Tiruvallur

Tiruvallur is a Grade I municipality[2] and a fast developing city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of Cooum river about 46 km (29 mi) from downtown Chennai (Madras) and just 5 km from megacity border, in the western part of the Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA). It is the administrative headquarters of Tiruvallur district. The city has less dense population spread all over with large area.

Tiruvallur Thiru evvul
Suburb
Thiru evvulur
Veeraraghava Swami Temple View From Lake
Nickname(s):  evvul
Tiruvallur Location in Tamil Nadu, India
Coordinates: 13.15°N 79.91°E / 13.15; 79.91
Country	India
State	Tamil Nadu
District	Tiruvallur(district's in Chennai)
Named for	Veeraragava temple
Government
• Type	First grade municipality
• Body	Tiruvallur Municipality
• District Collector	Tmt Mageswari Ravikumar, I.A.S.
Area
• Total	33.27 km^2 (12.85 sq mi)
Elevation	50 m (160 ft)
Population  (2016)[1]
• Total	176,435
• Rank	31st
• Density	5,300/km^2 (14,000/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Tamil, English
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	602001-602003
Telephone code	91-44
Vehicle registration	TN-20
Website	municipality.tn.gov.in/Tiruvallur/

The city is known for the Veera Raghavar temple, one of the 108 sacred shrines of Vaishnavites. The tank festival is held at a pond near this temple. A Siva temple near this shrine which is popular among the locals. There is also a 40-foot (12 m) tall Viswaroopa Panchamukha Hanuman temple, where the murti is made of a single green granite stone.

Poondi reservoir, from which drinking water is drawn to Chennai city, is about 9 km (5.6 mi) from Tiruvallur. The neighborhood is served by Tiruvallur railway station of the Chennai Suburban Railway Network. As of 2016, the city had a population of 176,435. It is one of the fast-developing suburbs of Chennai.

Etymology

The name Tiruvallur is supposedly derived from the Tamil sentence tiru evvull? – Tiru meaning god, a common prefix in South India for temple towns, and evvull meaning where do I sleep?. Tiruvallur is said to mean a place or town where the god Veera Raghavar asked a saint for a place to sleep for a night.

In one telling of the story, a rishi (sage) named Saalihothirar came down from Badrinath, now in Uttaranchal State, and settled in this place in order to reach Paramapadam (the abode of Lord Mahavisnu). He bathed in Hiruthaapanasana Theertham and started the vow of silence (mouna viratham) for one year. Daily he collected rice and after a year of fasting, he purified and cooked the rice, offering some to God (Naivedhyam) and duly kept the rest for himself. He waited for a guest, probably a muni or rishi, so that he could invite him to eat and end his fasting. At that time the God Narayana, intending to test the devotion of the rishi, came there as an old muni looking very hungry and thirsty. On seeing him, Saalihothirar greeted him and offered a portion of the rice he had kept for himself, but Narayana wanted the entire quantity of rice. Saalihothirar was very happy to give all of the food to his guest, starving himself. After eating the food, Narayana asked, "where do I sleep?" (Tamil: Ev-uL-uRangalAm). Saalihothirar asked him to sleep in his own hut.

History

In the far past, this region was under a chain of regimes commencing from the Pallavas during the 7th century. In 1687, the Golkonda rulers were defeated and the region came under the Moghul emperors of Delhi. The towns and villages of this region were the scene of Carnatic wars. Battles are said to have been fought in this region during the struggle for supremacy between the English and French. The town of Pulicat was the earliest Dutch possession in India, founded in 1609; it was ceded to the British in 1825. British rule continued until India's independence in 1947.

Politics

Tiruvallur assembly constituency is part of Tiruvallur (Lok Sabha constituency). It is represented by:[3]

• Tiruvallur Lok Sabha Constituency elected member – Dr.P.Venugopal of AIADMK
• Tiruvallur Assembly Constituency elected member – Mr.V.G. Rajendran of DMK
• Tiruvallur Municipality Chairman – Mr Commando A Baskaran a.k.a. A Baskaran of AIADMK.[4]

Currently Baskaran is the AIADMK candidate for Tiruvallur constituency in the Tamil Nadu May 2016 Assembly Elections.[5]

Demographics

Religious census
Religion			Percent(%)
Hindu			86.45%
Muslim			5.88%
Christian			6.17%
Sikh			0.02%
Buddhist			0.02%
Jain			0.35%
Other			1.12%
No religion			0.0%

According to the 2016, Thiruvallur had a population of 176,435 with a sex-ratio of 999 females for every 1,000 males, above the national average of 929.[6] Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 19% and 0.6% of the population, respectively. The literacy rate of the city was 79.77%, compared to the national average of 72.99%.[6][7] As per the religious census of 2011, Thiruvallur had 86.45% Hindus, 5.88% Muslims, 6.17% Christians, 0.02% Sikhs, 0.02% Buddhists, 0.35% Jains, 1.12% following other religions and 0.0% following no religion or with no religious preference.[8]

Places of worship

Temple and Tank at Trivaloor, South India (1848)[9]

• Veera Raghavar temple – a place of worship for Lord Vishnu as Veera Raghavar, an aspect of the deity known for curing abilities. In this temple people offer symbols, small metal sheets with a specific anatomical organ engraved, as a request to cure the illness or problems associated with that organ.
• Sri Arulmigu Poongavanaththamman Angaala Parameswari Amman Temple - Famous For Amman Temple Near To Raamaapuram, Putlur, Thiruvallur
• Sri maha ruthra kali amman Temple – behind the town bus stand, VS Nager, Tiruvallur Town
• Sri Prathiyangira Devi Temple – next to A B S Vidhya Mandhir School, Tiruvallur
• Thiruvallur Jamia Masjid – Mohamad Ali Street, MGM Nagar, Tiruvallur
• Masjide Fathah – Pathiyal Pettai, Pungathur, SP Nagar, Tiruvallur
• Sri Shiva – a Vishnu Temple in Poonganagar, about 2.5 km (2 mi) from Thirvallur town. Both Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu (as Sri Pushavaneshwarar and Sri Jalanarayanar idols) are represented here. The Jala Narayanar is a smaller replica of the Budhanilkantha Temple in Nepal.
• Dhakshinamurthy Temple and Sri Nageshwari Devalaym temples – located nearby in Kakkalur Village.
• Sri Mangaleeswarar with Magaleeswari temple – a Siva temple located at Manavala Nagar, known for the sun worship at the next day of Maha sivaratri.
• Hanuman Temple at Kakkalur – 3 km (2 mi) from Tiruvallur, this village temple has a 12-metre (40 ft) green monolithic granite murti of Lord Viswaroopa Panchamukha Hanuman (a.k.a. Panchamukhi Hanuman).[10]
• Temple for Sri Viswaroopa Panchamukha Hanuman – at Periakuppam, Thiruvallur, this 10-metre-tall (32 ft) statue is made of a single piece of green granite which was brought from Hassan in Karnataka.[11]
• Shiva temple in Manavala Nagar (Ondikuppam village) – known for Gangai Naatha swami with neeri nilai naayagai kovil. Moondram pirai sathalam 1.5 km (1 mi) towards Poonamali from the Thiruvallur railway station.
• CSI Goudie Memorial Church – a very prominent church built on memorial of Rev. William Goudie in November 1927. Governor of Madras opened the Church with a Silver Key, in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
• CSI Victorious Cross Church - The Church formed by the CSI Goudie Memorial Church
• St.Francis De Sale Church – a Catholic church, also called St. Annes' Convent, which is the school in the same parish.
• Miracle AG Church – an Assemblies of God church
• Shalom Cathedral – at Kakklur sali, Tiruvallur Town

Economy

The city attained district-headquarters status in 1997. Tiruvallur houses many industries including manufacturing facilities of Hindustan Motors, Caterpillar earth-moving equipment, Hanil Lear, Delphi TVS, India Japan Lighting, Kingfisher's brewery division, Style SPA furniture, TI India, TCL, and Mitsubishi.[12] Tiruvallur is also home to the Pandurangan family of pen makers operating under the brand name Ranga.

Tiruvallur is surrounded by industrial hubs in and around Chennai, such as Ambattur Industrial Estate and Sriperumbudur Industrial Estate, which connect to Tiruvallur by suburban train and buses.

Developments

The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) drafted a master plan to develop Tiruvallur as a satellite township around the city. This development is encouraged by developing infrastructure, such as affordable housing, in order to relieve congestion in the metropolis and provide a better standard of living.[13]

The Tamil Nadu government plans to develop a satellite township at Thirumazhisai, a town in Thiruvallur district about 18 km (11 mi) from Tiruvallur. According to Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, it would build on 125.88 hectares (311.05 acres) of land owned by the Tamil Nadu Housing Board, at a cost of ₹2,160 crore (21.6 billion rupees).[14]

The state government was to decide on the expansion of the Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA) before the end of fiscal year 2011–12. Minister for Housing and Urban Development R Vaithilingam told the State Assembly on 25 August 2011 that, in view of the fast-paced development taking place in areas beyond the present metropolitan-area jurisdiction, it had become necessary to review the Chennai Metropolitan Planning Area of 1973–74.[15]

Industries

Tiruvallur is a fast-developing district. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy. The major crops cultivated are paddy, sugarcane and groundnut, with smaller crops of millets (cumbu, ragi, tinai, etc.), pulses (red gram, black gram, green gram, etc.), gingelly and chillies. Vegetables, flowers and fruits (mango, banana, etc.) are also grown. Three cropping seasons are being followed in the district for paddy, viz, Sornavari (April–August), Samba (July–Jan) and Navarai (December–March).

Peripheral areas of the district have industrial units, with industry and commerce gaining a prominent position.[16]

Transport

Tiruvallur is situated on the Chennai–Tirupati trunk road. Other major roads connecting Chennai and Tiruvallur include a route through Kakalur, Putlur, Sevapet, Veppampattu, Tiruninravur, Avadi, Tirumulaivayal, Ambattur and Villivakkam, and another route through Poonamallee and Koyembedu.

Chennai International Airport is 42 km (26 mi) southeast of the city.

Tiruvallur lies on the Chennai–Bangalore broad gauge railway line and is a stop for some of the WestNorth trains. There are two suburban railway lines: the West line from Chennai Central to Arakkonam and the WestNorth line from Chennai Central to Tiruttani. These two lines have many frequent suburban trains.

The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) runs an extensive city bus system, with service from Tiruvallur to most of the important places in Chennai and its metropolitan area. MTC Services from Tiruvallur include:

Route Number	Departs	Destination	Via
501	Poondi	Vadapalani	Tiruvallur, Aranvoyal, Poonamallee, Iyyappanthangal, Porur, Valasaravakkam
505	Tiruvallur	Red Hills	Ekkadu, Kilanur, Vishnuvakkam, Velliyur, Tamaraipakkam crossroad
505A	Tiruvallur	Periyapalayam	Ekkadu, Kilanur, Vishnuvakkam, Velliyur, Tamaraipakkam crossroad
538	Kadambathur	Vadapalani	Tiruvallur, Aranvoyal, Poonamallee, Porur, Virugambakkam
566A	Tiruvallur	Tambaram	Pallavaram, Pammal, Kundrathur, Poonamallee, Aranvoyal
571	Tiruvallur	Broadway	Sevvapet, Veppampattu, Thiruninravur, Avadi, Central Railway Station, Tailors Road, New Avadi road
572	Tiruvallur	Ambattur Industrial Estate	Sevvapet, Thiruninravur, Avadi
572A	Tiruvallur	Avadi	Sevvapet, Veppampattu, Pattabiram
583A	Tiruvallur	Sriperumpudur	ManavalaNagar
153A	Tiruvallur	CMBT	Poonamallee, Aranvoyal
153B	Pandur	CMBT	Tiruvallur, Poonamallee, Aranvoyal
153T	Tiruvallur	CMBT	Chembarambakkam, Poonamallee, Aranvoyal
597	Tiruvallur	T Nagar/Mandaveli	Aranvoyal, Thirumahizhai, Poonamallee, Iyyappanthangal, Porur, Guindy

Education

There are a large number of educational institutions in Tiruvallur. Many professional institutions, particularly the veterinary university, add to education in this district. Tiruvallur has many higher secondary schools including private and government schools. There are a few engineering, medical, and arts and science colleges around Tiruvallur.

Colleges

Field	Name	Location
Arts & science	Hindu College	Pattabiram
	Jaya College of Arts and Science	Thiruninravur
	John Bosco Art and Science College	Tiruvallur
	Dr. Sir Arcot Lakshmana Swami Mudaliar College of Arts & science	Vengal
	Sri Ram Arts and Science College	Veppampattu
	Loganatha Narayanasamy Govt. Arts College	Tiruvallur
	Sri Subramaniaswami Government Arts College	Tiruvallur
	Dr. Sir A.L. Mudaliar Vocational Arts and Science	Tiruvallur
	Shri Chandra Prabhu Jain College for Men	Tiruvallur
Engineering	Prathyusha Institute of Technology and Management	Thiruvallur
	Sri Ram Engineering College	Veppampattu
	Bhajarang Engineering College	Veppampattu
	Indira Institute of Engineering and Technology	Thiruvallur
	Jaya Engineering College	Thiruninravur
	John Bosco Engineering College	Tiruvallur
	Kumaran Institute of Technology	Tiruvallur
	Siva Institute of Frontier Technology, Technical Campus	Vengal
	Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering and Technology	Thiruvallur
	Sri Venkateswara Institute of Science and Technology	Thiruppachur Post
	Sree Sastha Institute of Engineering and Technology	Chembarapakkam
	Panimalar Institute of Technology	Poonamallee
	Panimalar Engineering College	Poonamallee
	Srinivasa Institute of Engineering and Technology	Poonamallee
	Vel Tech Engineering College	Avadi
	L.C.R. College of Engineering and Technology	Ramanjeri
Hotel Management	Sriram Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology	Tiruvallur
	Sree Venkateswara International Institute of Catering & Hotel Management	Tiruvallur
	Victory Institute of Catering & Hotel Management	Tiruvallur
Dental	Priyadarshini Dental College and Hospital	Tiruvallur
Pharmacy	Jaya College of Paramedical Science	Thiruninravur
	National College of Pharmacy	Thiruninravur
Nursing	Indira College of Nursing	Pandur
Management	Indira Institute of Computer Application	Tiruvallur
	Indira Institute of Management and Research	Tiruvallur
TTI	Indira Teacher Training Institute	Tiruvallur

Schools

• Dharmamurthi Rao Bahadur Calavala Cunnan Chetty's Hindu Higher Secondary School
• C.S.I. Goudie Higher Sec. School
• Calavala Cunnan Chetty's Hindu Matriculation Hr. Sec. School, Kakkalur
• Christ King Hr. Sec. School.
• Chellammal Vidyalaya Matriculation Higher Sec. School
• CSC Vivekananda Vidyalaya Matriculation School
• Dr.V Gengu Swami Naidu matriculation school, Vishnuvakkam
• Swamy Vivekananda Vidhyalaya Nursery and Primary School, Tiruvallur
• Vivekananda vidhyalaya matriculation school, Tiruvallur
• Gnana Vidyalaya Matric. hr.sec. School
• Joy Play School, 47, Veerannan street, Tiruvallur
• Active KIDS Play School.
• Sri Venkateshwara Matric. Hr. Sec. School
• Rollins Primary and Nursery School
• St.Anne's Matriculation Higher Secondary School
• Shree Nikethan Matric. Hr. Sec. School
• Shree Niketan Patasala , CBSE School
• Sri Lakshmi Hr. Sec. School
• Sri R M Jain Vidhyashram,V.M.Nagar,Tiruvallur
• Jacob Matriculation School
• K.E. Nataesa Chetiyar Higher Secondary School
• Kamaraj Marticulation School
• A B S Vidhya Mandhir school.
• Bharathidasan Matriculation school
• National Lotus Matriculation Higher Sec. School
• Sidhaartha Mat. Hr. Sec. School, sevvapet
• Hindu nursery and primary school
• Bharathi Matriculation School, Poonga Nagar
• venus education centre

References

1. http://www.censusindia.gov.in/pca/SearchDetails.aspx?Id=678788
2. "List of Municipalities in Tamil Nadu Grade wise". Commissionerate of Municipal Administration. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
3. "List of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies" (PDF). Tamil Nadu. Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 May 2006. Retrieved 8 October 2008.
4. Tiruvallur, District Administrator, Collectorate. "Elected Members - Town Panchayats - Tiruvallur District". www.tiruvallur.tn.nic.in. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
5. Ramakrishnan, Deepa H.; Amp; Kolappan, B. (4 April 2016). "AIADMK releases list of candidates for 2016 Assembly polls". Retrieved 31 March 2018 – via www.thehindu.com.
6. "Census Info 2011 Final population totals". Office of The Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
7. "Census Info 2011 Final population totals - Thiruvallur". Office of The Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
8. "Population By Religious Community - Tamil Nadu" (XLS). Office of The Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2011. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
9. "Temple and Tank at Trivaloor, South India". Wesleyan Juvenile Offering. London: Wesleyan Mission-House. V: 36. April 1848. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
10. Swami, Panchamukha Anjaneya / Hanuman. "Sri Viswaroopa Panchamukha Anjaneya Swami Ashram". www.panchamukha.org. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
12. "domain-b.com : Mitsubishi Motors". www.domain-b.com. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
13. http://municipality.tn.gov.in/tiruvallur/Tiruvallur.pdf
14. "Satellite township near Thirumazhisai planned". The Hindu. 9 September 2011.
15. "News18.com: CNN-News18 Breaking News India, Latest News, Current News Headlines". News18. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
16. "About Us". Ranga Pens. Retrieved 7 October 2019.