Product Code Database
Mannargudi () is a Municipality in Thiruvarur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the headquarters of the Mannargudi Taluk. The town is located at a distance of from the district headquarters Thiruvarur, 12 km from Needamangalam, 36 km from Kumbakonam, 40 km from Thanjavur, and from the state capital Chennai. Mannargudi is known for the Rajagopalaswamy temple, a prominent Vaishnavite shrine.
Mannargudi was founded as an agraharam village by the Medieval Cholas during the 7th century A.D. The town was subsequently ruled by various dynasties including the Chola king Rajadhiraja Chola (1018–1054 CE), Vijayanagar Empire, Delhi Sultanate, Thanjavur Nayaks, Thanjavur Marathas and the British Empire. Mannargudi was a part of the erstwhile Tanjore district until India's independence in 1947 and Thanjavur district until 1991. It subsequently became a part of the newly formed Tiruvarur district. The town is known for agriculture, metal working and weaving. The region around Mannargudi has considerable mineral deposits.
Mannargudi is administered by a municipality established in 1866. As of 2011, the municipality covered an area of and has a population of 67,999. Mannargudi comes under the Mannargudi assembly constituency which elects a member to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly once every five years and it is a part of the Thanjavur constituency which elects its Member of Parliament (MP) once in five years. Roadways are the major mode of transportation to the town and it also has rail connectivity. The nearest seaport, Nagapattinam Port, is located 52 km (32 mi) from Mannargudi, while the nearest airport, Tiruchirappalli International Airport, is located 97 km (60 mi) from the town. Mannargudi is a fifth largest town in delta region after Thanjavur, Kumbakonam, Thiruvarur and Nagapattinam
Mannargudi was conquered by the Delhi Sultanate in 1311 CE. Following brief occupations by the Madurai Sultanate and the Hoysalas, it became a part of the Vijayanagar Empire. After the decline of Vijayanagar Empire, Mannargudi was ruled by the Thanjavur Nayaks. The Thanjavur Nayaks made the temple as their dynastic and primary shrine and made significant additions. The current temple structure, hall of thousand pillars, main gopuram (temple gateway tower) and the big compound wall around the temple were built by the king Vijaya Raghava Nayak (1532–1575 CE). Raghunathabhyudayam, a doctrine by Nayak dynasty explains the donation of an armour studded with precious stones to the main deity of the temple by the king. It is believed Vijaya Raghava Nayak erected the large tower in front of the temple so that he could view the Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple. He was also called "Mannarudasan" as he carried out extensive renovations of the Rajagopalaswami temple complex and is credited by some to have reclaimed the land from the surrounding forest.
The Thanjavur Marathas gained control during the later part of 18th century until its annexation by the British East India Company in 1799. It was constituted as a municipality during 1866 and was a part of the erstwhile Tanjore district. The town was the headquarters and the only town in Mannargudi taluk.W. 1988, p. 153 The town emerged as one of the chief centres of inland trade in the district during the British rule. Rice, betel leaves, Peanut, oil, metal articles and clothes were the major exports.W. 1988, p. 144 A Methodist mission was established in the town during the third decade of the 19th century.W. 1988, p. 139 During 1944, Chinese copper coins were unearthed from Thaliketti village in the region, dated to Sui period (585 CE) to the end of Song period (1275 CE). The coins indicate a possible Buddhist influence in the region.Bagchi 2011, p. 141 Mannargudi continued to be part of Tanjore district until India's independence in 1947 and Thanjavur district until 1991 and subsequently a part of the newly formed Tiruvarur district.Urban Infrastructure Report 2008, p. 22
Like in the rest of the state, the period from November to February in Mannargudi has a climate full of warm days and cool nights. The onset of summer is from March to the end of June. The average temperature range from in January to in May and June. Summer rains are sparse and the first monsoon, the South-West monsoon, usually sets in June and continues until September. North-East monsoon usually sets in October and continues until January. The rainfall during North-East monsoon is relatively higher and is beneficial to the district at large because of the heavy rainfall and the Western ghats feeding the river Cauvery. The average rainfall is , most of which is contributed by the North-East monsoon. The most common trees planted in the town are jack fruit, Coconut tree, Tamarind tree and Borassus.
Mannargudi town has one of the largest coal reserves in the country. The total quantity of lignite reserves identified in the area is around 19,500 million tonnes. Exploration of coal bed methane in the area was not started until 2008. The commercial exploration of the coal bed methane reserves located under built up and agricultural areas became difficult with the protest of farmers in the region.
As per the religious census of 2011, Mannargudi had 90.13% Hindus, 6.82% Muslims, 2.62% Christians, 0.08% Sikhs, 0.01% Buddhists, 0.22% Jainism, 0.1% following other religions and 0.02% following no religion or did not indicate any religious preference.
As of 2008, a total (34.68%) of the land was used for residential, (2.72%) for commercial, (3.07%) for industrial, (35.81%) for public & semi public purposes including educational and open spaces.Urban Infrastructure Report 2008, p. 29 As of 2008, there were a total of 28 notified slums, with 12,275 comprising 19.97% of the total population residing in those.Urban Infrastructure Report 2008, p. 27
Rajagopalaswamy temple is the most prominent landmark in the town. During the Tamil months of Tamil calendar (March–April), the most prominent festival of the temple, namely, Pangunith Thirivuzha, is celebrated. Theppothsavam, the float festival, celebrated during the Tamil month of Aani (June–July) and Adipooram, the chariot festival, celebrated during the Tamil month of Aadi (July-Aug) are other prominent festivals of the temple that attract visitors from nearby villages and towns to Mannargudi. The Nayak kings of the 15th century promoted music in the temples. Instruments like Mukhavina, Dande, Kombu, Chandravalaya, Bheri and Nagaswaram were commonly used in the temple service.T.K. 2010, p. 50 Haridra Nadhi, the Venugopalaswamy temple tank associated with Sethubhava Mutt, is one of the largest temple tanks in the state. Hindu pilgrims take a holy dip in the tank during festive occasions.
Mannargudi has four mosques, located at Theradi, Keela Raja Veethi, Big Bazar Street and Thamari Kuzlam Vada Karai.
Mallinatha Swamy temple is a Jain temple located in the town. Mallinathar is the 19th Tirthankara of the Jainism. It is an ancient temple built during the reign of the Chola dynasty in the twelfth century and is one of the prominent ancient Jain temples in the state. Apart from the idol of Mallinathar, there are idols of Dharma Devi, Saraswathi Devi, Padmavathy Devi, Jawalamalini Amman among others.
The Vaduvoor Bird Sanctuary, located is a prominent visitor attraction for the people of Mannargudi. Muthupet Lagoon, a mangrove forest located away from the town, is another tourist attraction for the citizens of the town.
| Mannai. T. Chozharajan |
| TBA |
| R. Kailasam |
| Dr. T R B Rajaa |
| Su. Murasoli |
Mannargudi comes under the Mannargudi State Assembly Constituency and it elects a member to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly once every five years. From the 1971 elections, the assembly seat was won by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) 5 times during the 1971, 1989 2011, 2016 and 2021 elections, the Communist Party of India five times during the 1977, 1980, 1996, 2001 and 2006 elections and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) twice during the 1984 and 1991 elections. The current Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) of the constituency is Dr. T R B Rajaa from the DMK Party. He has done many good projects for the constituency. The Mannai Express train project was officially inaugurated in his term and he has widened this massive project. Vaduvur Indoor Stadium, in Vaduvur is another landmark of Mannargudi and milestone in his political career. No other rural constituency in Tamil Nadu has this big indoor stadium !
Mannargudi is a part of the Thanjavur Lok Sabha constituency and elects a member to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India, once every five years. R. Venkataraman, who served as the President of India from 1987 to 1992, was elected from the constituency during the 1951 elections.
Historically, water supply to the town was provided from a long channel dug from the Vadavar canal. Water supply is provided by the municipality of Mannargudi from groundwater through feeders. In 2010–2011, a total of 3.53 million litres of water was supplied every day for households in the town.
About 24 metric tonnes of solid waste are collected from Mannargudi every day by door-to-door collection. Subsequently, the source segregation and dumping is carried out by the sanitary department of the municipality. The coverage of solid waste management had an efficiency of 83% as of 2001. There is limited underground drainage system in the town and the major sewerage system for disposal of sullage is through septic tanks, open drains and public conveniences.Urban Infrastructure Report 2008, p. 32 The municipality maintains of storm water drains and kutcha drains in Mannargudi.
There are three hospitals, two maternity centres and eight private hospitals and clinics.Urban Infrastructure Report 2008, p. 43 There are 2,609 street lamps in Mannargudi: 584 sodium lamps, 2,013 tube lights and five high mast beam lamp.Urban Infrastructure Report 2008, p. 39 The municipality operates four markets, namely vegetable markets, weekly market, farmer's market ( uzhavar santhai) and fish market that cater to the needs of the town and the rural areas around it.
Mannargudi station is connected to Nidamangalam rail line by a branch line covering a distance of . The expansion of the line to broad gauge was completed and opened to passenger traffic on 27 September 2011, with an express train to Chennai. The nearest railway junction is Needamangalam Junction. There are daily passenger trains to Thanjavur and Mayiladuthurai and an express train each to Coimbatore and Chennai from Mannargudi., Thrice a week Express train to Tirupati (Wed, Fri & Sat) and Weekly Express Train to Rajasthan also being operated from mannargudi (Monday) . The Railway link from Mannargudi to Pattukkottai is under progress.
The nearest seaport is Nagapattinam Port, away, while the nearest airport is the Tiruchirappalli International Airport, from the town.
|
|
