Pollachi

Pollachi (Tamil: பொள்ளாச்சி) The sleepy small town of Pollachi, 40 kilometres from Coimbatore, has become one of the biggest tourist spots in Tamil Nadu. It is located 42 km south of Coimbatore. It is an important commercial area in the region and has a big market for agricultural products. Coconuts and tender-coconuts are exported from here to all over India. Pollachi is the nearest town to the Indira Gandhi National Park.

Due to its proximity to the Western Ghats, Pollachi has a pleasant climate throughout the year. Pollachi is also famed for its market (சந்தை), especially for Jaggery and cattle (மாட்டுச்சந்தை). The Jaggery Market in Pollachi is the Asia’s biggest Jaggery Market.

Pollachi is a popular movie filming location for the Tamil film industry.[1]
Geography
Pollachi is located at 10.67° N 77.02° E.[2] It has an average elevation of 293 metres (961 feet).
Origin of Name
Pollachi was known as “Polil VAichi”(பொழில் வாய்ச்சி) in ancient times which means “The land of natural wealth and prosperity”(You can find this name in the Lord Subramanyar temple in Pollachi).The name Polil VAichi had changed into pollachi by time.The historic town of Pollachi was once known as Mudi Konda Chola Nallur during the period of Kulottunga Chola III. The Subramanyar temple here is an ancient one, with a history that goes back for about 8 centuries. It is believed that the Subramanyar temple here was once a Shiva temple, enshrining Agastheeswaram Udaiyaar, with the festival deity being Subramanyar. Much of the construction in the temple now belongs to the 20th century. There is another story with the Origin of name, Pollachi was known as “Porull Aatchi” which means “The land of wealthy Government”. Its said that everything is sold/bought in the market(including elephants) except ones parents, in the olden days.

Member of Parliament
Pollachi, Valparai, Dharampuram, Kinathukidavu, Pongalur and Udumalpet form the Pollachi parliament constituency, for which the MP is C. Krishnan.

Based on new alignment, Pollachi, Udumalpet, Kinathukadavu, Madathukulam(NEW), Valparai and Thondamuthur will form New POLLACHI Parliament constituency and Dharapuram will be handed over to New ERODE Parliament constituency and POLLACHI loses its Reserved Parliament Constituency status as per new alignment.

Members of Legislature Assembly (MLA)
V.Jayaraman

Municipality-statistics
Population 88303
Area (km²) 13
No.of Schools 56 Higher Secondary Schools
No.of Maternity Hospitals 10
No.of Other Hospitals/Dispensaries 2+others15

Places
No.of Other Hotels/Lodges 25
No.of Marriage Halls 22
No.of Thetres 13

Nearest International Airport:
Coimbatore airport is the nearest international airport to Pollachi. International flights to Singapore, Sharjah and Colombo are available by Silk Air ( Singapore Airlines), Air Arabia and Srilankan Airlines. Domestic airlines fly to Chennai, Bangalore, New Delhi, Mumbai and other Indian cities.
Bus Stand
Pollachi has a central bus stand which is used by TNSTC, and the private operators.This is situated in the leg of the town. A new foundation stone was laid by local administration minister M.K.Stalin in November 2007 to construct an additional bus stand for want of space, just opposite to the existing bus stand.

Railway Station
Currently only metre gauge trains are operated in this section, the major routes being Coimbatore – Pollachi – Dindigul and Palghat – Pollachi – Dindigul.Plans for broad gauge conversion of this segment have been approved by the government and are expected to be carried out shortly. Pollachi and neighbouring Kinathukadavu have recently been joined to the Palakkad railway division amid strong oppoositions and protests from some political parties.BroadGauge Conversion
Railway Station
Currently only metre gauge trains are operated in this section, the major routes being Coimbatore – Pollachi – Dindigul and Palghat – Pollachi – Dindigul.Plans for broad gauge conversion of this segment have been approved by the government and are expected to be carried out shortly. Pollachi and neighbouring Kinathukadavu have recently been joined to the Palakkad railway division amid strong oppoositions and protests from some political parties.BroadGauge Conversion
Telecomunications
Pollachi is well connected with all GSM & CDMA mobile phone operators. The major players Aircell, Airtel, BSNL, and Hutch in GSM segment and Reliance, Tata Indicom in CDMA segment cover Pollachi.

Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary:
This Sanctuary is situated at an altitude of 1,400 mts in the Western Ghats near Pollachi (about 90 Kms from Coimbatore). The area of the sanctuary is 958 sq.kms. It has various kinds of fauna like elephant, gaur, tiger, panther, sloth-bear, deer, wild bear, wild dog, porcupine, flying squirrel, jackal, pangolin, civet cat and birds like rocket-tailed drongo, red-whiskered bulbul, black headed oriole, tree pie, spotted dove, green pigeon, etc. The Amaravathy reservoir in the Anamalai has a large number of crocodiles. There are also many places of scenic beauty such as Karainshola, Anaikunthiashola, grass hills, waterfalls, groves, teak forests, estates, dams and reservoirs.

Topslip:
It is a picturesque location in the Anamalai Hills. It is about 37 kms from Pollachi. This small town is an ideal picnic spot. Arrangements are available at Topslip to take tourists around the Sanctuary on elephant back or by van.

Thirumoorthy Temple:
It is situated at the foot of Thiru moorthy Hills adjoining the Thirumoorthy Dam. This is about 20 kms from Udumalpet on the Highway from Palani to Coimbatore. A perennial stream flows by the side of the Sri Amaralingeswarar temple and nearby there is a waterfalls. The Crocodile Farm at Amaravathi Dam is just 25 kms from here. This place is being developed as a District Excursion Centre, Regular buses are available from Udumalpet.

The Siruvani Waterfalls
This waterfalls and the dam are located at a distance of 37 kms west of the city. The water of
siruvani is known for This waterfalls and the dam are located at a distance of 37 kms west of the city. The water of Siruvani is known for its taste. The Panoramic View of the dam and the falls is enchanting with beauty.

Parambikulam – Aliyar Multipurpose Project:
This project consists of a series af dams interconnected by tunnels and canals at various elevation in order to harness the Parambikulam, Aliyar, Nirar, Sholiyar, Thunkadavu, Thenkkadi and Palar rivers, laid for irrigation and power generation. The scheme is an outstanding example of engineering skill. It is located in Anamalai range.