Rajapalayam

Rajapalayam is a town and a special grade municipality in Virudhunagar district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located 85 km southwest of Madurai in the state of Tamil Nadu. Its main attractions are the Ayyanar Falls and the neighbour town of Srivilliputtur. The economy is based on the manufacture of textiles, and there are mills for spinning and weaving cotton, as well as a large cotton market. It's also known for the Rajapalayam breed of dogs . As of 2011, the town had a population of 130,442.History"Rajapalayam" the name derived from 'Raja'-The community called Raja and 'Palayam'-in Tamil means a "cantonment on fort". Previously called as 'PALAYA Palayam', then 'Raju Palayam' and finally as 'Rajapalayam'. Rajapalayam is inhabited by people who came from the old Vijayanagaram state. Krishnadevaraya, the Maharaja of Vijayanagara Empire had sent five military commandos to Madurai Nayak kingdom to keep the law and order in the southern part of Nayaka kingdom at Sivagiri region. The Kshatriya Raju team under the leadership of Chinna Raja, a lineage decedent of the king of Vijayanagar belonged to Pasumpatti and other four brothers reached and established good for the Nayaka kingdom of Madurai. After then, they migrated to the south along with his followers and settled at kilarajakularaman at the first instance and then moved their settlements to Palayapalayam in 1483 AD. When Vijayanagaram rule was established in Madurai, the descendents of the original emigrants were said to have served under the Chokkanatha nayak, king of Madurai who has recorded his appreciation of the service rendered by Chinna raja and his four sons and has granted 'Sasanam' to establish a fort there.So the middle of 16th century, they constructed the Palayapalayam fort. Either after the battle of Talaikotta or on the eve of the same battle more Rajas migrated to the south from the Vijayanagar empire. They settled in Pudupalayam, western portion of Rajapalayam municipality and the town was expanded by purchasing lands from Vijayarenga chokkanatha nayak .Rajapalayam was constituted as a united board in the year 1885. It became a panchayat board in the year 1930. Railway line was laid in the year 1927 and the town was electrified in 1937.