Karaikudi

Karaikudi is a Greater municipality in Sivagangai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the 21st largest urban agglomeration of Tamil Nadu based on 2011 census data. It is part of the area commonly referred to as "Chettinad" and has been declared a Municipality by the Government of Tamil Nadu, on account of the palatial houses built with limestone called karai veedu. Karaikudi comes under the Karaikudi Assembly constituency, which elects a member to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly once every five years, and it is a part of the Sivaganga Lok Sabha constituency, which elects its member of parliament (MP) once in five years. The town is administered by the Karaikudi municipality, which covers an area of . As of 2011, The town had a population of 181,851 of which 90,799 were males and 91,052 were females in 2011. The municipality consists of karaikudi, Kanadukathan, Kandanur, Kottaiyur, Pallathur, Puduvayal, and Sankarapuram (census town) This city is famous for karaikudi kandangi sarees a special type of sarees which come from and are woven in this area.The geographical indication presents the government of India of this kandaangi sarees. The city derives its name from the thorny plant Karai, referred to in ancient literature as Karaikudi, which in modern times has become Karaikudi. The town was established in the 19th century, and the oldest known structure is the Koppudaiya Nayagi Amman Temple. Mahatma Gandhi delivered two speeches in Karaikudi in 1927 and Bharathiyar visited Karaikudi in 1919 to participate in an event. After independence, the city saw significant growth in the industrial sector. Karaikudi and surrounding areas are generally referred as "Chettinad". Chettinad comprises a network of 73 villages and 2 towns forming clusters spread over a territory of 1,550 km2 in the Districts of Sivagangai and Pudukottai in the State of Tamil Nadu. Karaikudi is the largest town in Chettinad. Karaikudi and surrounding areas are very popular for their unique palaces, Chettinad Architecture.