Tiruvannamalai Town
Tiruvannamalai Town, 1908
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts.Many units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Head-quarters of the taluk of the same name in South Arcot District, Madras, situated in 12 degree 14' N. and 79" 4' E., with a station on the Villupuram-Dharmavaram branch of the South Indian Railway. The population in 1901 was 17,069, of whom 14,981 were Hindus, 1,932 Musalmans, and the rest Christians. Roads diverge in four directions, and it is an entrepot of trade between South Arcot and the country to the west. The name means ' holy fire hill,' and is derived from the isolated peak at the back ot the town, 2,668 feet above the sea, which is a conspicuous object for many miles around. The story runs that Siva and ParvatI his wife were walking one evening in the flower garden of Kailasa, when ParvatI playfully put her hands over Siva's eyes. Instantly the whole world became darkened and the sun and moon ceased to give light ; and though to Siva and his wife it seemed only a moment, yet to the unfortunate dwellers in the world the period of darkness lasted for years. They petitioned Siva for relief, and to punish ParvatI for her thoughtlessness he ordered her to do penance at various holy places. Tiruvannamalai was one of these, and when she had performed her penance here Siva appeared as a flame of fire at the top of the hill as a sign that she was forgiven. A large and beautifully sculptured temple stands at the foot of the hill, and at a festival in the month of Kartigai (November-December) the priests light a huge beacon at the top of the hill in memory of the story. This festival is one of the chief cattle fairs in the District. The hill and the temple, command- ing the Chengani pass into Salem, played an important part in the Wars of the Carnatic. Between 1753 and 1790 they were subject to repeated attacks and captures. From 1760 the place was a British post, and Colonel Smith fell back upon it in 1767 as he retired through the Chengam pass before Haidar AIT and the Nizam. Here he held out till reinforced, when he signally defeated the allies. In 1790, after being repulsed from Tyaga Durgam, Tipu attacked the town and captured it. Tiruvannamalai was constituted a municipality in 1896.
The receipts and expenditure up to 1902-3 averaged Rs. 18,800 and Rs. 18,500 respectively. In 1903-4 the income, most of which was derived from tolls and the house and land taxes, was Rs. 20,800; and the expenditure was Rs. 19,100. The municipal area covers 11 square miles. One of the chief reasons for bringing it under sanitary control was that cholera used frequently to break out at the annual festival and be carried by the fleeing pilgrims far and wide through the District, The great want of the place is a proper water-supply, and experiments are in course of initiation.
