Tamil Nadu Timeline

DiplomacyContemporary Tamil Nadu

Passenger ferry between Nagapattinam and Kankesanthurai begins

· Nagapattinam

A high-speed passenger ferry began sailing between Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and Kankesanthurai in Sri Lanka's Jaffna district.

Plans for a passenger ferry between India and Sri Lanka were first proposed in 2011, and a Thoothukudi to Colombo service of that period was discontinued after six months. Talks under the India-Sri Lanka Joint Committee in 2023 revived the idea of a ferry. On 14 October 2023 the high-speed craft Cheriyapani, operated by the Tamil Nadu Maritime Board, began service between Nagapattinam and Kankesanthurai. The route restored a direct sea passenger link between Tamil Nadu and northern Sri Lanka.

Related events

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    1. 1844NagapattinamEducation

      Jesuits found St. Joseph's College at Nagapattinam

      French Jesuits opened a college at Nagapattinam that later moved to Tiruchirappalli as St. Joseph's College.

  2. 1906

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      V. O. Chidambaram Pillai founds the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company

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  3. 1977

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      November 1977 cyclone strikes Nagapattinam and the Cauvery delta

      A very severe cyclonic storm made landfall at Nagapattinam, killing about 560 people and affecting around 10 lakh people in Tamil Nadu.

  4. 1991

    1. 19 Oct 1991NagapattinamGovernance

      Nagapattinam district carved out of Thanjavur

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  5. 2004

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      2004 Indian Ocean tsunami strikes the Tamil Nadu coast

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  6. 2005

    1. 2 Jul 2005MaduraiInfrastructure

      Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project inaugurated

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