Vellicode

Vellicode is a village located in Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu, India on National Highway 47 approximately 47 km south of Trivandrum.

Vellicode is a village which lies on the Trivandrum Kanyakumari Highway. It is one of the oldest inhibited places in the area. Prior to formation of United Travancore during the 17 Century, the region was known as Idai Nadu and were ruled by local chieftains. Today the inhabitants of the village are 99% Roman Catholic. In the middle of Vellicode is a Cathedral that dates back to 1946.

History
The region was ruled by tribal Villivan chieftains before being annexed by the Chera Dynasty during the 11th century. In 1738 an exponent of martial art Adi Murai named Mallan Asan, of the Arapurai family, went to the palace grounds of Udaya Marthanda Varma and won many fights. So the king gave Murai silver chest armour and a silver sword. He renamed his native village as Vellicode (Velli meaning Silver and Code meaning cutlass in Sanskrit).

Early Human Settlement
The first known humans living in Vellicode date back to the Late Stone Age. The earliest known grouping of the area is Idai Nadu.

Name
The ancient name of Vellicode was Sarva Vali Kode (which translates roughly to "a place were all religions are followed" in Sanskrit.) indicates to the large religious diversity in Vellicode. A cathedral said to have been built by St Thomas the Apostle is nearby. The Bhagavathy Temple is to the south.