Oddanchatram () is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

in Dindigul district in the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

. Oddanchatram is a region in the southwest of

. The Town was carved out of

Madurai District Madurai district is one of the 38 districts of the state of Tamil Nadu in southeastern India., United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency The city of Madurai serves as the district headquarters. It houses the famous Sri Meenaksh ...

in 1985. Oddanchatram is also famous for vegetable and cattle market. As of 2011, the town had a population of 30,064. It is known as vegetable city of Tamil Nadu. Oddanchatram vegetable market is the largest supplying of vegetables in Tamilnadu and

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. Agriculture is the major economic support for the town.

Geography

It is located at the base of the western ghats in South India. Water body - Parapalar Dam

Demographics

According to 2011 census, Oddanchatram had a population of 30,064 with a gender-ratio of 994 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929. A total of 2,676 were under the age of six, constituting 1,378 males and 1,298 females.

Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...

accounted for 20.3% and 0.06% of the population respectively. The average literacy of the town was 77.11%, compared to the national average of 72.99%. The town had a total of 8,046 households. There were a total of 12,738 workers, comprising 1,127 cultivators, 1,983 main agricultural labourers, 164 in house hold industries, 9,048 other workers, 416 marginal workers, 9 marginal cultivators, 134 marginal agricultural labourers, 16 marginal workers in household industries and 257 other marginal workers.

Economics

Oddanchatram is popular for Gandhi Vegetable market, which is one of the largest vegetable market in Tamilnadu. The market is situated near Oddanchatram bus stand. Agricultural industry provides major employment for the local people. Workers from various neighboring towns migrate to Oddanchatram Taluk, mainly from the month of June to December. This migration takes place during the peak seasons.

Politics

As per 2016, totally 2,23,628 (1,10,979 Males, 1,12,643 Females & 6 Others) voters are in Oddanchatram Constituency. Oddanchatram (state assembly constituency) is part of

Dindigul (Lok Sabha constituency) Dindigul is a Lok Sabha (Parliament of India) constituency in Tamil Nadu. Its Tamil Nadu Parliamentary Constituency number is 22 of 39. Assembly segments 2009-present Before 2009 #Tirumangalam (State Assembly Constituency), Tirumanagalam (mov ...

. Oddanchatram elects one MLA to the legislative assembly of the State. R. Sakkarapani from

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; DMK) is a political party based in the state of Tamil Nadu where it is currently the ruling party having a comfortable majority without coalition support and the union territory of Puducherry where it is curre ...

party was elected as the MLA from 1991 to 2021 for 6 terms.

Transport

Road

The following are the major highways connecting Oddanchatram : *SH-152 : Oddanchatram - Vadamadurai *SH-37 : Oddanchatram -

Dharapuram Dharapuram (;) is a town situated along the banks of Amaravati River in Tiruppur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Dharapuram is one of the oldest towns in South India and was the capital of Kongu Nadu under the Cheras, Western ...

Tiruppur Tiruppur or Tirupur ( ) is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Tiruppur is the administrative headquarters of Tiruppur district and the fifth largest city as well as an urban agglomeration in Tamil Nadu. Located on the banks of Noyyal Ri ...

*NH-83 : Coimbatore - Oddanchatram-

Nagapattinam Nagapattinam (''nākappaṭṭinam'', previously spelt Nagapatnam or Negapatam) is a town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Nagapattinam District. The town came to prominence during the period of Medieva ...

*SH-341 : Oddanchatram - Pachalur -

Kodaikanal Kodaikanal () is a hill station which is located in Dindigul district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Its name in the Tamil language means "The Gift of the Forest". Kodaikanal is referred to as the "Princess of Hill stations" and has a long ...

National Highway

NH 83 National Highway 83 (NH 83) is a primary national highway in India. NH-83 runs in an east-west direction, entirely within the state of Tamil Nadu in India. 4-laning of Pollachi to Dindigul stretch was approved in 2018. Route NH83 connects ...

connects Coimbatore to

via Oddanchatram

Tiruchirappalli Tiruchirappalli () ( formerly Trichinopoly in English), also called Tiruchi or Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with bei ...

Thanjavur Thanjavur (), also Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is the 11th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of South Indian religion, art, and architecture. Most of the Gr ...

. Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation Limited TNSTC buses connect the town to other parts of the state. Oddanchatram is the main centre for all places connecting

Palani Palani ( or ''Palni'' as in British records, is a town and a taluk headquarters in Dindigul district of the western part of Tamil Nadu state in India. It is located about south-east of Coimbatore and north-west of Madurai, from Kodaikan ...

Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...

Dindigul Dindigul, also spelt Thindukkal (), is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of the Dindigul district. Dindigul is located southwest from the state capital, Chennai, away from Tiruchirappalli, away ...

Theni Theni is a valley town situated in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu at the foothills of Western Ghats. It is the headquarters of the Theni district, located in a distance of 70km from Madurai. It is known for the large-scale trading of garlic, c ...

, Coimbatore. KSRTC buses like

Kottayam Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south- ...

Kozhikode Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second l ...

, Kasaragod,

Guruvayur Guruvayur () is a municipal temple town in Thrissur District, of Kerala State in India. It is a suburban town of Thrissur city, located from Thrissur towards the north-west. It houses the Guruvayur Shri Krishna Temple. It is located at ...

, Ernakulam,

Thrissur Thrissur (), formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi and Kozhikode, and t ...

Palakkad Palakkad (), formerly known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. Palakkad is most densely populated municipal ...

buses are available at particular interval of time from Oddanchatram bus stand. KSRTC buses like

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

are available at night. It has bypass road to connect dgl and Palani road.

Railways

Station Code : ODC *ODDANCHATRAM is a part of the Coimbatore-Rameswaram MG line prior to the commencing of gauge conversion. On 20 November 2012, the Dindigul-Palani section of the line was completed, and the local railway station opened to railway traffic again. Currently passenger trains are running between Madurai, Thiruchendur, Coimbatore, Palakkad. And a daily express train is available between Oddanchatram to Chennai.

Airways

The nearest major airports are: **Coimbatore International Airport located 100 km from Oddanchatram. **Madurai International Airport located at 90 km from Oddanchatram. **Tiruchirappalli International Airport located at 134 km from Oddanchatram.

Education

Govt Schools: There are two govt schools in oddanchatram, which are K.R.Matric Higher Secondary School and Govt girls Matric Higher Secondary Schools. Private Schools: There are several private schools in Oddanchatram, which includes Christian Matric Hr Sec School, which is oldest english medium and first private school in Oddanchatram. Built by Late Dr.Jacob Cherian,Padma Bhushan Awardee in 1999.The Health and educational institutions built by Dr.Jacob Cherian are now managed by Christian Charitable Trust. Other schools include Sri Krishna Matric Hr Sec School, Akshaya Acedemy Matric/CBSE Hr Sec School, Holy Cross Matric Hr Sec School, Buds Matriculation Hr Sec School and few small schools. Engineering Colleges: There is one engineering College in Oddanchatram, which is Christian Engineering College''(Affliated to Anna University)'' Built by Late Dr.Jacob Cherian and Managed by Christian Charitable trust.

References

External links

Oddanchtram municipality
{{Dindigul District Cities and towns in Dindigul district