Gudiyattam
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Gudiyetram, colloquially Gudiyattam (; also called as Gudiyatham) 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
Vellore district Vellore District () is one of the 38 districts in the Tamil Nadu state of India. It is one of the eleven districts that form the north region of Tamil Nadu. Vellore, Vellore city is the headquarters of this district. As of 2011, the district ha ...
in the
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 ...
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 ...
in India. It lies between
Bangalore 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 ...
and
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 ...
and the district of
Vellore Vellore ( ), also spelled Velur, is a sprawling city and the administrative headquarters of Vellore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Palar River and surrounded by the Javadi Hills in the northeastern ...
is 33 km away from the town. In 2011, the town had a population of 235,672. The municipality derives its name from 'Gudiye-tram' in Tamil which means habituation of people. The ancient occupation of the people of Guidyatham was handloom weaving.


Etymology

Kulothunga Chola named the town "Jayamkonda Sathurvethi Mangalam". This was followed by rapid settlement of the town, so the town was renamed "Kudiyattrem", which metamorphosed into "Gudiyattam", to commemorate the influx. According to a myth, Karikala Cholan first cleared forest and then had people settle here, so it was named "Kudiyetram", which evolved into "Gudi-yetram". The supportive evidence for the myth is that the town is populated with one community who were of Chola kingdom. An inscription of 14th century found at Chenji (now in Cuddalore District) also reveals existence of the town in the name of “Gudi-yetram”. The passage of time and most probably British tongues changed the name to "Gudiyatham".


History

The city was formerly created by Kulothunga Cholan by extending lands. He named it "Jayamkonda Sathurvethi Mangalam". After a few years, many people settled in the town. Archeological excavation shows that the town flourished during Chola rule. Many Roman wine vases and coins were found in the town's periphery. The town's existence is mentioned in the ancient inscription of Kulothunga Cholan's first regime in 1075 A.D. The temple of Kappuleeswarar existed during the period of the Kulothunkkan 1st dynasty. During the regime, the king had denoted 90 goats for maintenance and for purchase of oil for lighting. These inscriptions are found in the Kappuleeswarar temple Nandi Veeda inscription. The ancient temple was built at Nallore (Alias) Jayamkonda Sadurvedi Mangalam. The town was donated by the king, Kulothungan, following the victory in the Thondai Mandalam regions. The temple has been further modified and renovated by the Vijayanakara kings. The temple is a symbol of monuments of both Chola and Vijayanakara kingdoms. Sri Lakshmaiyah Chetty was a pioneer in developing the town who established a cloth store in 1850 which mainly sold handloom products such as sarees and lungis. He also encouraged people to weave handloom products and he was the first to export handloom items to northern India and was the first to import Kasi .


Geography

Gudiyatham is the largest municipality town in Vellore district, Gudiyatham is about 160 km west of
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 ...
and 165 km southeast of
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 ...
. The town is close to the border of
Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...
state. The following are the surrounding districts:


Rivers

The Gowndanya Mahanadhi is a seasonal river which flows through the town's centre. Being a tributary of the river Palar, it also receives water and rejoins the Palar at Pallikonda. Mordhana dam and Rajathoppu check post were dams built across the river.


Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Gudiyatham had a population of 235,672 with a sex-ratio of 1,029 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929. A total of 9,273 were under the age of six, constituting 4,738 males and 4,535 females. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 16.8% and 0.1% of the population, respectively. The average literacy of the town was 77.46%, compared to the national average of 72.99%. The town had 55,103 households. There were 1,05,133 workers, comprising 9,700 cultivators, 25,373 main agricultural labourers, 6,501 in household industries, 40,891 other workers, 22,668 marginal workers, 877 marginal cultivators, 8,949 marginal agricultural labourers, 1,122 marginal workers in household industries and 11,369 other marginal workers. As per the religious census of 2011, Gudiyatham had 81.58%
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 ...
, 16.96%
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 ...
, 0.98%
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'' ...
, 0.01%
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 ...
, 0.28%
Jains Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and ...
, 0.16% following other religions and 0.02% following no religion or did not indicate any religious preference.


Municipality

The Gudiyatham Municipality is the civic body that governs the town of Gudiyatham


Chronological List of Chairmen

*M.V. Bheemaraja Sengundha Mudaliar *M.V. Swaminatha Senguntha Mudaliar *T.A. Adhimula Sengundha Mudaliar *P.K. Gangadhara Sengundha Mudaliar *M.A.V. Duraisami Sengundha Mudaliar *M.A. Velayutha Sengundha Mudaliar *M.A. Govindaraj Sengundha Mudaliar *K.M. Govindaraja Sengundha Mudaliar *M.G. Amurthalinga Sengundha Mudaliar *A.K. Duraisami Senguntha Mudaliar ex MLA & Chairman. *Tamilarasu Vasudevan Sengudha Mudalair *Thilagavathi Rajendran Mudaliar *Puviyarasi Sengundhar * Soundarajan Sengundhar (from 2022)


Politics

The Gudiyatham assembly constituency is part of
Vellore Lok Sabha constituency Vellore Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 39 Lok Sabha (parliamentary) constituencies in the present state of Tamil Nadu in Southern India. Its Tamil Nadu Parliamentary Constituency number is 8. The 2019 Indian general election, 2019 lok sa ...
.
Kamarajar Kumaraswami Kamaraj (15 July 1903 – 2 October 1975), popularly known as Kamarajar was an List of Indian independence activists, Indian independence activist and politician who served as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister of Ma ...
was elected as a
Member of Legislative Assembly A Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected to sit in a legislative assembly. The term most commonly refers to members of the legislature of a federated state or an autonomous region, but is also used for several national ...
from the Gudiyatham constituency when he was the Chief Minister 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 ...
.


Economy

India's first national flag hoisted after Independence was woven in Gudiyattam. This flag was hoisted by the first prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru at Red Fort on 15 August 1947. In appreciation, the national leaders viz., Motilal Nehru and Sardar Vallabai Patel in their letter dated 12.08.1947 complimented the weavers. Gudiyatham has small-scale manufacturing of
safety match A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden matc ...
es,
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, and
beedi A beedi (also spelled bidi or biri) is a thin cigarette or cigar, mini-cigar filled with tobacco flake and commonly wrapped in a tendu (''Diospyros melanoxylon'') or ''Piliostigma racemosum'' leaf tied with a string or adhesive at one end. It ...
s.The
safety match A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden matc ...
es industry is the second-largest in Tamil Nadu after
Sivakasi Sivakasi is a city in Virudhunagar District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The city is known for firecrackers and match factories that produce 70% of the country's output. The printing industries in Sivakasi produce 30% of the total diaries ...
. Gudiyatham is nicknamed "The Little Sivakasi" because of its match-box factories.
Beedi A beedi (also spelled bidi or biri) is a thin cigarette or cigar, mini-cigar filled with tobacco flake and commonly wrapped in a tendu (''Diospyros melanoxylon'') or ''Piliostigma racemosum'' leaf tied with a string or adhesive at one end. It ...
s are exported to Pakistan and other parts of India. The handloom and powerloom lungies manufactured here are sold in India, Africa and Arab countries. The Middle East is supplied with handloom lungis by exporting firms in Gudiyatham. The major occupation of the nearby villages is agriculture. Sugar cane, paddy and other vegetables are cultivated here and transported to the nearby markets called Ulavar Santhai in Tamil in Gudiyattam. Cattle and milk production are also important and most villagers are active in both agriculture and cattle-farming. For over a century, a cow and ox market has been held near Nellorepet every Tuesday. The town has more than ten cinemas. Six of the theatres are near the Kamarajar bridge. Other theatres, Murugan and Raguram, are also in town. Gudiyatham is famous for producing gold jewellery. There are more than 50 jewellery shops in the town. Being on the
Katpadi Katpadi () is a locality in the northern part of Vellore, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Politics and geography Once a village, Katpadi was upgraded to a panchayat town, with its own ''taluk'' office. It has a major assembly constituency ...
- Jolarpettai railway line, it is well connected 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 ...
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 ...
. A cow and ox market has been held near Nellorepet every Tuesday for over a century.


Cuisine

Gudiyattam's signature dishes include palkova, Sweet Samosa from Maharaja Sweets, and vegetarian and non-vegetarian dum biryani. The cuisine was introduced by the Nawabs of Arcot who once ruled the area. The Ambur/Vaniyambadi biryani is accompanied with 'dhalcha,' a sour brinjal curry and pachadi or raita, which is made of sliced onions mixed with plain curd, tomato, chilies and salt. It has a distinctive aroma and is considered light on the stomach. The usage of spice is moderate and curd is used as a gravy base. It also has a higher ratio of meat to rice. Palkova is a dairy sweet which is enriched with pure, thick milk without any added water. The only added sweetener is sugar. It is an eggless milk recipe. The palkova is also known as Milk Peda.


Transportation

The municipality has two bus stations equipped to provide intra-town and inter-city routes. The nearest railway stations are in Gudiyatham and Ambur. The nearest railway junctions are Katpadi Junction and Chittore Junction (AP State). The nearest airports are in Vellore, Bengaluru and Chennai. The nearest seaport is Chennai.


Roads

In 2010, the opening of National Highway 75 (NH 75) highway was announced. NH75 passes through town on the way from
Mangaluru Mangaluru (), formerly called Mangalore ( ), is a major industrial port city in the Indian state of Karnataka and on the west coast of India. It is located between the Laccadive Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bengaluru, the stat ...
to
Villupuram Viluppuram, Villupuram, or Vizhuppuram () is a municipality and the administrative headquarters of Viluppuram district. Located south west of a Tiruvannamalai and north west of Cuddalore null The town serves as a major and largest railway ...
''en route'' to
Vellore Vellore ( ), also spelled Velur, is a sprawling city and the administrative headquarters of Vellore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Palar River and surrounded by the Javadi Hills in the northeastern ...
and
Tiruvannamalai Tiruvannamalai (Tamil: ''Tiruvaṇṇāmalai'' IPA: , otherwise spelt ''Thiruvannamalai''; ''Trinomali'' or ''Trinomalee'' on British records) is a city and the administrative headquarters of Tiruvannamalai District in the Indian state of ...
. The nearest highway junction is in Pallikonda.


Tourism

The town of Gudiyattam has many temples. The paintings of Pallava period are visible in the hills near Melmalaiyampattu village. The paintings of Jain statues were seen on the top of the naturally found cave structures. These artifacts were destroyed over a period of time and only their remains are there now. Dr. Nagasamy gives a detailed view of those monumental paintings in his “Oviya Paavai”. Yet the remains of the paintings of the 7th and 8th centuries alone can now be seen. The restored edifice of the Jain construction would be viewed right under the cave paintings. A few Paleolithic monuments are found nearby along with black and red pots and tiles in the nearby ash mound. The paintings portray scenes of a Jallikattu clash, a warrior fighting a leopard and a man riding a bullock cart. Archaeologists confirmed that the paintings were more than 5000 years old. Karupuleeswarar Temple complex, also known as Balasarthuleeswarar (Baby-Tiger Eswarar) temple in Nellorepet is more than 1000 years old and is historically connected with Gudiyatham town. It is famous for its chariot festival Thaer Thiruvizha. This temple was the abode of the sage Goundanya Rishi and the river passing through the town, "Goundanya Maha Nadi", is named after him. The temple has a lion tank (Simha Kulam). Errukampattu Sri Ranganathaswamy temple was built in the late 9th or early 10th century and is attributed to the god Vishnu consecrated Ranganatha Temple. The temple, which is surrounded by a wall with an imposing portal, differs from most Chola temples in the region by its almost geometric, but restored, gate and tower decor; it consists of a mandapa (a flat, covered porch) and a vimana (a stepped tower structure) with a transverse bearing. While the outer walls - apart from their pilasters - and niche structure are almost unadorned, there are numerous blind windows on the cornice fronts (kudus).


References

{{Chennai - Suburban Railway, West, Gudiyatham, Kavanoor, Mel-Alathur, 45, 154.11 Cities and towns in Vellore district