Overview
Karur district is an administrative district in the central part of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The town of Karur serves as the district headquarters. The district is known for its handloom and textile industries, particularly home furnishings, as well as bus body building and paper manufacturing. It lies on the banks of the Amaravathi, Kaveri and Noyyal rivers, and has historically been a centre of trade dating back to the early Chera and later Chola periods.
Key facts
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| Headquarters | Karur |
| Region | Kongu Nadu, central Tamil Nadu |
| Formed | 30 September 1995 (carved out of Tiruchirappalli district) |
| Major rivers | Kaveri, Amaravathi, Noyyal |
| Languages | Tamil (official) |
Background
Karur district was created on 30 September 1995, when it was bifurcated from the larger Tiruchirappalli district. The area has long been associated with antiquity in the Tamil country; Karur town itself is identified by several historians with the ancient Chera capital Karuvur, mentioned in Sangam literature and in classical accounts of trade with the Roman world. Excavations and inscriptions in and around the district indicate continuous occupation from the early historic period through the Chola, Vijayanagara and later Mysore and British administrations.
Geography
The district is situated in the Kongu region of central Tamil Nadu. It is bordered by Erode district to the north-west, Namakkal district to the north, Tiruchirappalli district to the east, Dindigul district to the south, and reaches towards the western ghats foothills in the west. The terrain is largely a plain interspersed with low hill ranges, with agriculture supported by the Kaveri, Amaravathi and Noyyal rivers and a network of tanks and canals.
Administration
The district is headed by a District Collector, an officer of the Indian Administrative Service. For revenue and developmental purposes, Karur is divided into taluks and revenue blocks, with Karur, Kulithalai, Krishnarayapuram, Aravakurichi and Kadavur among the principal taluks. Local self-government is organised through the Karur Municipal Corporation in the headquarters town, along with municipalities, town panchayats and village panchayats across the rural areas.
Economy
Karur is one of Tamil Nadu's most prominent textile clusters. The district is internationally recognised for the production and export of home textiles such as bed linen, kitchen linen, table linen and curtains, with a substantial export base. Handloom weaving in towns such as Kulithalai and surrounding villages is also significant. Other notable industries include:
- Bus body building, with Karur being one of the largest centres for bus and truck body fabrication in India.
- Paper manufacturing, including the operations of the Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Limited (TNPL) plant at Kagithapuram.
- Banking, with the headquarters of the Karur Vysya Bank and Lakshmi Vilas Bank historically based in the town.
- Agriculture, dominated by paddy, sugarcane, banana, coconut, turmeric and cotton.
Transport
Karur is a major road and rail junction. National Highway 44 (the Srinagar–Kanyakumari corridor) and National Highway 81 pass through the district, connecting it to Salem, Madurai, Coimbatore and Tiruchirappalli. Karur Junction railway station, on the Southern Railway, links the district to Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai and other major cities. The nearest major airport is at Tiruchirappalli.
Culture and heritage
The district has several prominent temples, including the Pasupatheeswarar temple at Karur and the Kalyana Pasupatheeswarar temple at Thiruvithuvakkodu/Kulithalai, along with sites at Thanthondrimalai and A