Cuddalore (district)

Cuddalore ; District கடலூர் மாவட்டம்
State	Tamil Nadu
Administrative headquarters :	Cuddalore
Area :	3,703 km²
Residents :	2,605,914 (2011)
Population density :	704 inhabitants / km²
Website :	cuddalore.tn.nic.in

The district of Cuddalore ( Tamil : கடலூர் மாவட்டம் ) is a district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu . The administrative center of the district is the eponymous city of Cuddalore . The district of Cuddalore has an area of 3,703 square kilometers and around 2.6 million inhabitants (2011 census).

geography

Rice fields in the Cuddalore district

The district of Cuddalore is located on the Coromandel Coast in eastern Tamil Nadu. Neighboring districts are Nagapattinam in the south, Ariyalur and Perambalur in the southwest, Viluppuram in the north and the Puducherry district of the union territory of the same name in the northeast. To the east lies the coast of the Bay of Bengal .

The area of the district of Cuddalore is 3,703 square kilometers. The area belongs to the flat coastal plain of Tamil Nadu. The northern part of the district is traversed by the Ponnaiyar and Gadilam rivers, while the Vellar flows in the southern part . The border to the Nagapattinam district is formed in the south by the Kollidam , the northernmost estuary of the Kaveri .

In the district of Cuddalore there is an alternating humid tropical climate . The annual mean temperature in Cuddalore is 28.2 ° C, the annual mean precipitation is 1,252 mm. Most of the rainfall occurs during the northeast monsoon between October and December. Rainfalls also occur during the southwest monsoon between July and September.

history

The naval battle of Cuddalore on June 20, 1783 (painting by Auguste Jugelet, 1836)

The area of today's district of Cuddalore was in the course of its history under the rule of changing ruling dynasties, including the Chola , the Pandya , and the Vijayanagar empire. In the 17th century the area came under the control of Bijapur , then the Marathas and finally the Nawabs of Arcot . Also in the 17th century, the European colonial powers established branches on the coast: the French acquired the neighboring Pondicherry in 1673 , the British East India Company founded Fort St. David in Cuddalore in 1690 . In the 18th century, the area of what is now the Cuddalore district was affected by the turmoil of the Carnatic Wars , in which the French and British and their allies fought for supremacy in southern India.

When the Nawab of Arcot ceded his possessions to the British East India Company in 1801, the British incorporated the area of Cuddalore as part of the district of South Arcot into the Madras presidency . After Indian independence in 1947, South Arcot came to the state of Madras, which was reorganized in 1956 according to the language borders of Tamil and renamed Tamil Nadu in 1969 . In 1993, the South Arcot district was divided into the Viluppuram and Cuddalore districts.

population

Street scene in Chidambaram

According to the 2011 Indian census, the Cuddalore district has 2,605,914 inhabitants. The population density of 704 inhabitants per square kilometer is above the Tamil Nadu average (555 inhabitants per square kilometer). The degree of urbanization, on the other hand, is below average: only 34 percent of the inhabitants of the Cuddalore district live in cities (Tamil Nadu: 48 percent). 29 percent of the district's residents are scheduled castes . At 78 percent, the literacy rate is only slightly below the state average (80 percent).

According to the 2011 census , Hindus make up the vast majority of the residents of the district with 92 percent. There are also minorities of Muslims (5 percent) and Christians (3 percent). The main language in the district of Cuddalore, as in the whole of Tamil Nadu, is Tamil . According to the 2001 census, 98 percent of the district's residents speak it as their first language.

Attractions

Nataraja Temple in Chidambaram

The town of Chidambaram , around 40 kilometers south of Cuddalore, belongs to the district of Cuddalore. According to the myth, God Shiva is said to have performed his cosmic dance here as Nataraja ("King of the Dance"). Therefore, Chidambaram is one of the holiest places in Hinduism and an important pilgrimage center. The Nataraja Temple of Chidambaram dates back to the Chola period (9th to 13th centuries) and was expanded in the following centuries. It is one of the most important examples of the Dravidian temple architecture .

A major Vishnu temple is located in the city of Srimushnam . The mangrove forests of Pichavaram are also of tourist interest .

Administrative division

The district of Cuddalore is divided into seven taluks (sub-districts):

Taluk	main place	Population (2011)
Chidambaram	Chidambaram	467.909
Cuddalore	Cuddalore	426.466
Kattumannarkoil	Kattumannarkoil	276,947
Kurinjipadi	Kurinjipadi	331,755
Panruti	Panruti	413,639
Tittakudi	Tittakudi	262,606
Virudhachalam	Virudhachalam	426,592

Cities

In Cuddalore district has five cities with its own city government ( Municipalities ), 16 after the Panchayat managed system townships ( Town Panchayats ) and eight cities census ( census town ). The number of inhabitants is given according to the 2011 census.