Thalaivasal ( ta, தலைவாசல்) is a town in the

Salem district Salem District is one of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The district is now divided into Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Namakkal as individual districts. Salem is the district headquarters and other major towns in the distri ...

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 ...

, India. It is located 18 km away from the Sub-district headquarter

Attur Attur or Aathur is a town, municipality and headquarters of Attur taluk in the Salem district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. As of the 2011 census, the town had a population of 61,793. Attur is growing economically. Transport Attur is ...

and 70 km away from the

Salem District Salem District is one of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The district is now divided into Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Namakkal as individual districts. Salem is the district headquarters and other major towns in the distri ...

Headquarter. It is one of the Taluks of the

The Thalaivasal Taluk is near

Circle. Thalaivasal consists of 35 Panchayats. It has the control over the 35 Panchayats. The Regional Development Office of the Panchayat Union operates at the Mummudi, Thalaivasal which is known as Union Office. According to the 2011 census, the total population of the headquarter panchayat is 1,35,026. The population of the

Scheduled castes 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 ...

is 41,523. The population of the

Scheduled tribe 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 ...

is 1,080.

Etymology

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 ...

, the word ''Thalai'' means "head", and ''vasal'' means "entrance". The town was an entrance to the

Kingdom of Mysore The Kingdom of Mysore was a realm in South India, southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. From 1799 until 1950, it was a princely state, until 1947 in a subsidiary allia ...

and

Hoysala Empire The Hoysala Empire was a Kannada people, Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka, India, Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially loca ...

via the

pass;Tippu Sultan, a Fanatic? By Jalajā Caktitācan̲ it was therefore named "Thalaivasal".

History

Hoysalas The Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur, but was later moved ...

invaded the

Magadai Magadai or Magadai Mandalam was a Tamil kingdom that flourished during the 13th and 14th centuries near the modern-day Aragalur. Aragalurudaiya Ponparappinan Rajarajadevan, alias Magadesan, was the Bana chief who ruled this region around 1197. Th ...

country and established their headquarters at

Aragalur Aragalur ("six moat place") is a village in Salem district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is about 6 km from Thalaivasal and 70 km from Salem. Etymology Aragalur literally means "six moat place" or the village having six moats. The moats were ...

in the 12th century CE.

Tippu Sultan Tipu Sultan (born Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu, 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery.Dalrymple, p. 243 He int ...

and

Hyder Ali Hyder Ali ( حیدر علی, ''Haidarālī''; 1720 – 7 December 1782) was the Sultan and ''de facto'' ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Hyder Ali, he distinguished himself as a soldier, eventually drawing the att ...

likely visited places around Thalaivasal in the 18th century.

Government

Government establishments in Thalaivasal include the Panchayat Union, a sub-registrar office, a police station, and a primary health care unit. Thalaivasal is a state assembly seat.

Politics

Thalaivasal is part of the

Kallakurichi (Lok Sabha constituency) Kallakurichi Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 39 Lok Sabha constituencies in Tamil Nadu state in southern India. Its Tamil Nadu Parliamentary Constituency number is 14. This constituency came into existence following the implementation of de ...

assembly

constituency An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger State (polity), state (a country, administrative region, ...

and

Gangavalli Gangavalli is a panchayat town in Salem district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. History Gangavalli is probably named after the holy name "ganga" (river swetha) and the flowering plant "valli", which spread over the river flowing across Ga ...

(State Assembly constituency).

Geography

Vasishta Nadi Vasishtha ( sa, वसिष्ठ, IAST: ') is one of the oldest and most revered Vedic rishis or sages, and one of the Saptarishis (seven great Rishis). Vashistha is credited as the chief author of Mandala 7 of the ''Rigveda''. Vashishtha a ...

originates from the Salem district, flowing through

, Thalaivasal and

Cuddalore Cuddalore, also spelt as Kadalur (), is the city and headquarters of the Cuddalore District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Situated south of Chennai, Cuddalore was an important port during the British Raj. While the early history of Cudda ...

district. This river flows through

Tiruchirapalli Tiruchirappalli () ( formerly Trichinopoly in English), also called Tiruchi or Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with bein ...

and joins Sweta Nadi before flowing into the

Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line between ...

. Vasishta river flows from the southern part of the village.

Economy

A farmers' market is organized every Tuesday. There is also an agricultural market every morning for the collection of farmers' harvests by wholesale dealers, where a variety of vegetables are available. It is the second highest vegetable trading market in Tamil Nadu. Cattle growing, Rice mills and Sago factories form major source of economy.

Transportation

Thalaivasal is on National Highway 68. It is connected to

Trichy Tiruchirappalli () ( formerly Trichinopoly in English), also called Tiruchi or Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with bein ...

through Veeraganur. TNSTC (Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation) buses are available from Salem district and

Kallakurichi Kallakurichi is a Municipality in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Kallakurichi district in Tamil Nadu. As of 2019, the town had a population of 73528. Member of the L ...

, from where transport can be taken for longer distances.

Railway Station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

is located 3 km away from the Headquarter of Thalaivasal Salem to Virudhachalam Passengers Train is available at this station daily.

Chinnasalem Chinnasalem is a Special Grade Town Panchayat in Kallakurichi district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is also the headquarters of Chinnasalem Taluk. Demographics As of 2001 India census A census is the procedure of systematically a ...

town's railway station serves as a station for trains en route to

Mettur Mettur is an industrial and tourist town located in the Salem district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is best known for the Mettur Dam which is the largest dam in south India. Mettur is also known for its power generation, chemical man ...

Nagore Nagore is a town in the Nagapattinam District, Tamil Nadu, India. It is located approximately 12 km North of Karaikal and 5 km South of Nagapattinam. Nearby towns are Karaikal, Tiruvarur, and Velankanni. It has a population of appr ...

Pondicherry Pondicherry (), now known as Puducherry ( French: Pondichéry ʊdʊˈtʃɛɹi(listen), on-dicherry, is the capital and the most populous city of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the sout ...

, Salem,

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 ...

Mangalore Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ker ...

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

Religion

Thalaivasal is home to

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hind ...

s such as Thalaivasal Thirukarugavur Temple and Narasimha Swami Temple. Also there is a

Mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

and St. Joseph's

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

located in the town.

Tourism

The

Narasimha Narasimha ( sa, नरसिंह, lit=man-lion, ), sometimes rendered Narasingha, is the fourth avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is regarded to have incarnated in the form of a part-lion, part-man being to slay Hiranyakashipu, to end rel ...

Swami temple draws a significant number of tourists. The Traveller's Bungalow at Thalaivasal was built before 1883 by Krishnama Naidu.

References

{{Salem District Villages in Salem district