Kallakurichi is one of the 38 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. The district headquarter is Kallakurichi. Kallakurichi District was announced on 8 January 2019 and it came into existence on 26 November 2019. The district is divided into the 6 taluks of Kallakkurichi, Sankarapuram, Chinnasalem, Ulundurpet, Tirukkovilur and Kalvarayan Hills.
History
During Ancient times, the region was under the rules of Cholas, Pallavas and various Local Chieftains like Tirukoilur king Malaiyaman. Due to its location between Chola naadu and Thondai naadu, the region was aptly called Nadu naadu (Mid-land). In later times, it passed between the hands of Gingee Nayaks, Arcot Nawabs. During the British Rule, the whole region was a part of the South Arcot District of Madras Presidency.
Prior to 1960, the town of Kallakurichi was considered a village. In 1960, Kallakurichi became a town panchayat, and then was subsequently upgraded to special-grade town panchayat. On 20 October 2004, it was further upgraded to the third-grade municipality. On 7 September 2010, the municipality was upgraded to first-grade municipality. On 8 January 2019, the region surrounding the municipality of Kallakurichi was announced as the 33rd district of Tamil Nadu by bifurcating Villupuram. The area of this municipality is 11.69 km2 divided into 21 wards.
Geography
Kallakurichi District is bounded by Thiruvannamalai district in the north, Villupuram district in the east, Dharmapuri and Salem districts in the west, Perambalur and Cuddalore districts in the south. The greater part of the district is covered by the metamorphic rocks belonging to gneiss family. There are also three great groups of sedimentary rocks belonging to different geological periods. The Kalrayan Hills in the North represents a continuous range of hills covered with some thorny forests and vegetation, which are part of Eastern Ghats. Major rivers in the district include the Thenpennai, Manimukthar, Gomukhi, and Gadilam. Major source of irrigation is through lakes, canals and wells.
Kalvarayan Hills
The Kalvarayan Hills are a major range of hills situated in the Eastern Ghats. Along with the Pachaimalai, Alavaimalai, Javadi, and Shevaroy hills, they separate the Kaveri River basin to the south from the Palar River basin to the north. The hills range in height from 2000 feet to 3000 feet and extend over an area of 1,095 square kilometres.
Climate
The climate is moderate to hot, with the maximum temperature being 38 °C and the minimum at 21 °C. The town gets its rainfall from the northeast monsoon during the winter months and the southwest monsoon during the summer months. The average annual rainfall is 1,070 mm.
Economy
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This section does not cite any sources. (October 2020)
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Kallakurichi is an emerging agricultural district. It is also known as “Home of Agriculture”. There are over 10 rice-processing units or modern rice mills, both small and big in this town. Textiles, jewellery and agricultural feeds are major businesses. The town has two government co-operative sugar mills and one private sugar mill, and one solvent extraction plants. There are many poultry farms in and around Kallakurichi. The name is derived due to the green nature of this town along the banks of the river Gomuki which nourishes the town by its water.
Education
The District has numerous colleges and schools, both government and private. Notable colleges are Government arts college, Polytechnic college in Sankarapuram, A.K.T Engineering College. There was an announcement by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in March 2020 to build a medical college with the initial funding of 370 crores near Pumpthottam, in Siruvangur village, which is 3.5 kilometers from Kallakurichi town.
Transport
The District is connected by roads and railways to major cities and to the rest of the state. The major roads are, National Highway, NH – 79 connecting Salem to Ulundurpet, The District is connected by Railway through Chinnasalem Railway Station on Salem – Vridhachalam Railway Line.
NH-79 Salem-Kallakurichi-Ulundurpet
NH-534 Salem-V kootRoad-Vridhachalam
SH-9 Cuddalore-Panruti-Tirukoilur-Tiruvannamalai-Vellore
SH-9A Tiruvannamalai-Thiyagadurugam
SH-6 Kallakurichi-Sankarapuram-Tiruvannamalai
SH-68 Cuddalore-Thirukovilur-Sankarapuram
SH-69 Vridhachalam-Ulundurpet-Villupuram
SH-7 Thirukoilur-Villupuram
SH-204 Kallakurichi-Koothakudi-Trichy
SH-135 Kallakurichi-Kachirayapalayam-Sankarapuram
SH-137 Thirukoilur-Asanur