Edappadi (also spelt Edappadi or Idappadi) is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

Salem district Salem District is one of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The district is now divided into Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Namakkal as individual districts. Salem is the district headquarters and other major towns in the dis ...

in the state of

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 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Edappadi was once known for its thriving power loom industry. The economy is diversified by agriculture, heavy truck transport, granite, entertainment and foundries. The rocks around Edappadi are expected to contain rare minerals.

Etymology

The name is derived from the family name 'idayar', which means the people who survived with cows, buffalo and house animals.

Geography

Edappadi is located at . The Sarabanga River, originating from Shevaroy Hills passes through the town of Edappadi. After developments and urbanization, the river has dried and become more of a sewage canal. The Cauvery River flows 6 km away from Edappadi. Edappadi's water is supplied by the Cauvery River and 'Periya-yeri' (Big-lake) near the town. It is surrounded by many lakes, including Periyayeri, ChettiarYeri, Punka-yeri, Reddipatti-Yeri, Kavadikaranoor-Yeri (Aachampalli Yeri).

Topography

Edappadi has an average elevation of . It is situated at the basin of a hill called 'Soorieya malai' (Mountain of Sun). The mountain does not have any plants due to its rocky and unusual properties. Research done by Periyar University Geologist shows it consists of rare radioactive minerals. Edappadi has a variable terrain. The Sankagiri-Edappadi route via Veerappam Palayam and Sunnambukkuttai is rocky.

Location

Edappadi is located in the

Salem District Salem District is one of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The district is now divided into Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Namakkal as individual districts. Salem is the district headquarters and other major towns in the dis ...

of the state of Tamilnadu. It is one of the most important textile areas. It is situated 43 km from the West of Salem city. The major geographical features of the region include the Sarabanga River and Soriyankaradu Mountain, which is 5 km away from the town. Edappadi is spread over an area of 28.22 km².

Climate

The climate in Edappadi is very hot in the summer and mildly cooler in the winter. The monsoon rain starts around October to November. May and June are windy when the summer rainy season begins.

Demographics

According to 2011 census, Edappadi had a population of 54,823 with a sex-ratio of 946 females for every 1,000 males, much more than the national average of 929. A total of 5,411 people were under the age of six, constituting 2,759 males and 2,652 females. Scheduled castes and scheduled tribes accounted for 7.62% and .01% of the population respectively. The average literacy of the town was 64.67%, compared to the national average of 72.99%. The town had a total of 14,560 households. There were a total of 27,764 workers, comprising 1,327 cultivators, 4,140 main agricultural labourers, 2,071 in household industries, 19,257 other workers, 969 marginal workers, 30 marginal cultivators, 129 marginal agricultural labors, 114 marginal workers in household industries and 696 other marginal workers. As per the religious census of 2011, 96.1% of Edappadi's population were

Hindus Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

, 3.03% were

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

, 0.72% were

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

, 0.01%

Sikhs Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Sikh'' ...

, 0.0%

Buddhists Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or 5th century BCE. It is the world's fourth ...

, 0.0% Jains, 0.13% following other religions and 0.0% were following no religion or did not indicate any religious preference.

Festival

Edappadi has a festival celebration every year: "kavadi padhayathirai", held by the

Vanniyar The Vanniyar, formerly known as the Palli, are a community or '' jāti'' found in the northern part of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The Vanniyars were historically considered a lower caste, although some were peasant-warriors in the 14th ...

and Meenavar communities. The festival follows 370 years of tradition. People from Edappadi go to the dharishanam of Palani Murugan Temple at Palani.

Economy

The economy of the town revolves around the manufacture of towels and

lungi The lungi is a clothing similar to the sarong that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The lungi, which usually multicoloured, is a men's skirt usually tied around the lower waist below the navel. It can be worn as casual wear and night wear. ...

s. Most of the population depends on agriculture and power loom weaving. Thousands of power looms stand idle due to workforce migration in search of higher pay in other industries. A lack of irrigation projects has led to frequent droughts even though the large Cauvery river flows just 10 km away from the town. Former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami proposed a diversion of 0.5tmcft of Mettur surplus water to the Salem tanks for a total cost of 565 Crores. The above scheme could bring irrigation to land in the Edappadi and Sankari taluks that was previously without irrigation, which would help enable sustainability for the people in the area.

Transport

;By air The nearest airport is Salem Airport, situated 38 km from Edappadi. ;By rail The nearest railway station is Sankari Durg, located 16 km away. ;By road Edappadi is well-connected by road with major cities in

. A new outer ring road was constructed around Edappadi, which connects Edappadi to Sankari Road, Salem Road, Jalakandapuram Road, Poolampatti Road, Koneripatti Road, and Komarapalayam Road to avoid more traffic in town. The Edappadi bus stand is situated in the center of the town. Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation, Salem provides daily bus services from Edappadi to

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

Bengaluru Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

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 ...

Trichy Tiruchirappalli (), also known as 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 being the best livable and the cleanest city of T ...

Madurai Madurai ( , , ), formerly known as Madura, is a major city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District, which is ...

Kumbakonam Kumbakonam (formerly spelt as Coombaconum or Combaconum), or Kudanthai, is a city municipal corporation in the Thanjavur district in the States of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from Thanjavur and from Chennai and is the hea ...

, Chidambaram, and

Hosur Hosur is an industrial city located in the Tamil Nadu state of India. Hosur is one of the 21 municipal corporations in Tamil Nadu. It is located on the bank of the river River Ponnaiyar, southeast of Bengaluru and west of Chennai, the state ...

Education

The Government Boys Higher Secondary School is one of Edappadi's oldest schools. It has the second biggest playground in the Salem Dt. The following are also local schools: * Amala Matriculation Higher Secondary School * AGN Matric Hr. Sec. School, Konganapuram * Universal Public School * Government Boys Higher Secondary School * Government Girls Higher Secondary School * Saraswathi Vidhyalaya Nursery & Primary School * SKT Higher Secondary School * Acharya Group of Institutions * Reliance Matriculation School * Universal Matriculation School, Konangkuttaiyur * Wisdom Matriculation Higher Secondary School * St Marys Matriculation School, V.valasai * Kalaimagal nursery and primary school * Kalaimagal Vidhyasaram matriculation school Periyar University Constituent Arts & Science College has been functioning in Edappadi since 2016. It was inaugurated by

Government of Tamil Nadu The Government of Tamil Nadu () is the administrative body responsible for the governance of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Chennai is the capital of the state and houses the state executive, legislature and head of judiciary. Under the Const ...

Late Chief Minister Dr. J. Jayalalithaa. More than 1200 students were studying in the Arts & Science College. The Vidhyaa Arts and Science College is in the Konganapuram Idappadi Taluk Salem District.

References

External links

Edappadi website
{{Municipalities of Tamil Nadu Cities and towns in Salem district