Palayamkottai (literally "encampment fort") grew up around an East India Company fort on the eastern bank of the Thamirabarani in the 18th century and became a major mission centre under the Anglican Church Missionary Society. It is now incorporated into Tirunelveli City but still has a distinct, slightly genteel character — wide cantonment-style streets, mature trees, and a cluster of grand 19th-century buildings.
The most prominent landmarks are the Holy Trinity Cathedral, completed in 1826 and still the seat of the CSI Diocese of Tirunelveli, and St. Xavier's College, founded by Jesuits in 1923 and one of the better arts colleges in the south. Bishop Caldwell, the great 19th-century Tamil scholar and missionary, lived and worked here for over 50 years.