Avinashi () (previously known as ''Thirupukkoliyur'') is a municipality in the

Tiruppur district Tiruppur District is one of the 38 districts of the Indian States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu, formed in 22 February 2009. Dharapuram was the largest taluk by area in the district. The district is well-developed and industria ...

in the Indian

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

. Avinashi is one among the nine

taluks A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administrative ce ...

of the district. It is one of the most popular pilgrim destinations in the Western Tamil Nadu region. It is located off of National Highway NH544, which bypasses the town. The history of the town is centered around the Avinasilingeswarar temple. The town was previously a part of the Coimbatore(Kovai) district until Tirupur was carved out as a separate district from the erstwhile districts of Coimbatore and

Erode Erode (; īrōṭu), is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Kaveri river and is surrounded by the Western Ghats. Erode is the seventh largest urban agglomeration in Tamil Nadu. It is the administrativ ...

. It is a stopping place for vehicles travelling from the western part of Tamil Nadu to Chennai and Cochin. Avinashi Taluk has one municipality and Block Panchayat by administration. Avinashi Block Panchayat has 19 wards along with 31 Village Panchayats.

Etymology

The word Avinashi means "indestructible", referring to the God of the Avinashi Temple. It was previously known as Thirupukkoliyur ''.'' Thiru means "grace of God" and Pukkoliyur means "a place of refuge". It is said that once Devas took shelter in this temple in fear of

Asura Asuras () are a class of beings in Indian religions, and later Persian and Turkic mythology. They are described as power-seeking beings related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhist context, the wor ...

s. "Vinasam" in Tamil means "Destruction". Prefixing with 'A' means 'No-destruction'. Avinashi is "a place which doesn't have any destruction by any means".

History

Avinashi is part of the ancient

Kongunadu Kongu Nadu, also known as Kongu Mandalam, is the geographical region comprising the western and north-western part of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in some instances, parts of southeastern Karnataka and eastern Kerala. The region covers an ...

region, which now comprises the districts of Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Erode, Nilgiris, Salem, Dharmapuri, Karur, Namakkal, Dindigul and Krishnagiri. This place was known as ''Thirupukkoliyur'' in the Sangam era. It is one of the seven Shivastalams in Kongu Nadu; however this temple is better known as Karunaiyaaththaal temple. Avinashi is also referred to in inscriptions as Dakshina Varanasi, Tiruppukkozhiyur etc. Tirumular's Tirumantiram, Arunagirinathar's Tiruppugazh and Manikkavasakar's Tiruvasakam refer to this shrine.

Geography

Avinashi has an average elevation of 313 metres (1030 feet). Avinashi is a suburb of Tiruppur located on the arterial road connecting the textile cities of

Tirupur Tiruppur or Tirupur ( ), is a city and municipal corporation in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Located on the banks of the Noyyal river in Western Tamil Nadu, it is the fourth largest city in the state. It is the administrative capital of T ...

and

Coimbatore Coimbatore (Tamil: kōyamputtūr, ), also known as Kovai (), is one of the major Metropolitan cities of India, metropolitan cities in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyy ...

. It is known for the Shiva temple constructed by Sundarapandiya and is closely associated with the

Saiva ''Saiva'' is a genus of Asian planthoppers, family Fulgoridae. They are colourful insects, marked boldly in red, blue, white and black, with a prominent slender stalk like structure arising on the head that points upwards or forward. The know ...

saint Sundaramoorthy Nayanar.

Demographics

As per the data recorded in the 2011 census, Avinashi Taluk registered a total population of 337,923, comprising 168,055 males and 169,868 females, resulting in a gender ratio of 1,011 females for every 1,000 males. The literacy rate in the taluk was documented at 68.05%. Additionally, the population of children under the age of 6 years was reported to be 15,424 males and 14,709 females.

Transport

The nearest airport is the

Coimbatore International Airport Coimbatore International Airport is an international airport and the primary airport serving the Coimbatore Metropolitan Area in Tamil Nadu, India. It is located in the neighborhood of Peelamedu, about from the center of the city. It is the ...

, which is about 32 km away from the town. There is no rail transport to the town. The nearest Railway Station is at Tirupur, which is about 12 km away from Avinashi. The key public mass transport for Avinashi is Buses run by the State Government & Private Sector that provide service to the people.

Landmark

Tiruppukkozhiyur (Avinashilingeshwarar) temple is a protected monument under the Archaeological survey of India.

Industries

The town and its surrounding areas are notable for a significant concentration of

textile mills Textile manufacturing or textile engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful good ...

, encompassing both spinning and weaving operations. These establishments are integral to the supply chain of various apparel manufacturers, with S.P. Apparels Ltd. being among the most prominent collaborators. Furthermore, the region is home to numerous engineering industries. Agriculture constitutes the primary livelihood for a considerable portion of the population residing in Avinashi Taluk, which encompasses 32 sub-villages. The economic landscape is diversified with over 19 villages reliant on the

power loom A power loom is a mechanized loom. Shuttle looms The main components of the loom are the warp beam, heddles, harnesses, shuttle, reed, and takeup roll. In the loom, yarn processing includes shedding, picking, battening and taking-up operations ...

knitting Knitting is a method for production of textile Knitted fabric, fabrics by interlacing yarn loops with loops of the same or other yarns. It is used to create many types of garments. Knitting may be done Hand knitting, by hand or Knitting machi ...

industries, and spinning mills, while an additional 13 villages engage predominantly in agricultural and engineering activities. Notably, Palankarai, Thekkalur, and Sevur are distinguished by their higher population density and developmental progress.

Notable people

Ayyasamy Dharun is an Indian track athlete who competes in the 400 meters and the 400 meters hurdles disciplines. He represented India in the 4 × 400 meters relay during the 2016 Summer Olympics. Dharun secured a silver medal in the 400m hurdles at the Asian Games in 2018. P. Dhanapal is a member of the Legislative Assembly and has served as the Speaker of the 14th and 15 th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.

Festivals

This temple's car is the second biggest in India, after the one in Tiruvarur and is noted for its fine wooden carvings. Since the old car (chariot) was destroyed by fire in 1990s, it has been rebuilt. The annual Bhrammotsavam is celebrated in the month of Chittirai. Apart from Temple car festival, 'Arubathi moovar (63 Naayanmaars) Ula' is one of the notable festival in this temple. The

festival A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...

chariot here is said to be on par with Tiruvarur. Previously it was a 10-day festival, but now it is celebrated for 2 days. There are two temple cars, the wheels of the cars are made of iron. In earlier days, the car was pulled by people alone, now bulldozers help to move the car. The traffic in the Avinashi road is increasing day by day, and because of this, the temple management is thinking of moving the car from the road side to some other place near the temple.

References

{{Municipalities of Tamil Nadu Neighbourhoods and suburbs of Tiruppur