Northern Tamil Nadu

Ranipet

Headquarters: Ranipet

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2,234 km²

Area

2019

District formed

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Overview

Ranipet is a district in the northern part of Tamil Nadu, formed on 28 November 2019 when the erstwhile Vellore district was trifurcated, creating Ranipet and Tirupathur alongside a reduced Vellore. Spread over about 2,234 sq km with its headquarters at Ranipet town on the banks of the Palar river, the district had a population of around 1.21 million within its present boundaries at the 2011 Census, when it was still counted under Vellore. It comprises six taluks - Walajapet, Arcot, Arakkonam, Nemili, Sholinghur and Kalavai - and lies along the Chennai-Bengaluru industrial corridor. Historic Arcot, once the seat of the Nawabs of the Carnatic, and the silk-weaving town of Walajapet are part of the district.

Economy

Ranipet is one of Tamil Nadu's leading leather and heavy-engineering hubs; the district's gross domestic product was estimated at about Rs 27,522 crore in 2022-23. Around 400 leather tanneries and units, along with a dedicated leather special economic zone, make it a major centre of leather exports. Public-sector major BHEL runs its Boiler Auxiliaries Plant here, and the SIPCOT industrial estates, spread over roughly 730 acres in two phases, host chemical, pharmaceutical, tool-making and automotive companies including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries India, TVS, MRF and Thirumalai Chemicals. Silk weaving at Walajapet and agriculture round out the district's economy.

Leather tanning and manufacturingHeavy engineering (BHEL, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries)SIPCOT industrial estatesSilk and textile weaving (Walajapet)Agriculture and agro-processing

Tourism

The district's best-known destination is the hill temple town of Sholinghur, whose Yoga Narasimhar (Lakshmi Narasimhar) temple is reached by a climb of more than 1,300 steps. History buffs visit Arcot, associated with Robert Clive's celebrated 1751 siege and the Nawabs of the Carnatic, while the rock-cut cave temple at Mahendravadi is a Pallava-era monument. The Palar riverscape and rural weaving villages add to the district's low-key tourist appeal.

Temples & heritage

The Arulmigu Yoga Narasimhar (Lakshmi Narasimhar) temple at Sholinghur is a celebrated Vishnu shrine - one of the 108 Divya Desams - set atop a hill approached by around 1,305 steps, with a companion Anjaneyar shrine on an adjacent hillock. Other important shrines in the district include the Pallava rock-cut cave temple at Mahendravadi and the many old temples of Arcot and Walajapet.

Infrastructure

Arakkonam Junction is a major railway hub where the Chennai-Bengaluru and Chennai-Renigunta lines meet, and it houses a Southern Railway electric loco shed and engineering workshop. The district straddles NH-48 (the Chennai-Bengaluru corridor) and hosts INS Rajali at Arakkonam, one of Asia's largest naval air stations. SIPCOT industrial estates and the leather special economic zone provide the district's industrial infrastructure.

Education & healthcare

The district is served by a network of engineering and arts-and-science colleges, with institutions in the region affiliated to Thiruvalluvar University (headquartered in Vellore). Government and aided higher-secondary schools operate across the six taluks, and the industrial towns of Ranipet, Arcot and Arakkonam host technical and polytechnic institutes.

Gallery

Steps climbing to the Yoga Narasimhar hill temple at Sholinghur · 📷 VasuVR, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

View from midway up the climb to Sholinghur temple · 📷 VasuVR, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A historic cannon at Arcot Fort, once the seat of the Nawabs of the Carnatic · 📷 Hariwebtech, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Videos

Sholinghur Sri Yoga Narasimha Swamy Temple

Sources & references

Source: Not applicable — district did not exist separately in Census 2011; Data note