Thoothukudi (Tamil: தூத்துக்குடி), also known as Tuticorin, is a port city and a Municipal Corporation in Thoothukudi district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thoothukudi is the headquarters of Thoothukudi District.
Tuticorin is also known as "Pearl City". It is a commercial seaport which serves the inland cities of Southern India.Tuticorin in the gateway of Tamil Nadu. It is also one of the major seaports in India with its history dating back to the 6th century A.D.
There are three theories as to the origin of the name:
* Thoothu (Dig) and Kudi (Drink) - The town had no rivers and the only source of drinking water was from wells.
* "Thoortha" means land "reclaimed" from sea while "Kudi" also stands for "settlement" or "colony". Hence "Thoortha Kudi" or "Thoothukudi" could mean a settlement built on land reclaimed from sea.
* Finally, the name "Tuticorin" was used by Portuguese who came here.
Today the city is referred to as Thoothukudi in Tamil and Tuticorin in English.
