Southern Tamil Nadu

Virudhunagar

Headquarters: Virudhunagar

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19,42,288

Population

Census 2011

4,241 km²

Area

80.15%

Literacy

Census 2011

1985

District formed

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Overview

Virudhunagar is a district in southern Tamil Nadu, formed on 15 March 1985 (originally Kamarajar district) from Ramanathapuram, with its headquarters at Virudhunagar. Home to about 1.94 million people at Census 2011, it is best known for the town of Sivakasi, India's hub for fireworks, safety matches and offset printing. The district was the birthplace of freedom fighter and former chief minister K. Kamaraj. Its towering Srivilliputhur Andal Temple gopuram serves as the official emblem of the Government of Tamil Nadu.

Economy

Virudhunagar has one of Tamil Nadu's most distinctive industrial economies, driven by Sivakasi, which produces the overwhelming majority of India's fireworks and a large share of its safety matches, and is a leading centre for offset printing — earning it the nickname 'Kutty Japan' (Little Japan). The fireworks and match industries together employ several lakh workers across hundreds of units. Rajapalayam and Aruppukottai anchor a strong cotton-spinning and textile sector, Ramco Cements operates plants in the district, and Virudhunagar town is a major trading market for dry chillies, pulses and edible oils.

Fireworks and safety matches (Sivakasi)Offset printing (Sivakasi)Cotton textile spinning millsAgricultureChemicals

Tourism

The district's landmark is the Srivilliputhur Andal Temple, a Divya Desam whose eleven-tiered rajagopuram, rising roughly 192 feet, is among the tallest temple towers in Tamil Nadu and forms the state's official symbol. Nature and pilgrimage draws include the forested Sathuragiri hills near Watrap, sacred to Shiva devotees, and the Ayyanar and Pilavakkal falls and dams. Sivakasi itself attracts industrial and cultural visitors.

Temples & heritage

The Srivilliputhur Andal Temple, dedicated to the goddess Andal (the only female Alvar saint) and Vatapatrasayi Vishnu, is one of the 108 Divya Desams and a UNESCO-recognised heritage landmark. Its ancient wooden temple car with nine wheels and the towering rajagopuram built by the Vijayanagara kings are its defining features. High in the Western Ghats, the Sathuragiri Sundara Mahalingam temple near Watrap is a revered Shaivite pilgrimage site.

Infrastructure

Virudhunagar sits on the Madurai–Thoothukudi corridor and is well connected by National Highway 44 and the southern railway line, with Virudhunagar Junction linking the Madurai, Tirunelveli and Sengottai routes. The district has government medical and engineering facilities and reliable rail and road links serving its industrial towns of Sivakasi, Rajapalayam and Sattur.

Education & healthcare

Virudhunagar has a strong educational tradition, home to well-known institutions such as Mepco Schlenk Engineering College and Ayya Nadar Janaki Ammal College in Sivakasi, along with the Virudhunagar Hindu Nadars' colleges. A government medical college at Virudhunagar and numerous arts, science and engineering colleges serve students from across the southern districts.

Gallery

The towering rajagopuram of Srivilliputhur Andal Temple, emblem of Tamil Nadu · 📷 Photo: Ssriram mt, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Fireworks from Sivakasi, India's firecracker capital in Virudhunagar · 📷 Photo: Ben, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A view of Sivakasi town, hub of fireworks, matches and printing · 📷 Photo: Ssriram mt, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources & references

Source: Census of India 2011 (via census2011.co.in); Data note