Rajapalayam


Rajapalayam is a Town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the largest municipality in the Virudhunagar district and the second largest town in the district after Sivakasi. Rajapalayam is located on the Madurai to Kollam National Highway at a distance of 562 km south of the state capital Chennai at the foothills of Western Ghats. The economy is primarily industrial with several mills for spinning and weaving. The town is known for its mangoes and the Rajapalayam breed of dogs.
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Climate

The climate of the region is of the semi-arid tropical monsoon type. The average temperature range is 20 °C to 37 °C.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Rajapalayam had a population of 130,442 with 1,014 females for every 1,000 males, far above the national average of 929. A total of 11,604 individuals were under the age of six. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 13.51% and 0.09% of the population respectively. The average literacy of the town was 77.87%; the national average was 72.99%. The town has a total of 37,797 households. There are 53,913 workers, comprising 380 cultivators, 3,676 main agricultural labourers, 1,375 in household industries, 45,223 other workers, 3,259 marginal workers, 34 marginal cultivators, 326 marginal agricultural labourers, 286 marginal workers in household industries and 2,613 other marginal workers. According to the religious census of 2011, the population is 94.53% Hindu, 3.48% Muslim, 1.75% Christian, 0.02% Sikh and 0.21% other.

Geography

The mountains of the Western Ghats are to the west of the town, and the Sanjeevi hills are to the east. These moderate the climate, and several water catchment areas in the hills provide water for the town. Water is stored in the 6th mile water reservoir. There are several major lakes around the town, including Kondaneri, Karungulam, Pirandaikulam, and Sengulam. The soil in the area is classified by the government as red loam.
The area of the municipality is about 11.36 sq.kms which makes the town the biggest municipality in Virudunagar district.

Industries

The principal industry was initially agriculture. In 1936, Thiru P. A. C. Ramasamy Raja started the first cotton spinning mill, called Rajapalayam Mills Ltd. Later, more textile mills were started. Today, Rajapalayam is a major hub of the textile industry, famous for bandages, woven fabric, nightwear, and other products. The neighboring town of Chatrapatti is a large player in producing surgical cotton gauze, and nearby Dhalavaipuram and Muhavoor manufacture women's nightwear.

Transportation

By Land

Road

The National Highway NH-744 from Madurai to Kollam passes through the town. State highway SH-41 links the major parts of the extreme south of Tamil Nadu, including Tirunelveli, Tuticorin and Kanyakumari. The road also offers good freight connectivity to Tamil Nadu's second largest seaport, Tuticorin. State highway SH-186 connects the town to the east part of Virudhunagar district and passes through the fast-growing industrial towns of Chatrapatti and Alangulam.

Bus

Rajapalayam's long-distance bus station, located on Sankarankovil Road, is served by buses from the government of Tamil Nadu's TNSTC and private transport companies. Several private and government operated services connect to Chennai, Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Hosur, Pondicherry, Salem, Tirupati, Tiruppur, Trichy, Vellore and other major cities.
Rajapalayam old bus station is the boarding point for buses connecting nearby villages. It is also called Old bus stand or Town bus stand. Sankarankovil Mukku road connects the new bus stand.

Rail

The Rajapalayam railway station is in the Southern Railways zone/Madurai division of Indian Railways and falls on the Virudhunagar to Kollam line. The station code is RJPM.
Passenger Trains running daily via Rajapalayam:
Train No/NameOriginDestinationRajapalayam Arrival Time
16848/Sengottai - Mayiladuthurai Express SengottaiMadurai08:21am
06504/Madurai - Sengottai Express Special MaduraiSengottai08:38am
06664/Sengottai - Madurai Express Special SengottaiMadurai01:10pm
06663/Madurai - Sengottai Express Special MaduraiSengottai01:13pm
06503/Sengottai - Madurai Express Special SengottaiMadurai04;58pm
16847/Mayiladuthurai - Sengottai Express MaduraiSengottai07:03pm

Below Mail/SF Express services are currently running through Rajapalayam Railway station.
Train No/NameOriginDestinationRajapalayam Arrival TimeServicesCoach Type
12661/Pothigai Superfast ExpressChennai EgmoreSengottai05:15amDailyLHB
12662/Pothigai Superfast ExpressSengottaiChennai Egmore07:58pmDailyLHB
16101/Chennai-Kollam ExpressChennai EgmoreKollam02:08amDailyICF
16102/Kollam-Chennai ExpressKollamChennai Egmore04:23pmDailyICF
20681/Silambu Super Fast ExpressChennai EgmoreSengottai06:28amWednesday, Friday, SaturdayICF
20682/Silambu Super Fast ExpressSengottaiChennai Egmore06:08pmThursday, Saturday, SundayICF
16362/Velankanni - Ernakulam Jn ExpressVelankanniErnakulam Jn02:58amSunday & TuesdayICF
16361/Ernakulam Jn - Velankanni ExpressErnakulam JnVelankanni09:25pmSaturday & MondayICF
06029/Mettupalayam - Tirunelveli Special Fare Special MettupalayamTirunelveli03:55amFridayLHB
06030/Tirunelveli - Mettupalayam Special Fare SpecialTirunelveliMettupalayam09:43pmThursdayLHB
06035/Tambaram - Thiruvananthapuram North Special Fare AC SpecialTambaramThiruvananthapuram North 04:13amSaturdayLHB
06036/Thiruvananthapuram North - Tambaram Special Fare AC SpecialThiruvananthapuram North Tambaram09:28pmSundayLHB

By Air

The nearest international airport is Madurai Airport.

Notable people