Erode district

Erode district is one of the 38 districts in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was the largest district by area in the state before the formation of Tirupur district in 2009 and is the third largest by area, as of 2024. The headquarters of the district is Erode. The district is divided into two revenue divisions, Erode and Gobichettipalayam, and is further subdivided into 10 taluks.
The district is landlocked and lies towards the middle of the Indian peninsula and is bordered by the state of Karnataka to the north. The Eastern Ghats pass through the north-western part of the district, and the Western Ghats straddles the western edge. The district is watered by the Kaveri River which meets its major tributary Bhavani in the district. It covers an area of, and had a population of 2,251,744 as per the 2011 census. The major spoken language is Kongu Tamil, a dialect of Tamil. Hinduism is the major religion with nearly 94% adherents.
Archeological evidence from Kodumanal indicate that the region was ruled by the Cheras during the Sangam period and it formed part of an ancient Roman trade route. The region was ruled by the Pandyas before the medieval Cholas conquered it in the tenth century. The region was ruled by Vijayanagara Empire in the fifteenth century followed by the Nayaks who introduced the Palayakkarar system. In the later part of the eighteenth century, the region came under the Kingdom of Mysore and after the Anglo-Mysore Wars, the British East India Company annexed the region to the Madras Presidency in 1799. The region played a prominent role in the Second Polygar War when it was the area of operations of Dheeran Chinnamalai. The district was part of the erstwhile Coimbatore district and came into existence on 17 September 1979.
The economy of the district is based predominantly on agriculture and textiles. The district is the top turmeric producer in Tamil Nadu, making up 43% of statewide production and is also a major producer of plantain, coconuts and white silk. The district is known for handloom and ready-made textile products. Erode Turmeric and Bhavani Jamakkalam are recognized Geographical Indications.

History

Archaeological excavations from Kodumanal on the banks of the Noyyal River show traces of civilization from 4th century BCE. Kodumanal is mentioned in Patiṟṟuppattu literature from the first century CE as a thriving industrial and commercial center. The evidence indicates that the region was ruled by the Cheras during the Sangam period and it formed part of an ancient Roman trade route. The region came under the influence of the Pandyas during the reign of Arikesari Maravarman in the seventh century CE. Later, the region was ruled by various dynasties such as Rashtrakutas and Western Gangas.
The medieval Cholas conquered the Kongu Nadu in the 10th century CE. While the region was directly under the control of the Imperial Cholas till 1064 CE, the Kongu Cholas who were probably vassals or viceroys of the Cholas, ruled the region autonomously later starting. These rulers bore the title Konattar and adopted Chola titles and surnames. In the 13th century CE, after the death of Vikrama Chola II, the Pandyas under Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan I annexed the region. The rule of the Pandyas came to an end with the death of Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I in 1318 CE. The Hoysalas ruled the region for sometime later with Vira Someshwara having a matrimonial alliance with both Pandyas and Cholas. After the defeat of Veera Ballala III of the Hoysalas, the region came under the control of the Vijayanagara Empire.
After the Vijayanagara empire fell in 1646, the region was ruled by various Nayak governors of the erstwhile Vijayanagara empire who declared independence. They introduced the Palayakkarar system under which the region was divided into 24 Palayams. In the later part of the 18th century, the region came under the Kingdom of Mysore and after the Anglo-Mysore Wars, the British East India Company annexed the region to the Madras Presidency in 1799. The region played a prominent role in the Second Polygar War when it was the area of operations of Dheeran Chinnamalai. Later, the British Empire took control of the region from the British East India Company in 1857. After Indian Independence in 1947, the region was part of the Madras State, which later became Tamil Nadu. The district was part of the erstwhile Coimbatore district and came into existence on 17 September 1979.

Geography

The district is landlocked, and is situated roughly at the center of the Indian Peninsula between latitude 10 36" and 11 58" north and between longitude 76 49" and 77 58" east. It is bordered by Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka in the north. To the east, across the Kaveri River, lies Salem and Namakkal districts. It is bordered by Karur district in the southeast, Tirupur district in the south with Coimbatore and Nilgiris districts in to the west.
The topography of the district consists of plains sloping from rom north east to south west. The Eastern Ghats run through the north-western part of the district, and is straddled by the Western Ghats in the west, with the mountain ranges separated by the Moyar River. The region comprises the high altitude regions of the north sloping gently towards a long undulating plain in the south. Bhavani River cuts the district roughly in the middle, flowing from west to east. It enters the district at Sathyamangalam, crossing Gobichettipalayam taluk before joining the Kaveri River flowing from the north, near the eastern edge at Bhavani. The river feeds the Bhavanisagar reservoir and Kodiveri Dam are major dams, which along with a canal system provide irrigation and drainage for the district. The other major tributaries of the Kaveri including the Noyyal and Amaravati, emerge from the mountains in the west.
The region has a tropical climate and the climate is characterized by dry weather throughout the year, except during the monsoons. The region depends on monsoons for rainfall. In March, the temperature begins to rise, which persists until the end of May, with the highest temperatures recorded during the period. The average maximum temperature is and the average minimum temperature is. The south-west monsoon winds passing through the Palghat gap loses most of its moisture when reaching the district and the region receives about of rainfall in the months from June to August from the south-west monsoon. After a warm and foggy September, the north-east monsoon starts from October, lasting until early November. The district gets most of its rainfall from the north-east monsoon, averaging about annually. The district gets a total average annual rainfall of.
The major soil types found here are loamy soil and clay soil. The northern part of the district incorporating parts of Sathyamangalam and Gobichettipalayam taluks form the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and is the largest protected area in Tamil Nadu. The region has one of the largest Indian Elephant and Bengal Tiger populations in the country.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Erode District had a population of 2,251,744 with a sex-ratio of 993 females for every 1,000 males, above the national average of 929. A total of 195,213 were under the age of six, constituting 99,943 males and 95,270 females. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 16.41% and 0.97% of the population, respectively. The literacy rate of the district was 66.29%, compared to the national average of 72.99%. The district had a total of 658,071 households. There were 1,195,773 workers: 173,376 cultivators, 331,414 main agricultural labourers, 48,960 in household industries, 557,301 other workers, 84,722 marginal workers, 38,798 marginal agricultural labourers, 5,362 marginal workers in household industries, 4,794 marginal cultivators and 35,768 other marginal workers.
As per the 2011 census, 81.76% of the population spoke Tamil, 10.32% Telugu, 5.40% Kannada and 1.14% Urdu as their first language. Kongu Tamil, a dialect, is predominantly spoken in the district. As per the census, Hinduism was the predominant religion with nearly 94% adherents.

Administration and politics

Administration

The district is headquartered at Erode and is divided into two revenue divisions, Erode and Gobichettipalayam. It is further subdivided into 10 taluks for administrative purposes.

Revenue division	Taluks
Erode
Gobichettipalayam

The district has one municipal corporation, one selection grade municipality, one first grade municipality, two second grade municipalities. In January 2025, the Government of Tamil Nadu announced the formation of two new municipalities of Kavindapadi and Perundurai. There are 39 town panchayats in the district.

Law and order

The Tamil Nadu Police, operates under the Home ministry of the Government of Tamil Nadu and is responsible for maintaining law and order in the district. It is headed by Superintendent of Police and operates 37 police stations spread across five geographical sub-divisions: Erode Town, Erode Rural, Bhavani, Gobichettipalayam and Sathyamangalam. The judicial system with Madras High Court as the appellate authority, operates a district magistrate court at Erode with jurisdictional magistrate courts at Erode, Gobichettipalayam and Bhavani.

Politics

Parts of the district fall under three Parliamentary Constituencies: Erode, Nilgiris and Tiruppur. The district consists of eight assembly constituencies of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly: Anthiyur, Bhavani, Bhavani Sagar, Erode East, Erode West, Gobichettipalayam, Modakurichi and Perundurai.

Parliamentary Constituency	Member of Parliament	Party	Legislative Constituency	Member of Legislative Assembly	Party
Erode	K. E. Prakash	Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam	Erode	V. C. Chandhirakumar	Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Erode	K. E. Prakash	Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam	Erode	S. Muthusamy	Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Erode	K. E. Prakash	Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam	Modakkurichi	C. Saraswathi	Bharatiya Janata Party
Tiruppur	K. Subbarayan	Communist Party of India	Perundurai	S. Jayakumar	All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Tiruppur	K. Subbarayan	Communist Party of India	Bhavani	K. C. Karuppannan	All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Tiruppur	K. Subbarayan	Communist Party of India	Anthiyur	A. G. Venkatachalam	Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Tiruppur	K. Subbarayan	Communist Party of India	Gobichettipalayam	K. A. Sengottaiyan	All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Nilgiris	A. Raja	Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam	Bhavanisagar	A. Bannari	All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam