Rajapalayam
| Rajapalayam, India இராஜபாளையம் |
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| — town — | |
 Rajapalayam, India
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| Coordinates: 9°27′0″N 77°33′0″E / 9.45000°N 77.55000°ECoordinates: 9°27′0″N 77°33′0″E / 9.45000°N 77.55000°E | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| District | Virudhunagar |
| Government | |
| • Municipality Chairman | P.S. Dhanalakshmi |
| • M L A | K. Gopalsamy |
| Elevation | 100.58 m (329.99 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 307,959 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Tamil |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
Rajapalayam (Tamil: இராஜபாளையம்) is a town and a special grade municipality[1] in Virudhunagar district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located 85 km southwest of Madurai in the state of Tamil Nadu. Its main attractions are the Ayyanar Falls and the neighbour town of Srivilliputtur. The economy is based on the manufacture of textiles, and there are mills for spinning and weaving cotton, as well as a large cotton market. It's also known for the Rajapalayam breed of dog.
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History [edit]
Initially, agriculture was the principal source of living for the people of Rajapalayam. In the mid 1900s, Rajapalayam gradually evolved into a thriving business community. Due to various ambitious entrepreneurs and hard-working people, commerce developed quickly in the region and several industries, particularly cotton-based, flourished. Hence it got the name "Cotton city".
Climate [edit]
The climate of the region is semi-arid tropical monsoon type. Temperature range is 20°C to 37°C.It has a high mean temperature and a low degree of humidity. April, May and June are the hottest months of the year. The southwest monsoon which sets in June and lasts till August brings scanty rain. The bulk of the rainfall is received during the northeast monsoon in the months of October, November and December. Rajapalayam is also famous for its Mangoes.
Demographics [edit]
As of 2001[update] India census,[2] Rajapalayam had a population of 121,982. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Rajapalayam has an average literacy rate of 73%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 80%, and female literacy is 66%. In Rajapalayam, 9% of the population is under 6 years of age.
As of 2011[update] India census,[3] Rajapalayam had a total population of 307,959 with 153,529 males and 154,430 females.
Transportation [edit]
By Land [edit]
Bus [edit]
Rajapalayam has two bus stands to cater to the needs of the population. The old bus stand currently serves as the city bus stand. The new bus stand on Sankarankoil Road is where all the mofussil buses stop by. Buses frequently shuttle between Madurai and Rajapalayam. There are buses, every 15 minutes, from Rajapalayam to Tirunelveli travel via sankarankovil and every 30 minutes to Virudhunagar and vice-versa.
Many private buses leave for Chennai & Bangalore during nights. There are also the state-run SETC buses to Chennai & Bangalore. Buses between Chennai/Bangalore and Tenkasi/Sengottai travel via Rajapalayam.
Rail [edit]
Express Trains
The Podhigai Express SuperFast train bearing no (12661) from Chennai Egmore to Sengottai reaches Rajapalayam every day at around 6.30 AM. Similarly the Podhigai Express SuperFast train bearing no (12662) from Sengottai to Chennai Egmore reaches Rajapalayam every night at around 08.20 PM. Sengottai Chennai Egmore Express bearing no (06804) from Sengottai to Chennai Egmore reaches Rajapalayam at around 03.45 PM on every Wednesday evening. Similarly Chennai Egmore Sengottai Express bearing no (06803) from Chennai Egmore to Sengottai reaches Rajapalayam at around 5.05 AM on every Wednesday morning. There are also special trains available from Chennai to Sengottai and vice versa via Rajapalayam almost throughout the year. Trains from/towards Tirunelveli can be caught at Virudhunagar Junction.
Passenger Trains
There are 3 passenger train services from Madurai to Sengottai that pass through Rajapalayam on a daily basis at 09.00 AM, 01.20 PM and 07.05 PM respectively. Similarly there are 3 passenger train services from Sengottai to Madurai that pass through Rajapalayam on a daily basis at 08.30 AM, 01.25 PM and 05.20 PM respectively. The passenger train fare is just half of what the buses charge and hence these passengers are always crowded.
By Air [edit]
The nearest domestic airport is Madurai Airport (~80 km). Madurai Airport is around 1.5 hours from Rajapalayam. Paramount Airways, Jet Airways, Spicejet and Air India are operating daily flights between Madurai Airport and Chennai International Airport.
School [edit]
- Nadar Higher Secondary School
- AKD Dharma Raja Boys school.
- Ananda Vidyalaya Matriculation School
- casadimirmatricschool.in/index.asp CASA DI MIR Matriculation school
- Chinmaya Vidyalaya.
- Maharishi Vidya Mandir Matriculation Hr.Sec.School.
- N.A.A.M Hr Secondary School
- AKD Dharma Raja Girls High School.
- P.A.C.M Higher Secondary School
- P.A.C.R Ammani Ammal Girls Higher Secondary School
- Seithur Sevaga Pandiya Government Higher Secondary School (Board High School)
- Sri Ramana Vidyalaya School
- Shaaron Special School (School for the mentally challenged children.)
- Nadar Matriculation Hr.Sec.School
College [edit]
- Rajapalayam Rajus' College
- AKD Dharma Raja Women's College.
- RAMCO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY -A PART OF RAMCO GROUP(SINCE 2013)
Polytechnic [edit]
- P.A.C.Ramasamy Raja's Polytechnic
- Manjammal Polytechnic college.
- Angel Polytechnic College[1]
Industrial Training School [edit]
Asiatic Industrial Training School
Tourist attractions [edit]
Ayyanar Koil Forest Area (Ayyanar Falls) [edit]
Ayyanar Koil forest area is located 10 km west of Rajapalayam on the eastern slope of Western Ghats. The forest area has many of streams, waterfalls, springs and a temple. Hiking in this forest area is one of the main recreations for Rajapalayam residents. Rajapalayam Water Reservoir, which provides water to the entire city, is situated en route to Ayyanar Falls. Rajapalayam Dam and Rajapalayam Water Treatment Plant are also situated adjacent to the Rajapalayam Water Reservoir. The water supply and distribution system are by natural gravitational force without Motor pumps.
Sri Vallakattu Karuppasamy kovil [edit]
Vallakattu Karuppasamy temple is situated en route to Ayyanar Kovil right in the middle of forest. Lord Karuppu Samy is one of the 21 associate folk-deities of Ayyanar. This temple is located next to awesome dam that supply water to Rajapalayam township.
Sanjeevi Hills [edit]
Sanjeevi Hills is a small hill situated in south-west Rajapalayam en route Chatrapatti area.The Murugan Temple is at top of the hill. Karthigai Deepam lit on the top spot on thirukarthigai day of every year. The calm and serene ambiance makes it a favorite spot for tourists. Tradition recounts that in order to save the unconscious Lakshmana, Hanuman, the monkey god carried the entire Sanjeevi Hills with the herbal plants to Sri Lanka and threw it away afterwards. It is said that the thrown down hill is the Sanjeevi Hills.
Srivilliputtur [edit]
Srivilliputtur is a town nearby Rajapalayam. The primary landmark of Srivilliputtur is twelve-tiered tower structure dedicated to the Lord of Srivilliputtur, known as Vatapatrasayee. The tower of this temple rises 192 feet high and is the official symbol of the Government of Tamil Nadu. It is said to have been built by Periyaazhvar, the father-in-law of the Lord, with a purse of gold that he won in debates held in the palace of Pandya King Vallabhadeva. Another wonder in Srivilliputtur is Chariot which runs on Aadi Pooram.
Shenbagathoppu Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary [edit]
The Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary, spreads over 480 square kilometres was established in 1989 in Shenbagathopu, Srivilliputtur Taluk. This sanctuary is contiguous with the Periyar tiger reserve on the south-western side and the Megamalai reserve forest on the north-western side. The altitude varies from 100 m to 2010 m above sea level. The sanctuary is home to the endangered, arboreal grizzled giant squirrel Ratufa macrora. This greyish brown squirrel weighs from 1 kg to 1.8 kg and is in the size of a small cat. It measures about 735 mm long from nose to tail, with the tail measuring from 360 mm to 400 mm long. These squirrels construct drays at forked branches where the crowns of neighbouring trees meet, enabling these squirrels to move away from the site by jumping from tree to tree when threatened.
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A remote stream near Ayyanar Kovil
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Western Ghats
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Sanjeevi Hills
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Shenbagathoppu Meenvetti Parai Falls
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Aerial view from Sanjeevi Hills
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Sanjeevi Rock
Notable people [edit]
- P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja- Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (1949–52) and Governor of Orissa (1954–56).[4][5]
- R. Krishnasamy Naidu Freedom fighter was an Indian politician and former Member of Madras State Legilative Assembly.He was elected to the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly as an Indian National Congress candidate from Rajapalayam constituency in 1962 election.
- P.A.C Ramasamy Raja - The founder of the Ramco Group of Industries, established in the year 1936.[6]
- AKDR GROUP Main For Rajapalayam.
Politics [edit]
Rajapalayam (State Assembly Constituency) is part of Tenkasi (Lok Sabha constituency). Rajapalayam (State Assembly Constituency) moved from Sivakasi (Lok Sabha constituency) to Tenkasi (Lok Sabha constituency) after 2009
References [edit]
- ^ special grade municipality
- ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
- ^ http://censusindia.gov.in/PopulationFinder/Sub_Districts_Master.aspx?state_code=33&district_code=26
- ^ Rajapalayam History
- ^ Virudhunagar Official Weblink
- ^ Ramco website
External links [edit]
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