Welcome to Kootapuli

Kootapuli village is located in Tirunelveli District of Tamilnadu, South India. It is situated about 30 Kilometers from Kanyakumari which is a famous tourist place of Tamilnadu. Kootapuli village is a coastal village. It is situated the north side of Indian ocean. Kootapuli village is around 40 kilometers from Nagercoil City. 75 Kilometers from Tirunelveli District. Kootapuli village is in edge of the Tamilnadu.

The main occupation and source of income here is fishing (75%). The whole population of Kootapuli belongs to one caste and one religion. The caste is Paravar and the religion is Roman Catholics. People have migrated to different parts of costal India and Sri Lanka. They have a rich culture before converting to Christianity as well as after conversion.

Paravas were the first whole community in India to convert to Christianity in the mid 16th century. St. Francis Xavier who had travelled through out the southern costal region of India, who had converted the Paravars to christianity.

Parava or Paravas, also known as Bharathar, Paravar is one of the oldest Tamil castes.

Traditionally the Paravars had sea based professions including pearl diving, fishing, navigating, and salt making. They were excellent ship-builders. Their catamarans were the first type of ship encountered by the English with two hulls; the Tamil word for it was adopted into the English language as a loanword. Additionally, the Paravars grew palms and other dry plantation crops.

The Paravars have a long tradition of learning and are one of the earliest communities to have a high literacy rate. This is attributed to their traditional profession of navigator and the influence of Christian missionaries. The riches brought through sea trips were incorporated into houses, including expensive woods such as teak.