Tiruvallur
Tiruvallur is a Grade I municipality in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of Coovum river about from downtown Chennai in the western part of the Chennai Metropolitan Area. It is a satellite town of Chennai and is the administrative headquarters of Tiruvallur District. The town is known for the Veeraraghava Swamy Temple, one of the 108 sacred shrines of Vaishnavites. The tank festival is held at a pond near this temple. A Shiva temple near this shrine which is popular among the locals. There is also a 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 from Tiruvallur. The neighborhood is served by Tiruvallur railway station of the Chennai Suburban Railway Network. As of 2011, the town had a population of 54416.
It is one of the fast-developing suburbs of western part of the Chennai. It as a key suburb in Chennai's metropolitan expansion, offering a blend of economic opportunity and cultural heritage.
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 Raghavaswamy asked a saint for a place to sleep for a night..The incident is recited in the Markandeya Purana where, Once a Rishi named Saalihothirar came down from Badrinath, now in Uttaranchal State, and settled in this place in order to reach Paramapadam. He bathed in Hiruthaapanasana Theertham and started the vow of silence for one year. Daily he collected rice and after a year of fasting, he purified and cooked the rice, offering some to God 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 Lord 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?". Saalihothirar asked him to sleep in his own hut.. However, there is no historical evidence to back the same, but literature proof can be found in Naalayira Divya Prabandham at the works of Thirumangai Alvar in Periya Tirumoli in Hymn 1058 - 1067, where the Lord Veeraraghava Perumal is addressed as "எவ்வுள் கிடந்தானே".
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.Demographics
According to the 2011, Thiruvallur had a population of 56,074 with a sex-ratio of 999 females for every 1,000 males, above the national average of 929. 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%. 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.Politics
is part of Tiruvallur Lok Sabha constituency. This constituency is represented in the parliament by Sasikanth Senthil of the Indian National Congress.Thiruvallur is represented in the TN Assembly by V.G. Rajendran of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
Tiruvallur Municipality Chairman Mrs. Udhayamalar Pon Pandiyan of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam also the Party's District Deputy Secretary.
Landmarks
- Veera Raghavar temple – a place of worship for Lord Vishnu as Veera Raghavar
- CSI Goudie Memorial Church, Tiruvallur - Wesleyan Methodist church built on the Memorial of Late Rev. William Goudie.
- Hanuman Temple at Kakkalur – from Tiruvallur, this village temple has a green monolithic granite murti of Lord Viswaroopa Panchamukha Hanuman.
- Poondi Reservoir - from where the beautiful view of reservoir, dam and Kosasthalaiyar can be witnessed.
Economy
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 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. Tiruvallur has been officially annexed with Chennai Metropolitan Area in the year 2022.The Tamil Nadu government plans to develop a satellite township at Thirumazhisai, a town in Thiruvallur district about from Tiruvallur. According to Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, it would build on of land owned by the Tamil Nadu Housing Board, at a cost of .
Industries
Tiruvallur is a fast-developing district. The Kakkalur SIDCO lies in the eastern boundary of city which is main industrial area adjacent to city. Other than that, Caterpillar, Hindustan Motors, Kingfisher breweries has their factories near to city. Agriculture is also the mainstay of the economy. The major crops cultivated are paddy, sugarcane and groundnut, with smaller crops of millets, pulses, gingelly and chillies. Vegetables, flowers and fruits are also grown. Three cropping seasons are being followed in the district for paddy, viz, Sornavari, Samba and Navarai.Peripheral areas of the district have industrial units, with industry and commerce gaining a prominent position.
Stray cattle
In Tiruvallur, multiple vehicle accidents have occurred due to the stray cattle. Most of the accidents related to stray cattle on the roads occurred at night, when it is harder to see the animal on roads with insufficient lights. The residents of Tiruvallur district who allow their cattle to freely wander on the roads have been warned by the police. Imprisonment of up to three years and fine up to ₹5,000 are applicable according to the provisions of the Tamil Nadu Animals and Birds in Urban Areas Act, 1997. Police have also threatened actions according to the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, in addition the stray cattle would be sent to cow sheds operated by the government. Yet these measures have not reduced the practice of cattle owners releasing their cattle. The authorities of Tiruvallur district have also set up call center to report incidents of stray cattle.Transport
Road transport
Tiruvallur is situated on the Chennai–Tirupati trunk road. Major road connecting Chennai and Tiruvallur include Chennai-Tiruvallur High Road which runs through Tiruninravur, Avadi, Tirumullaivayil, Ambattur and Villivakkam merges with New Avadi Road in metro area until Kilpauk. Another major road is Poonamallee - Tiruvallur Road which runs through Thirumazhisai, and merges with the Chennai-Banglore Highways at Nazarethpettai and enters the Chennai city via Poonamallee, Koyambedu, the same road can be used to navigate to Porur, Guindy and Saidapet via. Mount-Poonamallee Trunk Road. Other than above roads, direct roads leading to sub-urban/northern parts of Chennai City viz. Redhills, Ponneri were available from Tiruvallur. Further, other parts of Chennai and other districts can be accessed by reaching Chennai Outer Ring Road which runs west to Tiruvallur. Tiruvallur - Sriperumbudur Road connects the Tiruvallur with industrial hubs and with Chennai Bangalore Highways at Sriperumbudur and can be used to reach Singaperumalkoil. The newly proposed Chennai Peripheral Ring Road from Mamallapuram to Ennore runs through Tiruvallur.Other than above roads, it is easy to reach Tirupati, Tirutani, Arakkonam, Sathyavedu, Uthukottai by road from Tiruvallur.