Arcot
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Arcot is a city and metropolitan district in Vellore District of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. Located on the Palar River at Template:Coor dm, the city straddles a highly strategic trade route between Chennai (Madras) and Bangalore, between the Mysore Ghat and the Javadi Hills. Its population in 1991 was 45,205; the surrounding area had a population of 114,760. Its name is believed to derive from the Tamil word arkad, "Six Forests."
History
The town's strategic location has led to it being repeatedly contested and prompted the construction of a formidable fortress. It was captured from the Hindu Marathas by a Muslim Nawab of Karnataka, who made it his capital in 1712. In 1751, Robert Clive captured the town during the conflict between the United Kingdom and France for control of South India. He successfully held it with only 500 men against a powerful opposing army raised by the Marathas, resisting for 56 days (23 September to 14 November 1751). The enemy army eventually dissolved and its leader, Chanda Shahib, was killed. Muhammad Ali Walajah took over as Nawab, effectively serving as a vassal of the British. His successors soon ran up enormous debts at the hands of English speculators. In 1801, the town was annexed by the British East India Company.
In the 20th century, Arcot declined in importance and was incorporated into the district of Vellore.
Economy
Arcot is the principal market for the surrounding agricultural area. It also has a weaving industry.
The Development of Arcot Regions
The Arcot region is also one of the quickest areas to develop mainly due to the influence of Danish Missionaries in the region. The people who lived in the Arcot region especially in and near the temple town of Tiruvannamalai, where belonging to a clan called the arcots, these were warriors and landowners, some of them were ancient dravidians and Hindu Marathas from whom the Nawabs fought and ruled over them.
The Danish Missionary Society (currently Dan Mission), did its ministry among the people in these parts and the Danish Missionary Church was formed, they established lot of schools and hospitals in the surrounding villages along with the help of the arcots. The first missionary of the Danish Missionary Society (DMS) was a German Rev. C.C.E. Ochs. He started his first Mission station Bethanien at Melpattambakkam in South Arcot in 1861. Now all its activities have been transferred to the nearby town Nellikuppam.
The second mission station of DMS was opened at Tirukkoyilur in 1869 by Rev. P. Andersen and was called "Siloam". Siloam church was consecrated on 10th October, 1886 and on the same day the first Indian pastors were ordained and more than 30 persons were baptized. A week later a church was consecrated in an outstation, Sengalmedu. The beautiful church in Pop ham's Broadway in Madras was built in the year 1892.
Saron, a third mission station of DMS was opened in the year 1882 situated just outside the town Tiruvannamalai. In 1898 a mission station was built in the town, from 1905 called "Carmel".
The fourth mission station in the Arcot District "Bethesda" in Kallakurichi was built in 1893 by Rev. A. Larsen.DMS started its mission stations at Panruti, Vriddhachalam, Devanampatnam, Darisanapuram, Servaroj Hills etc. In the year 1913 Church constitution was inaugurated.
This church is serving Tamil speaking population in the districts of South and North Arcot, Tamil Nadu.The Arcot Lutheran ChurchIn the late 1950s the church was handed over to Indian hands with Bishop D Peter being the first Indian Bishop, the church was renamed the Arcot Lutheran Church and is known by that name till this day. Education and Health was given to all people and today if the Arcot region is flourishing with learned men and women is because of the seeds sown by the Danish missionaries and volunteers from Arcot families.