments

  • in 1972 India-pakistan war, Srilanka was supporting PAKISTAN and were allowing PAK aircraft to land at Anuradhapuram Airport. For this betrayal indian Govt gave this place to SRILANKA! (Sri lankan Tamils strongly disagree with this, they sat on the RUNWAY for protesting ) In 1961 China war also SRILanka did the same. At that time they were supporting china, reason it said is "china is Budism country".
  • This island should be given back to India, so everyone (including from Tamil Nadu) can enjoy their freedom. At present everyone, if they are Tamil, are being harrased by Singhala Navy. Right place in the wrong hands :(
  • I read about this land in my high school history class, i don't remember exact class which was but hey, i remember that their is a dispute about this land between india and sri lanka and from the above information it already given to srilanka by indira gandhi in 1974. And the interesting point is that my high school was in 1998 to 2000 and my history book is not updated with this information.
  • For the ruling class in delhi, only the north, east and west india matter. The south, definitely Tamil nadu, and its welfare does not matter. God, help India to remain stay together with equallity for all regions. Now unfirtunately, within the south itself differences have started in a big way. Leave the old disputes! Just today (1-3-2012) I read thaqt Kerala is not willing to link its rivers in anyway! Why? Why we never understnand that united we progress, divided we fall... to very low levels!
  • My name is charuhasan advocate and film actor retired. I had visited this Island bamed Ktch theevu in the year 1969 or 1970 I do not rememebre the exact year and the gentleman by Name Su Pa. Tngavelan who later served as mnister in tamilnadu accompanied me .... There is only a dilapidated church and there was no chance of anybody settling in the Island as drinking water was brought to the Island by visitors both from Srilanka and India. ... the ethenic dispute started only in the middle of 1976 and it was then Katcha thevu was given to Srilank to help the tamil fishermen who could not go to the southern side of Srilankan coast to avoid clashes between sinhalese fishermen and Tamil fishermen. Now the clashes are between Indian fishermen and Srilanka Fishermen...... All opinions of involving China or Pakistan in this have only emotional ambience and not human fairness...
This article was last modified 9 years ago