Periyakulam () is a major town and a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in Theni district, in the

Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...

Region,

South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

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Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

. As of 2011, the town had a population of 42,976. Periyakulam is the northern gateway of the district.

Etymology

The name of this town derived from two Tamil words equivalent to "big lake" }) means "big" and ( ta, குளம்) is "lake"}. In Tamil literature, the name of this town is Kulainthai Managaram ( ta, குளந்தை மாநகரம் ).

History

There are three very old temples. The Balasubramaniam Swamy temple is located on the banks of the Varaha nadhi (Varaha river). Periyakovil Temple and Karanamoorthy Swamy temple are located on the Periyakulam pond. South east side Kailasanathar temple located in the hills.

Geography

Periyakulam is a small town most picturesquely situated on the palm fringed banks of the Varaganathi, a perennial river with the great wall of the Kodaikanal hills. Periyakulam (PKM) is located at .Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Periyakulam
/ref> It has an average elevation of 282 metres (925 feet). It is located at the foothills of the Western Ghats bordering the neighbouring state of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. It is one of the most fertile places in the state of Tamil Nadu. Agriculture is the primary occupation for the population here. It is also known as the "Mango City", as a major supply of

mangoes A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South ...

from this city goes into Tamil Nadu's mango output. It stands on the bank of the 'Varaha' (in Hindu mythology, Lord Maha Vishnu's Boar incarnation) river. It is a fertile area that has an annual supply of surplus rainfall. Periyakulam riverine wetland is situated at latitude 8°10'26"North and longitude 77°18'36"East in Udayar pallam, Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu. The average rainfall of that area is 145 cm. The water of the wetland is mainly used for drinking and irrigation purposes. The villages that are included are Keelavadakarai, Kailasapatti, T. Kallipatti, Thamarai kulam, Vadugapatti, Melmangalam and Jeyamangalam villages that also stand on the banks of the Varaha River. The original town was near New ground but later shifted due to plague scare.

Topography

Periyakulam Town has an area of 21 km², within an urban area now extending over as much as 55 km² and it is located at . It has an average elevation of 356 m above mean sea level.

Climate

The climate is salubrious, with northeast monsoon rains during October–December. Temperatures during summer reach a maximum of 40 °C and a minimum of 26.3 °C, though temperatures over 43 °C are not uncommon. Winter temperatures range between 29.6 °C and 18 °C. The average annual rainfall is about 105 cm. The lowest temperature reached in 2019 was 14.1 °C.

Demographics

Population

According to 2011 census, Periyakulam had a population of 42,976 with a sex-ratio of 1,013 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929. A total of 4,095 were under the age of six, constituting 2,081 males and 2,014 females.

Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...

accounted for 15.02% and 0.01% of the population respectively. The average literacy of the town was 79.84%, compared to the national average of 72.99%. The town had a total of 11,401 households. There were a total of 14,857 workers, comprising 523 cultivators, 3,051 main agricultural labourers, 272 in house hold industries, 9,492 other workers, 1,519 marginal workers, 25 marginal cultivators, 809 marginal agricultural labourers, 60 marginal workers in household industries and 625 other marginal workers. The population has been declining since the 1990s. According to World Gazetteer the population as of 2012 is only 39,185 down from 46,744 in 1991 which would mean that Periyakulam has only 8,000 people more than it did in 1951. This would make it one of the few cities in India to have a marginal population increase since 1951.

Languages

Tamil is spoken predominantly in and around Periyakulam. Madurai Tamil is the standard dialect spoken.

Government and politics

Periyakulam was a Lok sabha constituency. Now Periyakulam assembly constituency is a part of

Theni (Lok Sabha constituency) Theni Lok Sabha constituency ( ta, தேனி மக்களவைத் தொகுதி) is one of the 39 Lok Sabha (Parliament of India, parliamentary) constituencies in Tamil Nadu, a Federated state, state in southern India. Assembly ...

. Mr. O. Panneerselvam, Periyakulam assembly constituency in 2001 and 2006. He is now elected from Bodinayakkanur constituency. Periyakulam comes under Theni Lok Sabha Constituency and is now represented by Ravindhranath.

Culture/Cityscape

Periyakulam is also known as ‘Mango City’ and is known for its sweet Mangoes. Periyakulam is also known for its sweet water which comes from the Berijam Lake kodaikanal. It has nice weather throughout the year. Periyakulam is an undesigned river-based settlement city which located "Theni district" in India. The city has been divided into two major divisions by the river: Thenkarai (southern part) and Vadakarai (northern part). The streets around the city are based upon communal settlements symbolizing the structure of the cosmos. It owns rich resources with bunch of historical relics such as "archaeological vestiges, inscriptions and ancient temples". It is also regarded as a "holy space" that catches people's attention.

Tourist Attractions

Periyakulam itself has so many tourist places; also around Periyakulam, you can find a number of tourist locations. To name a few, Sothuparai Dam (9 km), Kumbakarai Falls (8 km), Theertha Thotti (2 km),

Vaigai Dam The Vaigai Dam is built across the Vaigai River near Andipatti, in the Theni district of Tamil Nadu, southern India. Near the dam, the Government of Tamil Nadu has constructed an Agricultural Research Station for researching the growing of a ...

(15 km), Manjalar Dam (18 km), Kodaikanal (49 km via Kumbakarai, Adukkam) (72 km via devathanapatty)

Thekkady Thekkady( Idukki district) is a town near Periyar National Park, an important tourist attraction in the Kerala state of India. The name Thekkady is derived from the word "thekku" which means teak. Temperatures are lowest in the months of Dec ...

(80 km), Surulithirtham (60 km),

Munnar Munnar () is a town and hill station in the Idukki district of the southwestern Indian state of Kerala. Munnar is situated at around above mean sea level, in the Western Ghats mountain range. Munnar is also called the "Kashmir of South Indi ...

(103 km) and many more. MaruthaNayagam Masjid located in Vadagarai (legs of Marutha Nayagam was buried in this Masjid). Kumbakkarai waterfalls are located 8 km away from Periyakulam. This waterfalls was supposed to be a very dangerous waterfalls with lot of pits. Hence people used to be afraid to go near to the falls. In 1942 an affluent business person Thiru K Chellam Iyer Properitor of Bavani Krishna Vilas Hotel - Periyakulam, dredged the entire falls area, closed the dangerous holes, constructed dressing rooms, in the falls and staircases for safe access to the falls. With his efforts Kumbakkarai waterfalls developed to be a tourist spot.

Education

The school at Periyakulam is Victoria Memorial High School which caters to education in the town. The Horticultural College & Research Institute (HC & RI), one of the constituency colleges of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, is located at Periyakulam. Government Nursing college is located at Periyakulam.

Colleges

* Jayaraj Annapakiyan College of arts and Science, Tamarikulam post, government * Government college of Horticulture * VPV college of engineering, D. Vadipatti post * Mary Matha college of arts and Science * Government College of Nursing, Theni district head govt hospital * Devangar Polytechnic College * Thanga muthu Polytechnic College * Thiraviyam group of institutions

Notable people

* Bala, film director; National Film Award for best direction *

Muhammed Metha Muhammed Metha (born 5 September 1945) is a Tamil poet and songwriter. He was born in Theni in 1945. He popularised modern poetry (''Pudukavithai'') in the 1970s and has written more than 30 books, including novels, short stories and essays. ...

, Tamil poet * O. Panneerselvam, Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu *

Singampuli Singampuli is an Indian actor and director. After making ''Red'' (2002) and ''Maayavi'' (2005), he has made a career appearing in supporting roles in films. Career Singampuli was born and brought up in Theni, Periyakulam and after studying eng ...

, film actor *

Major Sundarajan Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicator ...