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Karur () is a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Karur district and is administered by the Karur Municipal Corporation. It is located on the banks of the rivers Amaravathi River, Kaveri River and Noyyal River. It is situated at about southwest of the state capital Chennai.
The region was ruled by the Cheras during the Sangam period and the town might have been part of the Chera capital at Vanchi-Karuvoor. It formed a part of the principal trade route between the west coast and Tamil Nadu. Archeological evidence points to Karur being a centre of trade during the Chera period. The region was ruled later by the Cholas, as evident from temple epigraphs. It was under the control of Pandyas, Vijayanagara Empire and the Madurai Nayaks across various periods in history. In the later part of the 18th century, the region came under the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company annexed it to the Madras Presidency in 1799. After Indian Independence in 1947, it became pert of Madras State, the predecessor of Tamil Nadu.
The economy of the town is dependent on agriculture and textiles. Hindus form the majority of the urban population, with a minor population of Muslims and Christians. Tamil language is the major spoken and official language. Karur is a part of the Karur Assembly constituency that elects a member to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly once every five years.
Archeological evidence points to Karur being a centre of trade during the Chera period. The Tamil epic Silapathikaram mentions that the Chera king Senguttuvan ruling from Karuvur. The archaeological excavations undertaken in Karur have yielded pottery, bricks, mud-toys, Roman Amphorae, Rasset coated ware, rings and coins belonging to various eras. Karur might have been the center for old jewellery-making and gem setting, as seen from various excavations. In 150 CE, Greek scholar Ptolemy mentioned "Korevora" as an inland trading center in South India. The region was part of an Ancient Rome trade route that extended from Muziris in the west coast to Arikamedu along the east coast of India. Early Tamil Brahmi writings have been found on coins, seals and rings obtained from Amaravati River bed near Karur.
The region came under the influence of the Pandya dynasty 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 Cholas led by Aditya I, conquered the region in ninth 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. Temple inscriptions found near Karur dated to the period of Kulothunga Chola I mention the location as Vanchimanagarama Karuvur (Vanchi city of Karuvur).
It was later ruled by the Vijayanagara Empire and the , who were vassals of Vijayanagara earlier. In the latter part of the 17th century, the region came under the influence of the Kingdom of Mysore. In the later part of the 18th century, the place changed hands multiple times between the Mysore Kingdom and the British East India Company. In 1790, the British captured it for the third time and the Karur fort remained as a British garrison until 1801.
Under the British Raj, the region was annexed to the Madras Presidency and served as the headquarters of the sub-collector. The Karur municipality was constituted in 1874. After Indian Independence in 1947, the region was part of the Madras State. After the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, which re-organized state boundaries, majority of the region became part of the new Madras state, which would become Tamil Nadu in 1969.
Karur receives an average rainfall of annually, which is substantially below the state average of . The Southwest monsoon, with an onset in June and lasting up to August, brings scant rainfall to the region as it is situated in the rain shadow region of the Western Ghats. The majority of the rainfall comes from the Northeast monsoon in October-November. Most of the rainfall occurs in October, with an average precipitation of and the driest month is March, with only of rain.
The population density of the city in the 2001 census was 128 persons per hectare and the average household size was 3.95 as of 2001. Hindus form the majority of the urban population, followed by Muslims and Christians. Tamil is the main language spoken in the city, and the usage of English language is common in educational institutions and offices in the service sector.
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Karur is the headquarters of the Karur district. The town was constituted as a municipality in 1874, promoted to first-grade during 1969, selected-grade during 1983 and special-grade in 1988. The Karur Municipal corporation was established in October 2021. It is headed by a mayor, who is elected by the councillors of the 48 wards. The functions of the municipality are devolved into six departments: general administration, engineering, revenue, health, city planning, and IT. All these departments are under the control of a municipal commissioner who is the executive head. The legislative powers are vested with the municipal council.
Karur is a part of the Karur assembly constituency and it elects a member to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly once every five years. The seat has been won by the ADMK five times, twice by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), and once by the Indian National Congress. Karur is a part of the Karur (Lok Sabha constituency). From 1957, the seat has been held eight times by the Congress, six times by the AIADMK, and once each by the Tamil Maanila Congress and the DMK.Election results:
As per the municipal data for 2011, about 45 metric tonnes of solid waste were collected every day by door-to-door collection and subsequently the source segregation and dumping was carried out by the sanitary department of the corporation. The coverage of solid waste management in the town by the municipality had an efficiency of 100% as of 2001. As of 2022, the corporation maintained 23 public toilets.
As of 2022, the corporation maintained a total of of underground storm water drains, which carry an average of 5.5 million litres of waste water per day. As of 2022, there is one government medical college hospital, one maternity clinic, one municipal Siddha centre, and two primary health centres. As of 2022, the corporation maintained a total of 11,875 street lamps including 3026 LED lamps. The corporation also operates a daily market, two weekly markets and two farmer markets.
Textiles is a major industry with various allied industries like ginning and spinning mills, dyeing factories and weaving. , the industry had revenues of annually. Karur is also home to an integrated textile park.
The town is a major hub for coach building, with a major share of bus coaches being built here locally. About 2000 units were engaged in making High-density polyethylene (HDPE) mono filament yarn and associated products. TNPL promoted by the Government of Tamil Nadu is located near Karur and is one of the largest producers of paper in India. Bharat Petroleum operates a pipeline from Kochi to Karur for transporting petroleum products. The petroleum products received at the terminal in Athur is transported to other districts of Tamil Nadu through tanker trucks. Chettinad Group operates a wet process cement plant at Puliyur near Karur.
Karur Junction railway station (station code - KRR) is one of the railway junctions under the Salem division of the Southern Railway zone of the Indian Railways network. It has five active Platforms and forms the intersection between Erode–Tiruchirappalli line and Salem-Karur line. The nearest airport is the Tiruchirapalli International Airport, located away.
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