About Dindigul

Dindigul is a city in Tamil Nadu and it is also the administrative headquarters of the Dindigul district. The town of Dindigul is located in the Southwest of Chennai, the state capital. The distance between Dindigul and Chennai is 420 km or 260 mile. Dindigul is one of the ancient settlements of South India and it has been ruled by different dynasties like the early Pandyas , the Medieval Cholas, Pallavas, the later Pandyas, the Rulers of Madurai , the Dindigul Sultanates, the Rulers of Vijayanagara Empire, the  Nayaks of Madurai, Chanda Sahib, the Carnatic rulers and the British.

Dindigul district was separated from Madurai District in the year 1985. There are three revenue divisions in the district, along with eight taluks and 14 Panchayat Unions. Dimdigul is a land bound district, and it shares boundaries districts like Erode, Madurai, Trichy etc and with Kerala in the western part. The first collector of the district was Mr. M.Madhavan Nambiar. During the course of time, the district has been called in several names like, Dindigul Anna, Quaid-e-Milleth and Mannar Thirumalai.

Dindigul is one of the six districts in Tamil Nadu currently receiving funds from Backward Regions Fund Programme (BRGF). The eight taluks of Dindigul are Dindigul, Palani, Kodaikanal, Nilakkottai, Oddanchatram, Athoor, Natham and Vedasandur.

The population density of Dindigul is 357 people in a square kilometer or 920 persons per square miles. In the period between 2001 to 2011, the population growth of Dindigul is 12.39%. The sex ratio of the district is 998 females for 1000 males and the literacy rate of district is 76.85%, as per 2011 census.

The topography of the town is plain and hilly and the weather varies with the change in climate. Like most parts of Tamil Nadu, summer is spanned from March to July and December and January are the winter season. The Southwest monsoon sets from June and lasts till August while in the period from October to December; the bulk rainfall takes place due to the influence of the North East monsoon.

As the town is the administrative headquarters of the Dindigul district, the town has registered a growth in the workforces associated with the secondary and tertiary sectors, while a marked decline has been registered in the primary sector. Most employment opportunities are seen in different industrial estates spread all over the town, hand looms, different types of trading and commerce activities and in administrative services. The current MLA of Dindigul constituency is K. Balabharathi from CPI (M) party and the current Member of Parliament is NSV Chitthan from Indian National Congress.

Dindigul is famous for its temples, churches and mosques. Kalahastheeswara Gnanambika Temple and Seenivasaperumal Temple are two most important temples of Dindigul. Mohammadiyapuram Pallivasal, Begumbur Periya Pallivasal, Ahle Hadees Pallivasal,  Thowheeth Masjid, Mandi Pallivasal, Madinah Pallivasal, Bajar Masjid, Ring Road Pallivasal and Makkah Pallivasal are some of the most important Islamic religious institutions in Dindigul.

Kodaikanal, Palani Hills, Sirumalai, Dindigul Fort are some of the most important places of interest in Dindigul. Both the Dindigul district and the Dindigul town, the administrative head-quarters of the district had a glorious historical past. It was under the direct rule of Tipu Sultan. The Rock Fort of Dindigul, famous for its historical significance was constructed by King Muthukrishnappa Naicker of the Naik rulers.

If in Dinidgul, you can shop for small artefacts and handicrafts to back home as souveirs. However, do not forget to taste Dinidgul biriyani which is famous not in the city but all over south India.

Dindigul district is famous for its handloom industry, flourished at Chinnalapatti. Art silk saris and sungudi saris are produced in the place and they are very popular all over India and well as outside India. Dindigul is famous for its iron locks and safes. Also the Dindigul town is very important wholesale market for onion and groundnut in South India. The district is very well connected with all other important places of Tamil Nadu, like Erode, Trichi, Coimbatore, Madurai and Chennai. Pattiveeranpatti, a prominent place in Dindigul is famous for cardamom and coffee curing enterprises. Apart from these, The Nilakkottai town is famous for brass vessel making industry and jewellery manufacturing. Also, this Taluk is famous for flowers and grapes. Oddanchatram is a famous vegetable market and Batlagundu is an important tomato market in Tamilnadu.