Sure,in fact Parangipettai, historically called Porto Novo (“New Port” in Portuguese) is a panchayat town in Cuddalore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Parangipettai is located on the north bank of the mouth of the Vellar River at a distance of 30 km from Cuddalore. From the state capital city of Chennai, Parangipettai can be reached through the National Highway NH45A stretch between Cuddalore and Chidambaram.
Due to its strategic location on the Coromandel Coast, Parangipettai has long been a major trading centre. In particular, it was an important trading destination for the Arabs, especially the Yemenis. During the colonial era the Portuguese, Dutch and then the English successively colonized the area.
There is also a Gandhian connection to Parangipettai. Anne Marie Petersen became in 1909 a missionary in the so-called Loventhal Mission. The foundation stone was laid by Gandhi himself in 1921, and a few years later the school was officially opened under the name Seva Mandir at a place called Porto Novo, near Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu, South India.
Today, Parangipettai has evolved into a well-developed town with nearly all basic necessities such as healthcare, education and transport. It also hosts a Marine Biology Station affiliated with the Annamalai University.
Parangipettai is an important pilgrimage centre for both Muslims and Hindu.
Throughout history, Parangipettai has taken many different names. Parangipettai finds mention in classical Tamil literature as “Varunapuri”, meaning the place where the rain god Varuna had worshipped Lord Shiva. In today’s time too Porto Novo is known for its frequent rainfall. During Nayyakar rule, it was renamed Muthukrishna Puri and then ‘Mahmood Banthar’ during the era of the Mughal Empire. The Portuguese, during their colonial occupation, named this place “Porto Novo” which means “New Port” in Portuguese. This was because they set up a port here and made it their trading stronghold.
the town is known as Parangipettai. In Tamil, the word parangiar refers to Europeans, while pettai means place. Thus, Parangipettai translates to the "abode of the parangiars or “Europeans” in Tamil.
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