Erode

Tamilnadu > Erode

Bhavanisagar Dam in Erode

Erode District lies on the extreme north of Tamil Nadu. It is bounded mostly by Karnataka State and also River Palar covers pretty long distance. To the East lies Namakkal and Karur Districts. Dindigal District is its immediate neighbour to the South and on the West, it has Coimbatore and Nilgiri Districts, as its boundaries. Thus Erode District is essentially a land-locked area having no sea-cost of its own. Erode District situated at between 10° 36 and 11° 58 North Latitude and between 76° 49 and 77° 58 East Longitude.

The region comprised in the district can be portrayed as a long undulating plain gently sloping towards the river Cauvery in the south-east. The three major tributaries of river Cauvery viz. Bhavani, Noyyal and Amaravathy drain the long stretch of mountains in the north. A part of the eastern boundary of the district is formed by river Cauvery, entering the district from Salem and flowing in a southernly direction.

Erode District in Tamil Nadu State is very important market centre for Turmeric. Turmeric is received, not only from Erode district, but also from the other parts of Tamil Nadu and adjoining district like Mysore in Karnataka State.

The root for the name of the Town "ERODE" may be because of the existence of the two (Odais) water courses viz., Perumpalayam and Kalingarayan Channel. But there is also a legend which says that the place apparently derives its name from the words "Eara Odu" which means "wet skulls".

The city is located in a cotton growing region, and its industries include cotton ginning and the manufacture of transport equipment.

History of Erode

Erode District was a part of Coimbatore has its history intervened with that of Coimbatore and because of its close linkage with the erstwhile Coimbatore district. It is very difficult to separately deal with the history of Erode region. Together with the area comprised in the Coimbatore district, it formed part of the ancient Kongu country known as "Kongu Nadu" history of which dates back to the Sangam era. It is found that in the early days, this area was occupied by tribes, most prominent among them being the "Kosars" reportedly having their headquarters at 'Kosamputhur' which is believed to have in due course become Coimbatore. These tribes were overpowered by the Rashtrakutas from whom the region fell into the hands of the Cholas who ruled supreme during the time of Raja Chola. On the decline of Cholas, the Kongunadu came to be occupied by the Chalukyas and later by the Pandyas and Hoysalas. Due to internal dissension in the Pandian Kingdom, the Muslim rulers from Delhi interfered and thus the area fell into the hands of Madurai Sultanate. This region was later wrested by Vijaya Nagar rulers after over throwing the Madurai Sultanate. For a few years, the area remained under Vijaya Nagar rule and later under the independent control of Madurai Nayakas. The rule of Muthu Veerappa Nayak and later that of Tirumalai Nayak were marked by internal strife and intermittent wars which ruined the Kingdom. As a result of this, the Kongu region in which the present Erode District is situated, fell into the hands of the Mysore rulers from whom Hyder Ali took over the area. Later, consequent of the fall of Tippu Sultlan of Mysore in 1799, the Kongu region came to be coded to the East India Company by the Maharaja of Mysore who was restored to power by the company after defeating Tippu Sulltan. From then, till 1947 when India attained independence, the area remained under British control who initiated systematic revenue administration in the area.

Climate and Rainfall of Erode

The district in general is characterised with a scandy rainfall and a dry climate. Maximum rainfall is recorded in Gobichettipalayam and Bhavani taluks. The Palghat gap in the Western Ghats, which has a soothing effect in the climate of Coimbatore District, does not render much help in bringing down the dry climate in this area. The cool-wind that gushes out of the west coast through Palghat gap looses its coolness and becomes dry by the time it crosses Coimbatore district and reaches Erode region.

Unlike Coimbatore which is blessed with a health-aiding climate, Erode District has dry weather throughout except during the monsoon season. Generally the first two months of the year are pleasant, but in March, Mercury gains an upward trend which persists till the end of May. Highest temperature is normally recorded during May. The scandy showers during this period do not provide any relief to the oppressive heat. There is a light improvement in the climate during June-August period. During this pre-monsoon period, the mercury reverses its trend and by September, the sky gets overcast heavily but the rains are meagre. North-east monsoon sets in vigorously only during October-November and by December, the rains disappear rendering the climate clear but pleasant.

Erode - Animal Husbandry

The district is rich in its natural cattle wealth and concerted efforts of the Animal Husbandry Department have further augmented the cattle wealth in the District.

There are four major breeds of cattle in the District. They are the Kangayam breed, the Burgur breed, the Kollegal variety and the Alanbodies. Kangayam breed of cattle is indigenous to Coimbatore. This animal is breed in the farm in order to supplement the efforts of private breeders. Like the Pattagarar of Palayanmkottai, Kangayams thrive well in the farm. Some of the cows have yielded more than 4,000lbs. in a single lactation. Kangayam cows are reared in large numbers, due to their rich milk yield. Kangayam bulls are also noted for their draught capacity. Burgur breed though smaller in size are well built and sturdy. Kollegal variety is noted for their road draught and is normally reared for transport purposes.

With varieties of breeds available, the district has made rapid progress in the field of animal husbandry. Erode has carved out an enviable position for itself in the field of dairy development industry in the State. The Tamil Nadu Milk Producers Federation has a milk collection center and processing plant at Erode from where pasturised milk is transported in cases to different parts of the State every day.

To support the growing cattle wealth in the District, Animal Husbandry Department has taken various measures including opening and maintenance of 5 bull stations for the collection and supply of serum to various veterinary hospitals and artificial insemination centers

Rhinderpest Squad stationed at Erode, Rhinderpest Vigilance unit at Gobichettipalayam and Rhinderpest check-post at Dimbum are all engaged in the eradication of Rhinderpest disease in the District. The district can also boast of a sheep breeding co-operative society.

As regards poultry development is concerned. There are three Poultry Extension centres in the district. There are at Chengampalli, Polavakalipalayam and Bhavani Sagar. The poultry diagnostic laboratory in the district facilities early diagnosis of various diseases affecting the poultry and thus helps to prevent heavy losses due to poultry diseases.

The activities of the Animal Husbandry Department are controlled by 3 Assistant Directors of Animal Husbandry functioning from Erode, Dharapuram and Gobichettipalayam.

How to reach Erode

• Road: The city is well connected to various parts of Tamil Nadu, by private and public bus services. The bus station, near V.O.C Park, runs local and mofussil (city-to-city) bus services which connect people to nearby towns and villages. Bus services are frequent, once every two to five minutes. The city is also well-connected to the other cities of Tamil Nadu, southern Karnataka and Kerala through private & public charter buses.
• Rail: Erode (Station Code:ED) is the hub of Southern Railway's operation to connect Tamil Nadu to various parts of India, notably regions in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Bengal, Maharastra, Karnataka, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh. Diesel Loco Shed Erode homes over 120 Diesel-Electric locomotives. It was set up in 1962 and is one of the premier locomotive maintenance sheds in the country. The ISO 9001 certified shed maintains locomotives which haul important trains up to Kanniyakumari, Trivandrum, Madurai, Chennai, Bengaluru,Mysore,Mumbai,Rajkot,Pune etc. Erode Railway Junction has three branches leading to Karur, Coimbatore, Salem.
• Air: 1. Coimbatore Airport 89 km. 2. Tiruchirapalli Airport 148 km