Sangagiri
Sangagiri
Sankagiri, Sankari | |
|---|---|
 View of Sangagiri from the hill fort | |
  Sangagiri Location in Tamil Nadu, India | |
| Coordinates: 11°28′28″N 77°52′09″E / 11.4745°N 77.8691°E | |
| Country | India |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| District | Salem |
| Taluk | Sankari |
| Town panchayat constituted | 20 March 1945 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Selection Grade Town Panchayat |
| • Body | Sankagiri Town Panchayat |
| Area | |
• Total | 19.20 km2 (7.41 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 29,467 |
| • Density | 1,535/km2 (3,975/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Tamil |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 637301 |
| Telephone code | 04283 |
| Vehicle registration | TN-52 |
| Website | townpanchayat |
Sangagiri (also spelled Sankagiri and commonly Sankari) is a town and a Selection Grade town panchayat in Salem district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The town lies on the Salem–Erode road corridor and covers an area of 19.2 km2 (7.4 sq mi). It had a population of 29,467 at the 2011 census and is divided into 18 municipal wards.[1]
The town is associated with lorry body-building, handloom production and agriculture.[2] It developed below Sangagiri Fort, a fortified hill that was of military importance during the Mysore and early British periods. It is the headquarters of Sangagiri revenue district comprising Edappadi. It is also the headquarters of Sangagiri educational district.
Name
[edit]Several forms of the name have been recorded in English. The present local authority uses both Sankagiri and Sankari, while nineteenth-century records used forms such as Sankrydroog, Sankerrydroog and Sankaridrug.[3][4]
A nineteenth-century administrative manual analysed Sankaridrug as being derived from Tamil Sangu or equivalent Sanskrit shankha ("conch"), giri ("hill") and durga ("fort"), associating the name with the pale, conspicuous appearance of the hill.[4] The present town panchayat similarly records a local tradition that the name arose from the hill's resemblance to a sangu, or conch shell.[2]
History
[edit]
The history of Sangagiri was closely connected with the fortified hill overlooking the settlement. The fortified position came under the Vijayanagara Empire, during which the hill fort was developed as a defensive stronghold. Following the decline of Vijayanagara authority in the region, Sangagiri eventually passed under the control of the Kingdom of Mysore. It was subsequently associated with the forces of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan during the eighteenth century. The strategic importance of the hill and its successive fortifications made Sangagiri an important military position on routes connecting Salem with the western districts.
Following the Anglo-Mysore Wars and the expansion of East India Company rule, Sangagiri came under British control. The fort continued for a period as a military station and was used in the administration of the surrounding region. Dheeran Chinnamalai, who resisted British authority in the Kongu region, was executed at Sangagiri Fort in 1805.[5]
After the expansion of British authority into the region at the end of the eighteenth century, Sankaridurg became a military station. By the early nineteenth century its military importance was declining as Salem developed into the principal military and administrative centre of the district.[6]
In February 1824, East India Company officer James Welsh travelled from Salem through the locality, which he called Sankrydroog. He described the hill fort as a former military station whose barracks, walls and other military remains were still visible.[3]
The settlement also lay on an established route between Salem and the western districts. Robert Baikie's 1834 account of routes to the Nilgiris listed Sankerrydroog on the route from Bangalore through Salem and Erode towards Avinashi and the Nilgiris.[7]
By the later nineteenth century, Sangagiri had acquired a more distinct civil and transport role. The 1885 Manual of the Administration of the Madras Presidency described Sankaridurg as a village in Tiruchengode taluk, the headquarters of a deputy tahsildar and a railway station. A population of 1,808 was recorded for the settlement at that time.[4] The fortified hill was described separately from the village, reflecting the distinction between the civil settlement and the former military position.
Sangagiri was constituted as a town panchayat on 20 March 1945. It was raised to Selection Grade on 24 February 1982. After being temporarily reclassified as a Special Village Panchayat in April 2006, it was reconstituted as a Selection Grade Town Panchayat on 14 July 2006.[1]
Geography
[edit]Sangagiri lies in the south-western part of Salem district, between Salem and Erode. Edappadi lies to the north and Tiruchengode to the south. The town panchayat has an administrative area of 19.2 km2 (7.4 sq mi).[1]
The fortified Sangagiri hill rises immediately beside the settlement and has historically formed the principal physical landmark of the town.
Demographics
[edit]Population
[edit]According to the 2011 census, Sangagiri had a population of 29,467.[8] Male constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Sangagiri has an average literacy rate of 68%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: Male literacy is 75%, and female literacy is 60%. In Sangagiri, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age. 40% of the percent are engaged in agriculture, and many of the rest are involved in the lorry transport industry.
Religion
[edit]Kongu Vellalar Gounder, Vanniar and Vettuva Gounder castes are the majority population in Sangagiri. The town also has a diverse religious population, including Hindus, Muslims, and Christians.
Government and politics
[edit]Sangagiri Assembly constituency is the state assembly constituency in Salem district, Tamil Nadu, India. It comprises Sangagiri taluk and a portion of Omalur taluk. It is a part of the wider Namakkal constituency for national elections to the Parliament of India.[9]
Economy
[edit]The economy of the town was predominantly dependent on agriculture. Over the past decade,[when?] logistics and related services, cement, steel, spinning mills and body building industries have developed around the town contributing to the economy.
Sangagiri is well known for its truck logistics industry and SLOA (Sangagiri Lorry Owners Association), one of the biggest in India. Some long existent truck fleet operators from Sangagiri are SREE ROAD LINES (SRL), Sri Jayamurugan Transports, AST, SSPT, MM Roadways, KRN, Murugan, SPP, Triveni, SKP, SNR, Sankari Roadways, SPN, Simon, Sri Vari, AM TRANSPORT and MST. SLOA also runs the fuel station on Salem main road, Sangagiri. Many private bus companies like SPBT and Shanmugam bus service operate out of Sangagiri.
There is a cement plant of the India Cements Limited which has a production capacity of 2,000 tonnes/day and of late lorry industry in Sangagiri is fast picking up with Tiruchengode and Namakkal, places renowned for truck industry in the country. Industries in Sangagiri are dominated by Kongu Vellalar, Vanniar and Chettiar castes.
Landmarks
[edit]Sangagiri Fort
[edit]
Sangagiri Fort occupies the hill adjoining the town and is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. The Salem district administration attributes its principal development to the Vijayanagara period, with later use and alterations under Tipu Sultan and the British. The fort also became associated with Dheeran Chinnamalai, who was executed there by the British in 1805.[10] The fort's military history, architecture, surviving structures and fortifications are described separately in the article on Sangagiri Fort.
Chennakesava Perumal Temple
[edit]The Chennakesava Perumal Temple on Salem Main Road is identified by the town panchayat as one of Sangagiri's principal local places of interest. Its annual chariot festival is held in May.[1]
Transport
[edit]By road
[edit]Sangagiri is well connected by road, and regular bus facilities are available from Sangagiri to nearby towns and major cities in Tamil Nadu. Government and private buses operate frequent services to Erode, Salem, Bhavani, Coimbatore, the Nilgiris region, Tiruchengode, Namakkal, Karur, Tiruchirappalli, Edappadi, Mettur, Omalur, Kallakurichi, Villupuram, Chennai, and Madurai. In addition to long-distance routes, local town bus services connect surrounding areas, including routes such as S2 (Sangagiri–Bhavani) and S1 (Erode–Sangagiri), providing daily commuter connectivity.
By air
[edit]The nearest international airport to this town is Coimbatore International Airport, which is 117 km away. Alternately, one can reach through Tiruchirappalli International Airport, from a distance of 142 km. Another domestic airport available Salem Airport (India), which is 40 km.
By rail
[edit]Sangagiri railway station is also called as Sankari Durg railway station (SGE), which is a B grade station in Salem division. It has train services to/from major cities nearby.
The nearest railway junctions are Erode and Salem. It is not so crowded because it is located away from the town, meanwhile people around Sangagiri requested southern railways through Salem division for more trains to halt here. There are 14 trains halt here daily. Of these, six are express trains. They are:
- Erode - Chennai Yercaud Express
- Mangalore - Chennai West Coast Express
- Ernakulam - KSR Bengaluru Intercity Express
- Erode - Jolarpettai Express
- Coimbatore - Salem Memu Express
- Erode - Mettur Dam Express
Notable people
[edit]- P. V. Nandhidhaa, Indian chess player, India's 17th Woman Grandmaster[11]
- Edappadi K. Palaniswami, 7th chief minister of Tamil Nadu
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 "Town Profile". Sankari Town Panchayat. Directorate of Town Panchayats, Government of Tamil Nadu. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
- 1 2 "Sankari Town Panchayat". Directorate of Town Panchayats, Government of Tamil Nadu. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
- 1 2 Welsh, James (1830). Military Reminiscences: Extracted from a Journal of Nearly Forty Years' Active Service in the East Indies. Vol. 2 (2nd ed.). London: Smith, Elder and Co. pp. 191–192.
- 1 2 3 Maclean, C. D., ed. (1885). Manual of the Administration of the Madras Presidency. Vol. 3. Madras: Government Press. entry "Sankaridrug".
- ↑ "Sangagiri Fort". Salem District. Government of Tamil Nadu. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
- ↑ Ramaswami, A., ed. (1967). Madras District Gazetteers: Salem. Madras: Government of Madras.
- ↑ Baikie, Robert (1834). Smoult, William Hunter (ed.). Observations on the Neilgherries, Including an Account of their Topography, Climate, Soil, and Productions, and of the Effects of the Climate on the European Constitution. Calcutta: Baptist Mission Press. p. 76.
- ↑ "Cities and Towns". citypopulation.de (compiled from Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner). Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- ↑ "Tamil Nadu - Final Notification & Order" (PDF). Delimitation Commission of India. National Informatics Centre. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
- ↑ "Sangagiri Fort". Salem District. Government of Tamil Nadu. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
- ↑ "TN Chief Minister honours Chess champion Nandhidhaa". www.dtnext.in. 1 August 2017. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
External links
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