Vaniyambadi: Difference between revisions

Template:Infobox Indian urban area Vaniyambadi is a city and a municipality in Vellore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It has a sizeable Muslim population. People here speak Tamil and a slang form of urdu. Leather tanning is the major industry here. Agriculture especially Coconut plantation is the other major source of livelihood. The Tanning industry has recently been under pressure because of government crack down on tanneries which do not have effluent treatment facilities and cause water pollution. This has forced many of them to be shut down. The town is also famous for its popular food such as Biryani, various types of Sweets and bustling activities during the Eid festivals.

There is a belief among some section of the people that the name Vaniyambadi derives from 'Vani' + 'Padi' (to sing). Vani is the name of the Hindu Goddess Sarawathi. Folklore suggests that Vani sang on the banks of the river Palar at the request of the Hindu gods Vishnu and Shiva. However this derivation for the name needs to be verified. Temples for Sundara Vardaraja Perumal (Vishnu) and Athitheeswarar (Shiva) lie on the either side of the river.

Vaniyambadi is located at 12°41′N 78°37′E / 12.68°N 78.62°E / 12.68; 78.62^[1]. It has an average elevation of 363 metres (1190 feet). The town lies on the banks of the Palar river. The Yelagiri Hills and the Jamunamathur Forests are to the south of the city.

As of 2001 India censusTemplate:GR, Vaniyambadi had a population of 85,459. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Vaniyambadi has an average literacy rate of 68%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 73%, and female literacy is 63%. In Vaniyambadi, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age. Muslims and Hindus make up most of the population. The city also has a sizeable Christian and Jain population. Most of the towns Muslims speak a slang of Urdu. Majority of the Hindus speak Tamil. Kannada and Telugu are also widely spoken because of the towns proximity to Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Vaniyambadi is well connected by road and train to Chennai [199 KMs], Bangalore [130 KMs], Vellore [70 KMs] and Salem [120 KMs]. The town lies on the NH 46 of Bangalore-Chennai section which is part of the Golden Quadrangular Highway Project. A state Highway connects the town to Tirupattur on the Vaniyambai-Salem section. The town also has a railway station in the Chennai-Bangalore and Chennai-Salem sections but only few trains stop here due to close proximity with the important Jolarpet Railway Junction.

The famous Hill station Yelagiri is about 25 KMs from the town. The Vainu Bappu Observatory of the Indian Institute of Astrophyiscs at Kavalur Village nearby is a major attraction. Several centuries old temples for Sundara Varadaraja (Azhagu) Perumal and Athitheeswarar are prominent places of worship. The city also has many Mosques and Dargas.

The town has number of schools and colleges. The Islamiah College located in the town is more than a century old. The city is also a major centre for learning Urdu and Arabic because of the many Islamic Educational Centres located here.

Some of the prominent educational institutions in the town are:

• Islamiah College
• Jain College
• Priyadarshini Engineering College
• Hindu Higher Secondary School
• Islamiah Higher Secondary School for Boys and Girls
• St. Paul Matriculation Higher Secondary School
• Concordia Higher Secondary School
• Fatima Matriculation School
• Sri Ramakrishna Vidyalaya

• Professor M. Ananthakrishnan, former Vice-Chancellor, Anna University.
• Kavikko Abdul Rahman, noted Tamil Scholar.
• Dr. Abdul Khader, noted Tamil Scholar.
• Syed Fazaluddin, Tennis player.

• The town is mentioned in the Tamil movie Kizhingalkal with reference to a major Train accident which occurred on 11th February, 1981.

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