Jump to content

Gudalur, Theni

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 195.229.242.54 (talk) at 11:44, 2 March 2010 (→‎Entertainment). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Template:Infobox Indian jurisdiction Gudalur is a panchayat town in Theni district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Geography

Gudalur is located at 9°19′N 77°12′E / 9.31°N 77.20°E / 9.31; 77.20[1]. It has an average elevation of 1182 metres (3888 feet).

Demographics

As of 2008 India census[2], Gudalur had a population of 150,000. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Gudalur has an average literacy rate of 60%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 70%, and female literacy is 50%. In Gudalur, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Gudalur is broadly divided by the government into 2 parts for administrative reasons. The western side of the town is called MelaGudalur and the eastern part is called KeelaGudalur. Ellai (Border) street separates both the parts of the town.

Gudalur is nestled between Cumbum and Kumily towns and is en route to Thekkady from Madurai (NH 220). Distance to Madurai and Dindigul are 118 km and 120 km respectively.

Education

NSKP Higher secondary School is popular for its quality education with good labs, sports and games facilities and string extra curricular programs. Its former Headmaster Mr. V. Thulasiraman (VT) is a doyen in the field of education. The current Headmaster Mr. P. Kathiresan has been credited with the school's distinction in academic results year after year in the 10th and 12th Board exams.

NSKP Kamatchi Ammal Primary School, Thiruvalluvar Higher Secondary School, Rajangam Memorial Kallar Higher Secondary School, R.S.K Nursery and Primary School, Mazhalayar Matriculation School and Poonga Primary School are some of the other popular schools.

Entertainment

Gudalur has two cinema theatres, Velmurugan Talkies and STB Theatre. Velmurugan Talkies is situated close to NSKP school and is one of the oldest theatres in Tamil Nadu. Other than movie going, leaisurely walk in scenic natural settings with little streams flowing around, a visit to the Bhagavathi Amman Temple near the Mullaiyar river, a stroll near the Lower Camp or Surliyar Camp is sure to bring the little kid in you out on a holiday.

Others

Gudalur is blessed with a salubrious climate for most part of the year owing to its elevation of close to 1,200 msl (Bangalore is at 996 msl). Life revolves around agriculture and almost everyone has something or the other to do with farming. This place is a village surrounded by lush paddy fields, vast expanses of arid land, diverse flora and fauna. Principal crops are Paddy, Pulses, Coconut, Grapes, Vegetables, Flowers and Groundnut. Seasonal produce of Mocchai is a big ticket item coming off the fields in Gudalur. Off season crops such as Gingely and Cotton are also extensively cultivated.

Gudalur is famous for the bullock cart (rekhla) racing heritage. Every year during the Muthalamman temple festival, bullock cart races take place. This annual event is conducted by Vokkaligar Ilaingarani and The Farmers Development Association. Racing bull & cart heroes such as NSKS Jayakanthan, NSKS Ramamurthy, Kothalatti Murugesan, Muthu kumar, Prakash are veterans in this field with their bullocks winning many laurels in the entire state.

Youngsters in Gudalur keep them busy with games such as Volleyball and Kho-Kho.

Though this town is tiny in size, it has contributed immensely to the political landscape. The town boasts of contributing many MLAs and MPs to the TN legislative assembly and the Lower House of the Parliament of India. R. Rajangam, NSKP Gopal, PKR Chandrasekaran (all MLAs), S. Ramaswamy and P. Selvendran (both MPs) are some of them.

Pigeon rearing has been another traditional pleasure form for the farmers here. NSKS Murugesan, TPSR Hariharan, Naatamai Raja, Subdu and Madhavan etc are some of the stalwarts in this space.

The Alagarswamy Temple is over 1,000 years old. The Mangaladevi Kottam, a temple dedicated to Kannagi, the Tamil goddess is situated very close to Gudalur. This temple site is presently under dispute between the TN and Kerala states and access to the temple is granted by the Kerala State only once every year. For rally car/motorcycle off-roading enthusiasts the road to the temple will be a huge challenge worth exploring.

Gudalur is an emotionally charged village with incidents of violence reported in the past. Especially during the anti-Hindi agitations in 1965 and the few casteist clashes in the 1980s.

Agriculture department

STATE SEED FARM located at Thamaraikulam. Area = 47.86 acres, Cultivable area = 41 acres This farm is used for producing high quality paddy foundation and certified seeds (this is highly beneficial to all the farmers in Tamil Nadu for better paddy production).

References

http://temple.dinamalar.com/New.aspx?id=490