Cuddalore
Cuddalore, also spelt as Kadalur, is a heavy industries hub, port city, and headquarters of the Cuddalore District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Situated south of Chennai, Cuddalore was an important port city during the British Raj.
While the early history of Cuddalore remains unclear, the city first rose to prominence during the Pallavas' and Medieval Cholas' reign. After the fall of the Cholas, the town was ruled by various dynasties like Pandyas, Vijayanagar Empire, Madurai Nayaks, Thanjavur Nayaks, Thanjavur Marathas, Tipu Sultan, French and the British Empire. Cuddalore was also a theatre of conflict in the Seven Years' War, witnessing the Battle of Cuddalore in 1758 between the French and British. It has been a part of independent India since 1947. During the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, Cuddalore was one of the affected towns, with 572 casualties.
Apart from fishing and port-related industries, Cuddalore houses chemical, pharmacological and energy industries in SIPCOT, an industrial estate set up by the state government. The city is administered by municipal corporation covering 101.6 km2. It had a population of 308,781 in 2011. Cuddalore is a part of the Cuddalore legislative assembly constituency, which is a part of the Cuddalore Lok Sabha constituency. There are 25 schools, two science colleges and two engineering colleges in the city. There is one government hospital, six municipal maternity homes, and 42 other private hospitals that take care of the citizens' healthcare needs. Roadways are the primary means of transportation, while the town also has rail connectivity. The nearest airport is Chennai International Airport, located 200 km away from the city, and another local airport is located in the district at Neyveli township is Neyveli Airport. The nearest seaport is Cuddalore Port where it handles small cargo ships, and the construction of port entry is underway. The closest major seaport is Karaikal port, located 100 km away from the town. Cuddalore is famous for its educational institutions and medical establishments.
Etymology
Before the English took control, Cuddalore was called கூடலூர், Kūṭalūr meaning confluence in Tamil. It is situated on the backwater formed by the confluent estuaries of the rivers viz.,Ponnaiyar, Kedilam, Uppanar and Paravanar. The Cuddalore district historically consisted of Chola Nadu and Nadu Naadu. The name Nadu Naadu meaning middle country may originate from its location between Chola Nadu and Tondaimandalam; or between the Pallavas and the Cholas; or between central territories and the ocean.
History
From ancient times the old town has been a seaport. For two centuries, Cuddalore was subject to several foreign powers including the Netherlands, Portugal, France, and the British. Until 1758 Cuddalore was the capital to the South Indian territories which were under British control. Britain ruled a more significant part of South India from this fort.In the early 17th century, the Dutch obtained permission from the ruler of Cuddalore to build a fort there, but political pressure from their Portuguese rivals forced them to abandon it.
Later, the French and English came to Cuddalore for trade and business. The French established a settlement up the coast at Pondicherry in 1674, followed in 1690 by Fort St. David's British colony at Cuddalore.
During the 18th century, various wars between the European powers spilt over to their colonial empires, and their allies, including those in the Indian subcontinent. During this period the French and British fought several times in the area.
In 1746, during First Carnatic War, part of the Austrian Succession War, French forces besieged the British at Fort St. David for several months before being driven off in 1747.
In 1758, during the Seven Years' War, the French took the fort, and there was an inconclusive naval action, the Battle of Cuddalore, off the coast. The fort was later abandoned, in 1760, when the British attacked Pondicherry.
In 1782, during the Second Anglo-Mysore War, the French again took Cuddalore at the time of the American War of Independence and were besieged there in 1783 by the British. During the siege French and British naval forces again clashed off the Cuddalore coast. The siege failed, but the fort was returned to the British in 1795. There were five different naval actions off the coast during this period, all of which were indecisive.
Some Cuddalore streets retain their British names, such as Clive Street, Wellington Street, Sloper Street, Canning Street, Rope Street, Lawrence Road and Imperial Road. The Cuddalore Central Prison, opened in 1865, is a historically significant landmark. Subramania Bharati and other political leaders served prison terms there.
Tsunami waves that followed the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake near Sumatra hit India's eastern coast on 26 December 2004 at 8:32 a.m., resulting in 572 casualties. Several fishing hamlets disappeared, while Silver Beach and the historically significant Cuddalore Port was devastated. Fort St. David survived without damage. On 30 December 2011, Cyclone Thane caused widespread damage to crops and buildings.
Geography
Cuddalore is located at 11°45′N 79°45′E / 11.75°N 79.75°E / 11.75; 79.75. It has an average elevation of 6 m. The land is completely flat with large black and alluvial soil inland and coarse sand near the seashore. The sandstone deposits in the town are popular. The Pennayar River runs north of the town, while Gadilam River runs across it. Cuddalore is situated at 200 km from the state capital Chennai and 18 km from Puducherry, the neighbouring union territory. The city is nearly equidistant from the Tropic of Cancer and the Equator.Geology
The Cuddalore Formation of the Cauvery Basin received siliciclastic detritus from inland areas of the Southern Granulite Terrain. It represented continental–fluvial sedimentation in the eastern continental margin of South India during the Miocene. Indian Summer Monsoon was thought to be initiated in the early Miocene and intensified during the middle Miocene causing major climatic shifts in the Indian subcontinent. In the present work, detailed mineralogical and geochemical studies on the siliciclastic Cuddalore Formation have been carried out to understand the provenance and paleoclimatic conditions during the Miocene. The paleocurrent direction, textural immaturity and framework detrital modes of sandstones suggest rapid uplift of basement and sediment source from nearby Madras Block of SGT. Various diagnostic immobile trace element ratios such as Th/Sc, Co/Th, La/Sc, La/Co suggest a tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite–charnockite provenance, and somewhat more felsic composition of source area compared to the present upper continental crust.Climate
Cuddalore experiences a tropical wet and dry climate under the Köppen climate classification. Cuddalore witnesses heavy rainfall during the North-East monsoon. The weather is pleasant from December to February in Cuddalore, with a climate full of warm days and cool nights. The onset of summer is from March, with the mercury reaching its peak by the end of May and June. The average temperatures range from 37 °C in January to 22.5 °C in May and June. Summer rains are sparse and the first monsoon, the South-West monsoon, sets in June and continues till September. North-East monsoon sets in October and continues till January. The rainfall during the South-West monsoon period is much lower than that of North-East monsoon. The average rainfall is 1,400 mm, most of which is contributed by the North-East monsoon. The highest 24-hour rainfall recorded in Cuddalore was 570 mm on 18 May 1943.Demographics
According to 2011 census, Cuddalore had a population of 173,636 with a sex-ratio of 1,026 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929. A total of 17,403 were under the age of six, constituting 8,869 males and 8,534 females. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 13.22% and 0.3% of the population respectively. The average literacy of the city was 78.92%, compared to the national average of 72.99%. The city had a total of 42,174 households. There were a total of 62,115 workers, comprising 561 cultivators, 1,856 main agricultural labourers, 1,464 in household industries, 48,337 other workers, 9,897 marginal workers, 139 marginal cultivators, 952 marginal agricultural labourers, 771 marginal workers in household industries and 8,035 other marginal workers.As of 2007, a total of of the land was used for residential, for commercial, for industrial, for public and semi public purposes and for educational purposes. Out of the undeveloped land area, is under land and water, of the area is used for agricultural purposes, is vacant land in quarries and hillocks and for transport and communication. As of 2008, there were 29 notified slums, with 59,075 comprising 37.23% of the total population residing in those.
As per the religious census of 2011, Cuddalore had 89.12% Hindus, 6.09% Muslims, 3.98% Christians, 0.02% Sikhs, 0.02% Buddhists, 0.27% Jains, 0.48% following other religions and 0.01% following no religion or did not indicate any religious preference.
Transport
Cuddalore has Three major railway stations, namely, Cuddalore Port Junction and Tiruppadirippuliyur Cuddalore Castle, Varakalpattu Cuddalore Moffusil both on the Viluppuram–Mayiladuthurai–Tiruchirappalli Mainline Section. The Cuddalore Port Junction has a branch to Virudhachalam Junction railway station via Neyveli, Vadalur. Cuddalore Port Junction has four platforms and one stabling line used more for handling freight trains. Tiruppadirippuliyur Cuddalore Castle, the other important railway station of Cuddalore has two platforms and is located close to the Cuddalore bus stand. There are express and passenger trains on either side, connecting various cities with Tamil Nadu. There are daily express trains to many cities.There is 230 km of roads in the town, out of which the Highways department maintains 26 km. The Cuddalore City maintains a total of of roads: of concrete roads, of bituminous roads, of water-bound macadam roads and of earthen roads. The National Highways, NH-32 Viluppuram–Pondicherry–Cuddalore–Chidambaram–Nagapattinam–Thoothukudi Highway passes through Cuddalore. Cuddalore is served by a town bus service, which provides connectivity within the town and the suburbs. There are privately operated mini-bus services that cater to local transport needs. The main bus stand is located in Thirupapuliyur.
The nearest airport is in Pondicherry, approximately from Cuddalore, while the nearest international airport is Chennai International Airport, located from the town. There is an airport finished its construction and waiting for the opening in Neyveli, which is nearly from Cuddalore. Daily flights to Chennai is going to be operated by Air Odisha.
The town is served by Cuddalore Port, a minor port. This port mainly handles cargo and is in close vicinity to Cuddalore Port Junction.