Ilayangudi
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Ilaiyangudi (or "Ilayangudi") is a town in
Sivaganga Sivaganga () is the City and headquarters of the Sivaganga district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is known for the 16th-century Sivagangai Fort, located in City Centre. Inside the fort, the Rajarajeshwari Amman Temple features many orn ...
district,
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 ...
state,
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 ...
. It is the center of government for the surrounding
tehsil 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 Zila (country subdivision), district including the designated populated place that ser ...
s. The town has a predominant Tamil Rowthers population. The Tamil Muslim community was traditionally engaged in Business. Bazaar(Kadai Theru) is the central business district.


Location

Ilaiyankudi is located at . It has an average elevation of . The town lies in the southern part of Tamil Nadu state, approximately from the
Palk Strait Palk Strait is a strait between the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It connects the Palk Bay in the Bay of Bengal in the north with the Gulf of Mannar in the Laccadive sea in the south. It stretches for about ...
. Its nearest city is
Paramakudi Paramakudi or Paramakkudi is the largest town in the district of Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu, India, with a population of over 1,33000 as of 2024. It has been the taluk headquarters since the formation of Ramanathapuram District in 1918. Para ...
around 10 Kilometers and
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 ...
, approximately to the northwest. The
Vaigai river The Vaigai is a river in the Tamil Nadu state of southern India; it passes through the towns of Theni, Madurai, Manamadurai, Paramakudi and Ramanathapuram. It originates in Varusanadu Hills, the Periyar Plateau of the Western Ghats range, ...
is located approximately southwest of the town, flowing in a south-easterly direction towards the Palk Straight. The town is located near the junction of the state roads 29 and 34, linking
Paramakudi Paramakudi or Paramakkudi is the largest town in the district of Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu, India, with a population of over 1,33000 as of 2024. It has been the taluk headquarters since the formation of Ramanathapuram District in 1918. Para ...
to the south and Manamadurai,
Sivagangai Sivaganga () is the City and headquarters of the Sivaganga district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is known for the 16th-century Sivagangai Fort, located in City Centre. Inside the fort, the Rajarajeshwari Amman Temple features many orn ...
and Kalayarkovil to the north.


History

Ilaiyangudi is first recorded in the 3rd century BCE. In the 1st century BCE, followers of the Jain faith reached Tamil Nadu. Iconography of
Mahavira Mahavira (Devanagari: महावीर, ), also known as Vardhamana (Devanagari: वर्धमान, ), was the 24th ''Tirthankara'' (Supreme Preacher and Ford Maker) of Jainism. Although the dates and most historical details of his lif ...
(the ascetic Jain monk) from this time is found in Ilaiyangudi. for instance, a Mahavira statue is found outside the main
Hindu 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 ...
temple. In general,
Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
iconography is not found in Ilaiyangudi. However, the town's public water tank is called the ''therar oorani''. The similar word ''thearar'' is a
Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
term for a Buddhist monk. The Rajendra Chola Eswara Temple, the main Hindu temple in Ilaiyangudi, was built by King
Rajendra Chola I Rajendra I (26 July 971 – 1044), often referred to as Rajendra the Great, was a Chola Empire, Chola Emperor who reigned from 1014 to 1044. He was born in Thanjavur to Rajaraja I. His queen was Vanavan Mahadevi and he assumed royal power as ...
(1012 CE 1044 CE). The Manju Puthur Chettiyars, the Chettiyars of Ilayangudi were a Jain clan who converted to
Shaivism Shaivism (, , ) is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Para Brahman, supreme being. It is the Hinduism#Demographics, second-largest Hindu sect after Vaishnavism, constituting about 385 million H ...
. In Ilaiyangudi, there is an edict engraved on stone which dates to the 11th century. The 63
nayanmars The Nayanars (or Nayanmars; , and later 'teachers of Shiva') were a group of 63 Tamil Hindu saints living during the 6th to 8th centuries CE who were devoted to the Hindu god Shiva. Along with the Alvars, their contemporaries who were devoted ...
were Hindu saints of Tamil Nadu who were devoted to Shiva. The fourth was Ilayankudi Maranar. He lived in the 12th century CE and as his name suggests, he was born in Ilayangudi. In the 15th century CE, a larger population of
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 ...
migrated to Ilaiyangudi from nearby areas. Approximately forty families left more southern regions due to drought and moved north and settled on the outskirts of Ilaiyangudi at Thuraiyan Pacheery where potable water was available. (The area is now located near the main
bazaar A bazaar or souk is a marketplace consisting of multiple small Market stall, stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, Central Asia, North Africa and South Asia. They are traditionally located in vaulted or covered streets th ...
on Kadai Road.)The Ilaiyangudi Muslims are Rowthers (traditionally
Landowners In common law systems, land tenure, from the French verb "" means "to hold", is the legal regime in which land "owned" by an individual is possessed by someone else who is said to "hold" the land, based on an agreement between both individuals ...
and cavalry people).


Geography


Hydrology

Ilaiyangudi lies in the southern part of the
Kaveri The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery) is a Rivers of India, major river flowing across Southern India. It is the third largest river in the region after Godavari River, Godavari and Krishna River, Krishna. The catchment area of the Kaveri basin i ...
(Cauvery)
river delta A river delta is a landform, archetypically triangular, created by the deposition of the sediments that are carried by the waters of a river, where the river merges with a body of slow-moving water or with a body of stagnant water. The creat ...
. It is in a drought prone area. However, in the district there are two
aquifers An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing material, consisting of permeability (Earth sciences), permeable or fractured rock, or of unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or silt). Aquifers vary greatly in their characteristics. The s ...
, the Gondwana and the Cuddalore aquifers. A water reservoir (''samuthram'') northwest of the town is filled from the Valasaikattu Kanmai, a branch from the Vagai River. The
monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...
rain also helps fill the reservoir. The ancient Thevoorani is a small lake in the centre of the town.


Geology

The types of rock about Ilaiyangudi are approximately 60 percent
sedimentary rock Sedimentary rocks are types of rock (geology), rock formed by the cementation (geology), cementation of sediments—i.e. particles made of minerals (geological detritus) or organic matter (biological detritus)—that have been accumulated or de ...
and 40 percent
igneous rock Igneous rock ( ), or magmatic rock, is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic. Igneous rocks are formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava. The magma can be derived from partial ...
. There is
sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
,
laterite Laterite is a soil type rich in iron and aluminium and is commonly considered to have formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are of rusty-red coloration, because of high iron oxide content. They develop by intensive and prolo ...
,
charnockite Charnockite () is any orthopyroxene-bearing quartz-feldspar rock formed at high temperature and pressure, commonly found in granulite facies’ metamorphic regions, ''sensu stricto'' as an endmember of the charnockite series. Charnockite seri ...
,
gneiss Gneiss (pronounced ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. This rock is formed under p ...
and
granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...
covered by thick
alluvium Alluvium (, ) is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...
.


Climate

Ilaiyangudi has average minimum temperatures around 27 degrees Celsius and average maximum temperatures around 35 degrees Celsius.


Demographics

At the 2011 Census of India, the population of Ilaiyangudi was 24,767. 12,319 people were female. Males numbered 12,448. There are 990 females for every 1,000 males. Children under six years of age make up 10.73 percent of the population. The literacy rate in the town is 88.94 percent which exceeds the state average of 80.9 percent. 84.33 percent of women are literate. Male literacy is 93.03 percent.


Religion

The 2011 census of India found in Ilaiyangudi, 70 percent of residents are
Tamil Muslims Tamil Muslims are Tamils who practise Islam. The community is 10 million in India, primarily in the state of Tamil Nadu where 90% of the Muslim community identified themselves as Tamil Muslims. In Tamil Nadu, the majority of Tamil-speaking Mus ...
, 27 percent are Hindu, and 3 percent are Christians, both Catholic and Protestant. The town has four main Muslim groups (''jamath'') based on their members' occupation. The Ilaiyangudi Nesavu Pattadai (INP) was founded in the mid 16th century, representing textile weavers. The Mela Pattadai represented bullock cart drivers. The Kodikka Pattadai (Salai Hanafi Jamath) and the Salaiyur Nesavu Pattadai (Salai Shaafi Jamath) represented textile weavers. A first
mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...
in Ilaiyangudi was built in approximately 1450 CE. It was called the ''Keela Pallivasal''. Further construction was made on the west side of the mosque in 1744, the ''Mela Pallivasal'' are all
Hanafi The Hanafi school or Hanafism is the oldest and largest Madhhab, school of Islamic jurisprudence out of the four schools within Sunni Islam. It developed from the teachings of the Faqīh, jurist and theologian Abu Hanifa (), who systemised the ...
Mosque. While one
Shafi The Shafi'i school or Shafi'i Madhhab () or Shafi'i is one of the four major schools of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), belonging to the Ahl al-Hadith tradition within Sunni Islam. It was founded by the Muslim scholar, jurist, and traditionist ...
mosque was built in 1775 CE. The INP mosque was built in 1816 CE.


Administration

There are 51 villages around Ilayangudi which falls under Ilayangudi town panchayat.


Governance

The local governance of Ilaiyangudi is conducted under the Panchayati system. The town is divided into 18 wards. Elections for representatives of the wards are held every five years. The Ilaiyangudi panchayat provides water and sewerage amenities to nearly 6,000 residences and builds roads within the town limits. The services are funded by taxes paid to the panchayat. Ilaiyyangudi is a center of governance (''
tehsil 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 Zila (country subdivision), district including the designated populated place that ser ...
'') for the town itself, an area of 16.4 km2, and for many surrounding villages. The Ilaiyangudi assembly constituency is part of the Sivaganga Lok Sabha. In 1965, under a Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies Order, during the election of the 4th Lok Sabha, Ilaiyangudi became the 197th constituency of the Tamil Nadu state legislative assembly. In 2008, under a Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituency Order, the Ilaiyangudi assembly constituency was merged with Manamadurai.


Government Services


Cuisine

Ilayangudi is very famous for
Parotta Parotta or porotta (Malayalam: പൊറോട്ട, Tamil: பரோட்டா) is a layered Indian flatbread made from refined flour, eggs and oil. It is commonly seen in South India, especially in the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, as w ...
, a Subcontinental layered
flatbread A flatbread is bread made usually with flour; water, milk, yogurt, or other liquid; and salt, and then thoroughly rolled into flattened dough. Many flatbreads are Unleavened bread, unleavened, although some are leavened, such as pita bread. A Se ...
made from Maida or Atta. Apart from Parotta, the town also has
Biriyani Biryani () is a mixed rice dish originating in South Asia, made with rice, meat (chicken, goat, lamb, beef) or seafood (prawns or fish), and spices. To cater to vegetarians, the meat or seafood can be substituted with vegetables or pane ...
, Fastfood centers and
Idly Idli, iddena, iddali or idly (; plural: idlis) is a type of savoury rice cake, originating from South India, popular as a breakfast food in Southern India and in Sri Lanka. The cakes are made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented de-h ...
shops, bakeries,
Tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...
shops.


Literature

People from Ilaiyangudi have contributed to
Tamil literature Tamil literature includes a collection of literary works that have come from a tradition spanning more than two thousand years. The oldest extant works show signs of maturity indicating an even longer period of evolution. Contributors to the T ...
. However, few works of Ilaiyangudi authors have been preserved as printed works. Katchi Pillaiyammal was the first published poet of Ilaiyangudi. Her father was Lukman Rowther, a philosopher. Pillaiyammal's main theme was wisdom. Seeniaabil Rowther wrote ''Singara Vazhi Lavani'' about Ilaiyangudi. It was published in 1918 by Sivagangai Sri Kala Press.


Mathura Kavi

Thenmalaikhan Mathura Kavi Batcha Pulavar (1860 CE 1930 CE) lived in Ilaiyangudi and was honoured with a parcel of land (a ''pattayam'') by the
Zamindar A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is the ...
of Sivaganga. He was a descendant of the Noordeen family. A building in Ilaiyangudi, built by Mathura Kavi's grandson, and a street in Ilaiyangudi are named after Mathura Kavi. In 1892 CE, Mathura Kavi wrote a collection of poems in praise of Nagoor Meeran Shahib. The first edition was published by Mohamed Samadani Press (Ibrahim Rowther) in
Karaikal Karaikal (, , Help:IPA/French, /kaʁikal/) is a port city of the Indian States and territories of India, Union Territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry. It is the administrative headquarters of the Karaikal district, Karaikal Di ...
. The second edition was published in 1963 CE by Quraniya Press (Abdul Jabbar) in
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 ...
. Also in 1892 CE, the Madurai Pandiyan Press published his ''Pillai Thzamil Collection''. In them, he narrates the childhood events of Nagore Shahul Hamid (1490 CE 1579 CE), an Islamic mystic saint and preacher in Tamil Nadu. A second edition was published in 1963 CE by Quraniya Press, Madurai. The collection includes four short poems, ''Kalithurai'', ''Nagai Patthu'', ''Nagai Kochagam'' and ''Nagai Thiruvasagam''. His other works include ''Arul Mani Malai'', poems venerating Karaikal Kadir Mohideen. Karaikal had published Mathur Kavi's ''Hazarat Shahu Ali Masthan Oli Shahib'' poems at the Mohamed Samadani Press. A second edition was published by Quraniya Press in 1963. His ''Thirukarana Vannangal'' poems, and the ''Deen Vilakka Vannam'' poems dedicated to Hazarat Syed Ibrahim Sahid of
Ervadi Erwadi is a village in Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu. It belongs to Kilakarai Taluk and town panchayat. The village is at the location of the grave and shrine of Qutb-us-Sultan Syed Ibrahim Badshah Shaheed, a ruler of Madurai. Erwadi als ...
, were published by the Karaikal Mohamed Samadani Press in 1895 CE and a second edition published by Quraniaya Press in Madurai, also in 1963. His book, ''Pancha Rathina Vannangal'' was not published but remnants of handwritten copies were found in his house and published by 1963 by Quraniya Press. In 1922, ''Kuthubu Mani Malai'', dedicated by Mathura Kavi to Mohideen Abdul Kadir Jailani was published by Thubash T. K. Mohamed Ibrahim of Abiramam-Natham, a relative of Mathura Kavi and a representative of the Manonmani Vilasam Press in Madurai.


Educational institutions

* Dr. Zakir Hussain College (1970). * Ilayangudi Higher Secondary School (1914). * St. Anne's Matric Higher Secondary School, Mallipattinam, Ilayangudi. * Rahmanniya Elementary School (1914),Ilayangudi. * Government Girls' High School, Ilayangudi. * Melapallivasal Girls' Higher Secondary School, Ilayangudi * INP Matriculation School, Ilayangudi. * Iqra Matriculation School, Ilayangudi. * Hamidiyya Higher Secondary School, Salaiyur, Ilayangudi. * IILM(Ilayangudi Institute of Learning and Monitoring) Elementary School. * Haji K. K. Ibrahim Ali Higher Secondary School, Pudur, Ilayangudi. * Muslim Nalvali Abiviruthi School, . * Al Ameen Buhari Technical Institute,ilayangudi. * Arabic Madarasa, Pudur Road, Ilayangudi.


Notable people

* '' Ilayankudi Maranar'', is a Nayanar saint, venerated in the
Hindu 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 ...
sect of
Shaivism Shaivism (, , ) is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Para Brahman, supreme being. It is the Hinduism#Demographics, second-largest Hindu sect after Vaishnavism, constituting about 385 million H ...
. He is generally counted as the fourth in the list of 63 Nayanars. * Allama Karim Gani, academic and
independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...
activist.Habibullah N. M. and Jayasenthilnathan P. M
''Uzhaippil malarndha Olympia''
Manimekalai Prasuram, 2003. Accessed 11 January 2018
He was an associate of
Subhas Chandra Bose Subhas Chandra Bose (23 January 1897 – 18 August 1945) was an Indian independence movement, Indian nationalist whose defiance of British raj, British authority in India made him a hero among many Indians, but his wartime alliances with ...
. * E. A. Siddiq – Indian Agricultural Scientist,
Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...
recipient * * A. P. Mohamed Ali (born 15 June 1946), officer in the
Indian Police Service The Indian Police Service (IPS) is a civil service under the All India Services. It replaced the Indian Imperial Police in 1948, a year after India became Partition of India, independent from the British Empire. Along with the Indian Admini ...
. He received a doctoral degree in Criminology from
University of Madras The University of Madras is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and most prominent universities in India, incorporated by an ...
* P. N. Abuthalib, Joint Secretary of
Indian Union Muslim League Indian Union Muslim League (abbreviated as the IUML or Muslim League) is a political party primarily based in Kerala. It is recognised as a List of political parties in India, State Party in Kerala by the Election Commission of India. After the ...
. He was an associate of the politician, Muhammad Ismail Sahib. * Vanjoor M. Peer Mohamed (1914 – 1987), a statesman, administrator, businessman and philanthropist. He provided the Dr. Zakir Hussain College main building and was a trustee of INP Jamath. * T. K. A. Dewan Mohamed (1938 – 1986), the first
Indian Administrative Service The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the Public administration, administrative arm of the All India Services of Government of India. The IAS is one of the three All India Services along with the Indian Police Service (IPS) and the Indian ...
officer from Ilaiyangudi. He held the positions in the Government of Tamil Nadu of Collector and Additional Chief Secretary. * T. K. S. Mohamed Iqbal, a member of the
Indian Police Service The Indian Police Service (IPS) is a civil service under the All India Services. It replaced the Indian Imperial Police in 1948, a year after India became Partition of India, independent from the British Empire. Along with the Indian Admini ...
. Iqbal died on 21 May 1991 in the assassination bombing that killed Rajiv Gandhi. *
Mahendran (filmmaker) J. Alexander (25 July 1939 – 2 April 2019), known professionally as Mahendran, was an Indian film director, screenwriter and actor, known for his work in the Tamil film industry. Mahendran is regarded as one of the greatest film makers of Tamil ...
, one of the greatest film makers of Tamil cinema was Born on ilayangudi . * P.E.A.Abdul Karim (born 04.04.1952 ) The only President's GOLD MEDAL winner in education ; Award given by $honourable President Mr. V.V Giri at Vigyan Bhavan , New Delhi. Worked as Principal in Al Ameen Buhari Alim ITI . Served many services in Ilayangudi.


References


External links


Satellite view

Community website

Community website
{{Sivaganga district Cities and towns in Sivaganga district