Tiruvallur

Tamilnadu > Tiruvallur

Kalyana Venkattaramasami temple

Tiruvallur is a district in the Southern state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is nearly 45 km from Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu.It is en route to Tirupathi, the abode of Lord Balaji. It derives its name from the Tamil word "Tiru-Evval-ur", meaning "how much". This is a very ancient city.

Tiruvallur is a town located on the Chennai-Tirupathi highway, approximately forty-four kilometers from Chennai. The railway station falls mid-way between the Chennai - Arakkonam railway line. A small town, and now the district headquarter of the recently made Tiruvallur district is developing very fast. It is one of twenty-seven districts in Tamil Nadu. Previously, Tiruvallur was a town in the district named Chengalpattu. Tiruvallur is the name of both the town as well as the district

History of Tiruvallur

The district of Tiruvallur has been carved out by bifurcating erstwhile Chengalpattu district (which was renamed as Chengalpattu-MGR/Kancheepuram at the time of 1991 Census). According to the said bifurcation Tiruvallur revenue division which included Tiruvallur, Tiruttani taluks and Uthukkottai and Pallipattu sub-taluks separated from Chengalpattu district along with Ponneri and Gummindipoondi taluks of Saidapet revenue division and formed this new district. At present this district is comprised of eight taluks namely Ambattur, Gummindipoondi, Ponneri, Uthukkottai, Tiruvallur, Poonamallee, Tiruttani and Pallipattu.

In the far past, this region was under a chain of regimes commencing from the Pallavas during the 7th century ending with the Nawab of Arcot during the early part of 19th century when it came under the British rule. In 1687, the Golkonda rulers were defeated and the region came under the Moghul emperors of Delhi. The towns and villages of this region were the scene of Carnatic wars. Battles are said to have been fought in this region during the struggle for supremacy between the English and French. The town of Pulicat was the earliest Dutch possession in India founded in 1609 which was ceded to the British in 1825. With this, the region came under the British rule which ended on the 15th August, 1947 with India becoming independent.

Geography of the Tiruvallur District

North latitude between 12°15 and 13°15, east longitude between 79°15' and 80°20'

The district is surrounded by Kancheepuram district in the South, Vellore district in the west. Bay of Bengal in the East and Andhra Pradesh State in the North. The district spreads over an area of about 3422 Sq.kms.

The coastal region of the district is mostly flat and dreary; but in the other parts it is undulating and even hilly in some places.

The northern taluks of the district like Ponneri, Uttukkottai, Gummidipundi etc. do not have much to offer from the scenic point of view. In the Tiruttani taluk, a number of hillocks are found scattered.

The soil of the district is mostly sandy, mixed with soda or other alkali or stony. Rocks found in and near the surface are in detached masses. Hence, the soil can't be termed as very fertile. The soil found nearer the sea coast is of the inferior erinaceous type which is most suited for raising casuarinas plants. No mineral of any importance is available in the district.

There are not many hills of any considerable height in this district. A few conical hills or ridges of small elevation exist like the St. Thomas Mount. Certain hillocks are found in Tiruttani. Most of the hills and hillocks are rocky and no verdant vegetation is seen in the slopes of these hills. The area under forests in this district is quite meager.

Animal Husbandry and Fisheries

Animal husbandry is a subsidiary occupation of the district due to the presence of a number of small and marginal farmers. Presently, there are four Government Schemes in operation Viz., Backyard poultry farm, Buffalo Rearing Scheme, Special Animal Husbandry Programme and special campaign to protect animals. There are 5 Veterinary Hospitals, 24 Veterinary Dispensaries, 77 sub-centres and 14 mobile veterinary units catering to the needs of the farming community.

The total coastal area of the district is about 49803 ha and has a coast line of 80 kms for marine fisheries. Prawn/shrimp culture is famous at the coast line of Gummidipoondi and Minjur. The total fish production is to the tune of 11372 tonnes.

Rainfall in Tiruvallur

The average normal rainfall of the District is 1104 mm. Out of which 52% has been received during North East Monsoon period and 41% has been received during South West Monsoon period.

The average temperature of the district is

Maximum 37.9°C
Minimum 18.5°C

Like other parts of Tamil Nadu, hot climate prevails during the month of April - May and humid climate during the rest of the year except December - February when it is slightly cold.

How to Reach Tiruvallur

Tiruvallur lies 42 kilometres west of Chennai and is well connected by trains and buses.

By Rail

It lies on the Chennai bangalore rail road. There are many local trains from the Chennai Central Suburban station and some trains from Chennai Beach station to Tiruvallur.

By Road

The government-run buses to Tiruttani and Tirupathi (Routes : 97 series and 201) connect Tiruvallur from Chennai. There are two major roads connecting Chennai and Tiruvallur. One route is through Porur and Poonamalle and the another one is through Avadi and Ambattur. Tiruvallur is connected from chennai by MTC bus routes from T.Nagar, CMBT, Broadway..etc