Salem

Tamilnadu > Salem

River View of Salem

Salem is a Geologist's paradise, surrounded by hills and the landscape dotted with hillocks. Salem has a vibrant culture dating back to the ancient Kongu Nadu.

The city is surrounded by a natural amphitheater of hills formed by the Nagaramalai to the north, the Jeragamalai to the south, the Kanjanamalai to the west, and Godumalai to the east. It is divided by the Thirumanimuthar in the main division. The fort is the oldest building in town.

Almost completely surrounded by hills, Salem is also a part of the Kongu Nadu (Coimbatore and Erode) region Salem is at the base of the renowned tourist destination of Yercaud hills, which offers breathtaking views both along the ride up the hill and from the peak. There are also remote sites of beauty such as Kiliyur Falls. Yercaud is at an altitude of 1600 m above mean sea level.

History of Salem

The name Salem appears to have been derived from Sela or Shalya or Sayilam which are found in inscriptions referring to the country around the hills. Local folklore believes Salem to be the birthplace of the Tamil poetess Avvaiyar [citation needed]. Inscriptions from the Ganga dynasty have been recovered from parts of the district.

Developmental activities in Salem like constructing railways and Ghat roads and construction of Mettur dam.

1947 - Salem is a independent part of Free India.

1951 - Exchange of villages between Mysore and Madras State took place under the provinces and states (Absorption of Enclaves) order 1950.

1961- Sankari Taluk was formed from Tiruchengode Taluk.

1965- Salem district was bifurcated into Salem - Dharmapuri districts (2-Oct-1965)

Salem constituted 8 Taluks - Salem , Attur, Yercaud, Omalur ,Sankari, Tiruchengode, Rasipuram and Namakkal.

Dharmapuri constituted 4 Taluks - Hosur, Krishnagiri , Harur and Dharmapuri.

1966 - Mettur Taluk was formed from Omalur Taluk and Salem constituted Nine taluks.

1989 - Paramathi Velur Taluk was newly formed.

1997 - Salem District was bifurcated into Salem and Namakkal district (2-Feb-1997). Salem constituted 8 Taluks - Salem, Yercaud, Attur, Omalur, Mettur, Sankari, Gangavalli, and Idappadi and Namakkal district constituted 4 Taluks - Namakkal, Tiruchengode, Rasipuram and Paramathi-Velur

1998 - Attur Division was newly formed and a new Taluk Valappadi was formed. Salem attained its present administrative set-up.

Other Information of Salem

The Stanley Reservoir: An architectural marvel and important land mark in the Mettur Division of Salem, it is the heart that pumps the life giving water to the farmers of the Cauvery basin who suffer the vagaries of Indian monsoons.

The sixteen Gates is an Engineering master-piece and regulates the flow of water released from the Mettur Dam to the lower reaches covering the paddy fields in the eight districts of Salem, Erode, Namakkal, Karur, Tiruchirapalli, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur and Nagapattinam.

The Salem Steel Plant: This was an ambitious project started with a view to utilise the locally available iron-ore from Kanchamalai to produce steel. Now it is a public sector company engaged in rolling out cast steel blacks into sheets of required dimensions by cold and hot extrusion methods.

Mineral Deposits: The district is rich in mineral deposits like Magnesite, Bauxite, Granite, Limestone, Quartz and Iron ore. Allied industries like Magnesite mining, cement manufacture, refractory bricks manufacture, Aluminium smelting etc thrive well.

Sandal wood: Santalum album species of Sandal wood grows in the forests of Salem. They fetch high prices as their heart woods yield high oil content about 6% (average). The Mysore Sandal soap company is a noted buyer of Sandal woods from Salem.

Animal Husbandry: The Sheep Research station located at Mecheri in Mettur, developed and introduced the popular Mecheri Breed. The breed is popular among the farmers and is reared mainly for meat purposes.

Dairy: Salem Diary has an impressive milk production and the district stands first in milk production. A variety of milk products have been introduced by the Diary recently and are effectively marketed.

Temples: Many temples with intricate sculptures and imposing towers are found in the district of Salem, built by indigenous rulers centuries before the British era. Some of the popular temples are the Taramangalam Shivan Temple in Omalur and the Sukavaneswarar temple, Kottai Mariamman temple, Parsanna Venkatesha Perumal temple in Salem.

Forts: Forts had existed in Salem town and Omalur said to have been visited by Tipu Sultan. Uncared for, not even the ruins of these monuments remain to be seen today. However at Sankagiri an impressive fort is seen on a hillock, with its elaborate and massive ramparts running all the way up the hill. This fort is said to have been the holding of "Theeran Chinnamalai" - an indigenous warrior who fought against British oppression.