Kallidaikurichi () or Kalladaikurichi is a town on the right bank of the

Thamiraparani river The Thamirabarani or Tamraparni or Porunai is a perennial river that originates from the Agastyarkoodam peak of Pothigai hills of the Western Ghats, above Papanasam in the Ambasamudram taluk. It flows through Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi distr ...

Ambasamudram Ambasamudram is the principal town of the Ambasamudram taluk in Tirunelveli district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The entire taluk had a population of 392,226 as of 2001, with 42.5% classified as rural. The town of Ambasamudram had a popu ...

Taluk of Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu, a southern state of India.

Etymology

'Kal + idai + kurichi' meaning exactly in Tamil, a village in the midst of hills. (In Sanskrit it has been translated in the 'Bhojanadi' (an astrological treatise) as 'Shilaa - madhya - Hariswam'. In the Thamrabarani Mahatmya of the Matsya Purama, it has been translated as 'Shila - Shalipuram').

Geography

Thamiraparni River

The Thamiraparni river flows through Kallidaikurichi. Originating from the Pothigai nearby, it flows down to Bay of Bengal after traveling for about 125 kilometers. In the hills are a number of waterfalls, such as Courtallam Falls, Banatheertham Falls, Agasthiar Falls, and Manimuthar Falls.

Climate

Like most parts of Tamil Nadu, the climate here is rather hot, except during the rainy season of the November/December months. During summer strong gusty winds are frequent.

Flora and Fauna

This southern end of the Western Ghats, is full of flora and fauna. Kalakkad Mundanthurai Range is a wild life park under Project Tiger

Demographics

Population

Government and politics

Subdivisions

Kallidaikurichi seems to have had the following subdivisions - Madakkurichi, Velankurichi, Cherakumaran and Kallidaikurichi.

Economy

Kallidaikurichi and appalam, murukku are almost synonymous. Appalam making is a major

cottage industry The putting-out system is a means of subcontracting work. Historically, it was also known as the workshop system and the domestic system. In putting-out, work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the project via remote ...

here. It is nationally known for its quality and taste and is sent almost all over India.

Agriculture

Rice is the main crop here. Other crops are groundnut (peanuts), chilies (red pepper) and cotton, though these are seen less frequently nowadays. The tea plantations are operated by the