Thorapadi, Vellore

Thorapadi, Vellore Thorapadi
city
Population  (2001)
• Total	14,292

Thorapadi is a town in Vellore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the southern suburb of the city of Vellore.

Thorapadi is well known for its Vellore Central Prison, Warder's Training Institute, Women's Jail, Christian Medical College (ranked among two best Medical Colleges of India by India Today - please visit wikipedia:Christian Medical College for more details), Parade Grounds and Thanthai Periyar Engineering College and Polytechnic - a prestigious institute for technical studies run by Government of Tamil Nadu.

Geography

Thorapadi is located at 12.93° N 79.13° E. It has an average elevation of 216 metres (708 feet). It is surrounded by Thirumalaikodi in the south, Allapuram in the north, Otteri-Bagayam in the east and Great Thorapadi Lake in the west.

Neighborhoods

Thorapadi can be subdivided into crowded north and relatively well planned south.

Azad Road is the arterial road of Thorapadi. Other important roads are Jail Road, Usur Road, CMC-Thanthai Periyar College Road (Hill Road), Pillayar Koil Street (derives its name from the famous Pillayar temple located at the far end of the street) and Periya Theru(big street).

Mosque Street is a collection of densely populated streets with predominantly muslim population.

(see wikipedia: Kamaraj Nagar)
Kamaraj Nagar(Tamil: காமராஜ் நகர்) in southern Thorapadi, is primarily a residential neighbourhood comprising of mainly posh dwellings, which is cool and greenery with concrete roads. It is one of the rapid developing parts of the city of Vellore. The area is named after the late chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Kamaraj. A Government higher secondary school, Vellore Central Prison, a Badminton Training School and a Theatre make Kamaraj Nagar unique in Thorapadi. Also, it is the center of local cricketing events, thanks to a huge sports(though undeveloped) ground located within Government Higher Secondary School (no fancier of local cricket can forget Kamaraj Nagar Cricket Club's breath taking victory over Punthottam Cricket Team in the finals of Millennium tournament here in 2000).
In addition to being a popular residential area, Kamaraj Nagar has become a busy traffic route to famous Srilakshmi Golden Temple, Sripuram. The real estate market in Kamaraj Nagar and its southern extension, has been sky-rocketing after the unvieling of Golden Temple.

Ezhil Nagar is a major (in terms of land area) residential area, which has seen an immense development in recent years. It is one of the youngest and thriving residential areas of the city. Warders training Institute of Tamil Nadu is located here.

Thorapadi Hills which is located in the southern suburb of Thorapadi, is one of the most scenic locations in the city. Fitness buffs come to Hill road, which is serene and beautiful, to walk, jog, do yoga and socialise. Famous Christian Medical College and Thanthai Periyar Engineering College & Polytechnic are located here.

Punthottam is a least populated and beautiful area adjescent to the Great Thorapadi Lake (the lake is one of the biggest of its kind in the region).

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Thorapadi had a population of 14,292. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Thorapadi has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 79%, and female literacy is 67%. In Thorapadi, 7% of the population is under 6 years of age. Tamil is the official language which is spoken as a native language and English is widely understood.