Sholavandan Vetrilai is an important traditional crop variety of

Betel leaf Betel (''Piper betle'') is a species of flowering plant in the pepper family Piperaceae, native to Southeast Asia. It is an evergreen, dioecious vine, with glossy heart-shaped leaves and white catkins. Betel plants are cultivated for their leav ...

cultivated in the

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, for a total of 36 subnational entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into 800 districts and smaller administrative divisions by the respe ...

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 ...

. It is mainly cultivated in Sholavandan block panchayath of

Vadipatti taluk Vadipatti is a taluk of Madurai district of the Indian 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 lar ...

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 ...

district. Under its

Geographical Indication A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town or region). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, is inten ...

tag, it is referred to as "Sholavandan Vetrilai".

Name

It is named after its place of origin, the Sholavandan block panchayath. "Vetrilai" means "betel leaf" in the local state language of

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 ...

Description

Sholavandan is situated on the left bank of the

Vaigai 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 ...

River, 16 miles northwest of

, in a fertile region with Sholavandan and

Vadipatti T. Vadipatti is a panchayat town in the Madurai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.and also known as "west gateway of Madurai. Etymology The name ''T. Vadipatti '' derives from the root vaayi''l'' or ''vaasal'', meaning 'the door' or 'e ...

blocks. The color of the betel leaves determines their pungency, with darker leaves being more pungent. An inscription at the Jeynagar Narayana Perumal temple in Sholavandan, built by Kulasekara Pandian in the 5th century AD, reveals that betel farmers were instructed to donate their income to the temple, promising a threefold return from the

Pandya The Pandya dynasty (), also referred to as the Pandyas of Madurai, was an ancient Tamil dynasty of South India, and among the four great kingdoms of Tamilakam, the other three being the Pallavas, the Cholas and the Cheras. Existing sinc ...

king of Madurai.

Geographical indication

It was awarded the

(GI) status tag from the Geographical Indications Registry, under the

Union Government of India The Government of India (ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of 36 states and union territo ...

, on 31 March 2023 which is valid up to 28 October 2031. Tamil Nadu State Agricultural Marketing Board from

Guindy Guindy is a neighborhood of Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The Kathipara junction where Anna Salai, Mount-Poonamallee Road, Inner Ring Road, 100 Feet Road or Jawaharlal Nehru Road, and GST Road meet here. It is one of the important nodal points of ...

and Vetri Kodikaal Vivasayigal Sangam from Nagarisalai, proposed the GI registration of 'Sholavandan Vetrilai'. After filing the application in October 2021, the Betel leaf was granted the GI tag in 2023 by the Geographical Indication Registry in

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 ...

, making the name "Sholavandan Vetrilai" exclusive to the Betel leaf cultivated in the region. It thus became the second Betel leaf variety from Tamil Nadu after Authoor Vetrilai and the 56th type of goods from Tamil Nadu to earn the GI tag. The prestigious GI tag, awarded by the GI registry, certifies that a product possesses distinct qualities, adheres to traditional production methods, and has earned a reputation rooted in its geographical origin.

References

{{Reflist Indian cuisine Tamil cuisine Economy of Tamil Nadu GI Tagged Betel leaf varieties of India Agriculture in Tamil Nadu Geographical indications in Tamil Nadu

Name

Description

Geographical indication

See also

References