Theni – General
Information
Theni District is a district of Tamil Nadu state in South east India. The city of Theni is the district headquarters. The district is divided into
two natural divisions: The hilly areas constituted by parts of the three
taluks Periyakulam, Uthamapalayam and Andipatti with thick
vegetation and perennial streams from the hills on the western side and Cumbum valley which lies in Uthamapalayam taluk. As of 2011, Theni district had a population of
1,245,899 with a sex-ratio of 991 females for every 1,000 males.
Headquarters Theni is a town in the Western part of Tamil Nadu, a state in Southern India, Near Kerala Border. It is the headquarters of Theni District. It is known for the large-scale trading of Garlic, Cotton, Cardamom, Grapes and Chilli. It hosts the second largest weekly market in Tamil Nadu and the fourth largest in South India. It is well-connected
by rail and road to Madurai and by road to all the important cities in Tamil Nadu. The
nearest airport is at Madurai. India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) is proposed in the
District. Once completed, it shall be used for the study of different
parameters of atmospheric neutrinos.
History
Theni District was formed by the bifurcation from erstwhile
Madurai District as per G.O. Ms. No. 679 Revenue Department Dated July 7, 1996.
Consequent to the bifurcation, one new Revenue Division with headquarters
at Uthamapalayam and two new Taluks
at Theni and Bodinayakanur were also created
with effect from January 1, 1997.
Theni Municipal town was only a firka headquarters until December
31, 1996. Consequent to the formation of the new District, Theni Municipal Town
was upgraded as the Taluk and District headquarters on January 1, 1997.
The region covered by present-day Theni District was scarcely
populated before the 1900s. In 1886 Mullaperiyar dam project brings some part of water from Periyar River downhill to Cumbum Valley and merge into Mullayar River. This project helped more people to settle down in
Cumbum Valley & also to be noted that Theni is itself a small and
less-known town by the 1900s.
After the Mullai - Periyar merger project lots of people from
nearby dry arid regions (Sivakasi, Kovilpatti, Virudhunagar, Sattur and several nearby towns) settled in Cumbum-Valley (present
day Theni District). So there was influx of people by the 1890s to 1920s. Bodi and Periyakulam are famous places at that age. Later Theni developed in
rapid pace due to lots of business activities.
Geography
The 2,889 km2 (1,115 sq mi) district lies at
the foot of the Western Ghats between 9' 39' and 10' 30' North latitude and between 77'
00' and 78' 30' of East Longitude. Central location: 10°04′N 77°45′E. The district is bounded by Dindigul District to the north, Madurai District to the east, Virudhunagar District to
the southwest, and Idukki district of the Kerala State to the west.
The district is home to Theni, Periyakulam, Bodinayakanur, Cumbum, Uthamapalayam, Kombai, Gudalur, Chinnamanur, Andipatti, Thevaram, Pottipuram, Ramakrishnapuram,
Telugu dominant Lakshmipuram Ambasamudram, Govindanagaram, Srirengapuram, Venkadachalapuram
and several other small villages like Pathirakalipuram, Sukkangal Patti, sadaiyalpatti, Meenatchipuram, Melasindalaichery, Kottur or Pallavarayan Patti a popular village in Tamilnadu
Jallikattu Kamatchipuram.
It is diversified by several ranges and hills. A range of hills
which runs parallel to Western Ghats from north to south separates it from the
neighboring state of Kerala.
Climate - In the plains, the temperatures range from a minimum of
13 °C to a maximum of 39.5 °C. In the hills the temperatures
can range from as low as 4-5 °C to 25 °C. The district is known for
its salubrious climate, hills and lakes.
Rivers and dams - The Vaigai River, Kottagudi River, Suruliyar River, Varaganathi River, Manjalar River and Varattaru River flow through the district. The important reservoirs in the
district are Vaigai Dam, Manjalaru Dam, Sothuparai Dam, Shanmuganathi Dam, Manalaru Dam and Melmanalaru Dam.
Economy
Its economy is mostly agricultural. Utilization of land area for
cultivation in Theni district is 40.33%. The principal crop production
(in tonnes) in 2005-2006 was: sugarcane 1,201,221, cotton 95,360 (561 bales of 170. kg lint each), rice (paddy) 66,093, millets & cereals 57,081, pulses 6,677, groundnut 4,021 & gingelly 325. Silk, Banana, Coconut, Tea, Coffee, Cardamom, Grapes and Mangoes are other main produce of the district.
Cumbum Valley is a major centre for grape production with 4,000 small
farmers producing over 90,000 tonnes of Muscat grapes, locally known as panneer dhrakshai, and about 10,000 tonnes of Thomson seedless grapes. The unique feature here is that the grapes are harvested
throughout the year, while in most grape growing centres elsewhere the season
ends with summer.
Cotton Spinning Mills and Sugar Mills are the major industries in
this district. In Andipatti Taluk Handloom weaving and power looms are
flourishing. In Uthamapalayam Taluk, the Highwavis Estate produces an important
amount of Tea. Bodinayakanur is a major market
place for cardamom, coffee, tea and black pepper. This city is also called "Cardamom City" because of
the large quantity of cardamom trade in this area. It has an auction centre for
cardamom.
The Periyar and Surliar Hydro Power Stations and the Vaigai Micro
Hydro Power Station have 181 MW installed capacity and actual power generation
of 494 MW in 1996 in this district. Theni is one of the active business
hubs in the western side of Tamilnadu, inviting more industries to its
locality. The district currently has 41.09 km of Meter gauge track serving 3 Railway Stations which connect to Madurai.
Forest resources
The forest area in Theni district is about 33.70%. There are 27
forest areas in Theni district constituting a total area of 795.81 km2 (307.26 sq mi).
19 areas fall under the Reserve Forest category with 255.44 km2 (98.63 sq mi),
8 areas under Reserve Land category with
540.37 km2 (208.64 sq mi). Total area of forest under green
cover classification was 806.86 km2 (311.53 sq mi).
Dense forest and sparse forest are
292.81 km2 (113.05 sq mi) and
22.43 km2 (8.66 sq mi) respectively. There is no Unclassified
Forest type in the district. About 44.65 km2 (17.24 sq mi)
of Man Made Forest Area are cultivated in the district. Wattles, Softwood, Fuel
wood, Cashew, Neem, and Tamarind are the main forest plantation species in
Theni district.
There has been no conservation of biological resources in the
district. The information of wild life census in Theni district is yet to be
made available.
Demographics
According to 2011 census, Theni
district had a population of 1,245,899 with a sex-ratio of 991 females for
every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929.The district has
diverse ethnic group majority being Tamils.
Most of the establishments in & around Theni belong to Tamils
& Telugus. A total of 119,661 were under the age of six, constituting
61,873 males and 57,788 females.
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 20.72% and .15% of the population
respectively. The average literacy of the district was 69.84%, compared to the
national average of 72.99%. The district had a total of 338,112
households.
There were a total of 591,642 workers, comprising 36,371
cultivators, 275,585 main agricultural labourers, 12,714 in house hold
industries, 205,921 other workers, 61,051 marginal workers, 1,996 marginal
cultivators, 39,576 marginal agricultural labourers, 2,225 marginal workers in
household industries and 17,254 other marginal workers.
Tourism
Bodinayakanur, Periyakulam, Cumbum, Uthamapalayam and Theni are
charming towns in the district. Resounding cascades, silver-lined clouds
resting a top billiard green hill tops, sheer rock faces and temples of
antiquity distinguish these places.
Places of interest
Nearest Places in
Kerala
