Sirkali

Sirkazhi is a municipal town in Nagapattinam district in Tamil Nadu, India. It is located 13km from the coast of the Bay of Bengal, and 250km from the state capital Chennai. Sirkazhi was a part of Thanjavur district until 1991 and has later been part of Nagapattinam district. The town covers an area of 13.21sqkm and in 2011 had a population of 34,927. It is administered by a second grade municipality. Sirkazhi is part of the Cauvery delta region and agriculture is the major occupation. Roads are the main means of transportation; the town has 51.47km of district roads, including a national highway.The town is believed to be of significant antiquity and has been ruled by the Medieval Cholas, Later Cholas, Later Pandyas, the Vijayanagar Empire, the Marathas and the British. The Tamil trinity of Carnatic music; Arunachala Kavirayar (1711–78), Muthu Thandavar (1525–1600) and Marimutthu Pillai (1712–87), originated from Sirkazhi. The Saiva saint Tirugnanasambandar, foremost of the Saiva Nayanars, was born here in the seventh century. The history of the town is centred on the Sattainathar Temple, which is dedicated to Hindu god Shiva.