Theni
Encyclopedia
Theni is a town in the Western Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

 state of South India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. It is the headquarters of Theni District
Theni District
Theni District is a district of Tamil Nadu state in South 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...

. It is known for the large-scale trading of Cardamom
Cardamom
Cardamom refers to several plants of the genera Elettaria and Amomum in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to India and Bhutan; they are recognised by their small seed pod, triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped, with a thin papery outer shell and small black seeds...

, Cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....

, Grapes, chilli
Chili pepper
Chili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The term in British English and in Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia and other Asian countries is just chilli without pepper.Chili peppers originated in the Americas...

 and Textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...

s. It hosts the second largest weekly market in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

 and the fourth largest in South India. It is well-connected by rail and road to Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...

 and by road to all the important cities in Tamil Nadu. The nearest airport is at Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...

.

General

Theni district is surrounded by the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...

. The main occupation of people of theni is agriculture. The Vaigai River
Vaigai River
The Vaigai is a river in Madurai, Tamil Nadu state of southern India. It originates in the Periyar Plateau of the Western Ghats range, and flows northeast through the Kambam Valley, which lies between the Palni Hills to the north and the Varushanad Hills to the south. The Vattaparai Falls are...

 flows through this district. Other important rivers include the Mullaperiyar, Suruliyaru, Varaganadi, Kottakkudiyaru, and Manjalaru rivers.

Theni has a historic background during the 19th century. There were many antagonists against British rule like Marutha Nayagam.

The famous Saneeswaran (God of Saturn) temple is located in the Kucchanur Village.It is a Suyambhu statue.

Theni district is rich in flora and fauna. Many dams have been constructed on the rivers, including Vaigai Dam
Vaigai Dam
Vaigai Dam is built across the Vaigai River near Andipatti, in the Theni district of Tamil Nadu, southern India. It provides water for irrigation for the Madurai district and the Dindigul district as well as drinking water to Madurai and Andipatti...

, Sothupparai Dam, Manjalaru Dam, and Meghamalai
Meghamalai
Meghamalai, popularly called High Wavy Mountains, is a cool and misty mountain range situated in the Western Ghats in Theni district, Tamilnadu, South India. It is a place of natural beauty dotted with cardamom plantations and tea estates. The place is situated at an elevation of 1,500 m above sea...

 Dam.

Theni city is famous for its cuisine. Nagar, Everest, Anjana Restaurant, Akshaya, Meenakshi Bhavan, Hotel Western Ghats, Pandian Hotel etc. are well-known restaurants in and around the city. there are famous sweets and bakeries like S.A.K Chellam, Meenakshi Vilas and maruthi sweets.

Several famous waterfalls are here: Suruli Falls
Suruli Falls
Suruli falls , also known as Chinna Suruli, Cloud Land Falls or Meghamalai Falls, is located from Theni and from Cumbum in the Theni District in Tamil Nadu, India. Nearest habitation is Kombaithozhu Village. It is a 2 stage Cascading water fall. The Suruli River supplying the falls originates...

, Kumbakarai Falls and Meghamalai
Meghamalai
Meghamalai, popularly called High Wavy Mountains, is a cool and misty mountain range situated in the Western Ghats in Theni district, Tamilnadu, South India. It is a place of natural beauty dotted with cardamom plantations and tea estates. The place is situated at an elevation of 1,500 m above sea...

 Falls.

Theni is surrounded by many tourist attractions like Kodaikannal, Thekkady
Thekkady
Thekkady is the location of the Periyar National Park, which is an important tourist attraction in the Kerala state of India.- Overview :...

, Meghamalai
Meghamalai
Meghamalai, popularly called High Wavy Mountains, is a cool and misty mountain range situated in the Western Ghats in Theni district, Tamilnadu, South India. It is a place of natural beauty dotted with cardamom plantations and tea estates. The place is situated at an elevation of 1,500 m above sea...

, Munnar
Munnar
Munnar is one of the most popular hill station in Kerala and in southern India. Munnar is located on the Western Ghats, situated in the Idukki district....

, Kumbakkarai, Sothuppaarai and Vaigai dam. Because Theni's scenic environment, it is one of the most favoured shooting spots of the Tamil film industry
Kollywood
Kollywood is a word referring two different movie industries in India and Nepal, derived from the word Hollywood and their local movie centers.* Tamil cinema, the Tamil language film industry based on Kodambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu,...

.

Thekkady wildlife sanctuary is a nearby attraction which lays border between Kerala and Tamil Nadu. There is a temple where Kannaki (historic character) was believed to be turned statue.

Every year in the first or second week of May, people in the Theni district celebrate the Veerapandi Goumari Ammam Kovil Festival. Goumari Amman kovil festival goes for a week and its very grand around theni district. theni have many industries like Menaka Mills, L.S mills, Renuga mills,and farms like Kodai Valley orchards etc.

Education

The Government Theni Medical College was opened to cater the needs of the people of the district. It has a capacity of 100 students. A large number of patients from neighboring districts of Kerala are treated here due to the better and cost-effective facilities. Theni hosts educational institutes including ODAIYAPPA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY,THE LITTLE KINGDOM school, the first ICSE school in theni. It also has schools run by the government and other organisations. CPA College is an arts and science college in Bodinayakanur town, which is near Theni.

In 2010 a new government polytechnic college is to be started in Theni, at Kottur village. Madurai Kamarajar University Art and Science College will be started soon in Theni, at Kottur Village.

It has given many good scholars to the society and many famous cinema personalities like Vairamuthu from Vadugapatti, director Bharathiraja from Allinagaram- Theni ,actor Dhanush son of Director Kasthuriraja ,director Bala, etc.and also the great south Indian music director 'ISAIGNANI'ILAIYARAJA from Pannaipuram.

Schools

  • Theni Melapettai Hindu Nadar uravinmurai matriculation higher secondary school
  • Shemford
    Shemford
    Shemford schools are a chain of formal schools in India. They are run and managed by the operators of India's first preschool chain, Shemrock. Shemford has around ten branches across India, including Hajipur, Kashipur, Kaithal, Najafgarh, Rohini, Hosur, Kagsar, Mirzapur, Pathankot, Patna, Rewa,...

     Theni 10+2 School
  • Amala Annai Higher Secondary School,T.Sindalacherry.
  • Velammal Matriculation school
  • Velammal Vidhyalaya
  • theni kammavar matriculation higher secondary school

Administration

Theni houses the office of the (revenue) district collector. Periyakulam
Periyakulam
Periyakulam is a town and a Municipality in Theni district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Geography:Periyakulam is located at . It has an average elevation of 282 metres . It is located at the foothills of the Western Ghats bordering the neighbouring state of Kerala. It is one of...

 has the (judicial) district court, which was built and operated in the British period. As the town of Theni is expanding, several local buses are run for commuting inside the town.

Economy

Theni's economy is mostly agricultural. Utilisation 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 and other cereals 57,081, pulses 6,677, groundnut 4,021 and gingelly 325. Silk, bananas, coconuts, tea, coffee, cardamom, grapes, and mangoes are other main produce of the district.

Surulipatti is a major centre for grape production, with 4,000 small farmers producing over 90,000 tonnes of Muscat grapes, known locally 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
Andipatti
Andipatti is a town in Theni district in Tamil Nadu state in southern India. It is on the bank of vaigai river with rich flora and fauna species. Its a valley surrounded by mountains and there is a theory saying Western Ghats starts from this place. Agriculture is the main economy of the town with...

 Taluk handloom weaving and power looms are flourishing. In Uthamapalayam
Uthamapalayam
Uthamapalayam is a panchayat town in Theni district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Demographics: India census, Uthamapalayam had a population of 22,104. 10% of the population is under 6 years of age...

 Taluk, the Highwavis Estate produces a significant 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.It is also the second biggest town in this district.

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 Tamil Nadu, inviting more industries to its locality. The district currently has 41.09 km of metre-gauge track serving three railway stations that connect to Madurai.

Agriculture

Theni district has Cumbum
Cumbum
Cumbum may refer to:*Cumbum, Tamil Nadu - A town in Tamil Nadu in India.*Cumbum, Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh - A town in Andhra Pradesh in India....

town in it, which is famously known behind the name "Cumbum Valley", the only valley in Asia that harvests grapes thrice in a year. Paddy, maize, cotton, sugarcane, grapes, mango, coconut are main agricultural products from Theni. Theni also acts as a distribution hub for potato, cabbage, and cauliflower cultivated in hilly regions to foothill towns in Tamil Nadu. Also it is the hub for distributing Toor dal, Urud dal, Moong dal, Channa dal, vegetable oils etc. to the hill regions and to Kerala.

Small-scale industries

Other than agriculture, Theni city has textiles mills, brick industries, iron oxide pigments and masala factories. People do business based on the agricultural commodities.
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