Pollachi is a town and a taluk headquarters in

Coimbatore district Coimbatore district is one of the 38 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. Coimbatore is the administrative headquarters of the district. It is one of the most industrialized districts and a major textile, industrial, commercial, educ ...

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 ...

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

, India. Located about to the south of

Coimbatore Coimbatore, also spelt as Koyamputhur (), sometimes shortened as Kovai (), is one of the major metropolitan cities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyyal River and surrounded by the Western Ghats. Coimbato ...

, it is the second largest town in the district after Coimbatore. Pollachi is a popular

Marketplace A marketplace or market place is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a '' souk'' (from the Arabic), ' ...

for

jaggery Jaggery is a traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Africa. It is a concentrated product of cane juice and often date or palm sap without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can ...

, vegetables and

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

. As of 2011, the town had a population of 90,180.

History

Pollachi was known as ''Pozhil Vaitchi'' in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

which means "gifted with beauty" and later became ''Pollachi''. It was also known as Mudi Konda Chola Nallur during the period of the

Cholas The Chola dynasty was a Tamil thalassocratic empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd century BCE d ...

. In 2019, the town became notable for the 2019 Pollachi sexual assault case involving the rape and extortion of numerous women by a gang.

Geography

Pollachi is located at . It has an average elevation of .

Aliyar Aliyar is one of the tributaries of the river Kannadipuzha. ''Kannadipuzha'' is one of the main tributaries of the river Bharathapuzha, the second-longest river in Kerala, south India. Its source is the Aliyar dam in Aliyar near Pollachi in Tam ...

river passes about away from the town and the town receives rainfall from

Southwest monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscill ...

due to the presence of

Palghat gap Palakkad Gap or Palghat Gap is a low mountain pass in the Western Ghats between Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu and Palakkad in Kerala. It has an average elevation of with a width of . The pass is located between the Nilgiri Hills to the north ...

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Pollachi had a population of 90,180 with a sex-ratio of 1,012 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929. A total of 7,732 were under the age of six, constituting 3,952 males and 3,780 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 10.57% and 0.29% of the population respectively. The average literacy of the city was 82.15%, compared to the national average of 72.99%. The city had a total of 24,755 households. There were a total of 36,972 workers, comprising 219 cultivators, 488 main agricultural laborers, 1,018 in household industries, 32,720 other workers, 2,527 marginal workers, 25 marginal cultivators, 45 marginal agricultural laborers, 124 marginal workers in household industries and 2,333 other marginal workers.

Economy

The economy of the town is predominantly dependent on

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

Coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...

vegetables Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems, ...

and

contribute to the agricultural output. There are also coir producing units with raw materials sourced from local farms.

Vanilla Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus ''Vanilla (genus), Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla (''Vanilla planifolia, V. planifolia''). Pollination is required to make the p ...

is also cultivated in certain locations. Pollachi is also a popular movie shooting location for the

Tamil film industry Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywood ...

owing to its scenic landscape.

Education

Pollachi has schools which follow different curricula such as CBSE, ICSE and state board. Proximity to the educational hub of

aids in higher education.

Transport

Road

Pollachi is linked by National Highway 209, State Highway 19, SH 78 and SH 78A. The central bus stand caters for bus transport which is used by Government-run TNSTC and private operators.

State Express Transport Corporation (Tamil Nadu) State Express Transport Corporation (Tamil Nadu) Ltd - (SETC) is a state-owned transport corporation that runs long-distance mofussil services exceeding 300 km and above throughout the state of Tamil Nadu and major cities in adjoining states of ...

operates long-distance buses. Main Routes From Pollachi *

Route *

Valparai Valparai (originally known as Poonachimalai) is a Taluk and hill station in the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu, India. It consists of Anamalai Tiger Reserve (earlier known as Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park (IGWLS&NP) a ...

Route *

Dharapuram Dharapuram (;) is a town situated along the banks of Amaravati River in Tiruppur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Dharapuram is one of the oldest towns in South India and was the capital of Kongu Nadu under the Cheras, Western ...

Route *

Udumalpet Udumalai, also known as Udumalaipettai and Udumalpet (), is a town in Tiruppur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Udumalaipettai is located 535 km (332 mi) south west from the state capital, Chennai and 72 km (45 mi) away from Coimbator ...

Route *

Palladam Palladam () is a town and First Grade Municipality in Tirupur district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the headquarters of Palladam Taluk of Tirupur district. Palladam is located on National Highway NH 81. Palladam is a major Town wi ...

Route *

Palakkad Palakkad (), formerly known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. Palakkad is most densely populated municipal ...

Route *

Thrissur Thrissur (), formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi and Kozhikode, and t ...

Route

Rail

Pollachi Railway Junction connects with Palakkad to the west, Coimbatore to the north and Dindigul to the east. Metre to

broad gauge A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union (CIS ...

conversion on Dindigul line was completed in January 2015. In 2017, the track between Pollachi and Podanur was converted from metre to broad gauge at a cost of .

Air

Coimbatore International Airport Coimbatore International Airport is the primary airport serving the industrial cities of Coimbatore and Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu, India. It is located in the neighbourhood of Peelamedu, about from the center of Coimbatore. It is the 18th-bus ...

is the nearest airport, located about 48 km from Pollachi.

Places of interest

Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary is situated at an average altitude of in the Western Ghats near Pollachi.

is a hill station about from Pollachi and is situated at an altitude of .

Topslip Anaimalai Tiger Reserve, earlier known as Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park and as Anaimalai Wildlife Sanctuary, is a protected area in the Anaimalai Hills of Pollachi and Valparai taluks of Coimbatore District and Udumalaipetta ...

is a popular picnic spot located at an altitude of about in the Anamalai mountain range which is about from Pollachi.

Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, which also includes the erstwhile Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, is a protected area lying in Palakkad district and Thrissur district of Kerala state, South India. The Wildlife Sanctuary, which had an area of wa ...

is situated in the valley between the

Anaimalai Hills The Anamala or Anaimalai, also known as the Elephant Mountains, are a range of mountains in the southern Western Ghats of central Kerala ( Idukki district, Ernakulam district, Palakkad district, Thrissur district) and span the border of we ...

of Tamil Nadu and the

Nelliampathi Nelliyampathy (also spelled as Nelliampathi) is a hill station, located from Palakkad, state of Kerala, India.'' Geography * Nelliampathy is surrounded by tea and coffee plantations. * The village has its own gram panchayat and forms a par ...

range of Kerala. The area is hilly and rocky, drained by several rivers and is thickly forested with some marsh lands and scattered patches of grass. Parambikulam-Aliyar multipurpose project involves a series of dams interconnected by tunnels and canals at various elevations to harness the various rivers flowing through the area.

Azhiyar Dam Aliyar () Reservoir is a reservoir located in Aliyar village near Pollachi town in Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu, South India. The dam is located in the foothills of Valparai, in the Anaimalai Hills of the Western Ghats. It is about from ...

is located on the foothills of Anamalai in the Western Ghats and

Solaiyar Dam Upper Solaiyar or Upper Sholayar Dam () is located from Valparai, a hill station in the Anaimalai Hills of the Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu India. As it is a part of the hydroelectric project of Tamil Nadu, special permission is requir ...

is from

and is one of the largest rock dams in India.

Temples

Thirumurthyswami temple is a temple dedicated to

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

, situated in the foothills of the Thirumurthy Hills. Other major temples include

Masani Amman Masani Amman is a Hindu deity. She is primarily worshipped as a clan deity by certain classes in Tamil Nadu, where she is regarded as an avatar (manifestation) of Mahadevi. Her temple is located in Anaimalai, Pollachi, Coimbatore district of Tami ...

Eachanari Vinayagar Temple Eachanari Vinayagar Temple is a temple dedicated to Hindu god Vinayagar, situated in the village Eachanari near Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. The temple is situated about 12 km from the city of Coimbatore on NH 209. History It is said that ...

and Vethathiri Maharishi.

References

External links

* {{Cities and Towns in Coimbatore Suburbs of Coimbatore Cities and towns in Coimbatore district