Pudukkottai

Pudukkottai (Tamil: புதுக்கோட்டை Putukkōṭṭai [ˈpud̪ɯkːoːʈːɛi], formerly Pudukota) is a city in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu with a population of around 118,000 (2011 census). It is the administrative headquarters of Pudukkottai District.

Pudukkottai is located a few kilometres north of the river Vellaru in a lowland plain about 50 kilometres south of Tiruchirappalli and is connected to the railway line between Chennai and Rameswaram.

As temple inscriptions indicate, a settlement called Pudukkottai probably existed as early as the 13th century during the time of the Chola kings. The actual foundation of the city, however, took place only in 1686 by Iragunata Rayattondaiman, a general and governor of the ruler of Tirumayam. The latter developed Pudukkottai into the capital of his empire of the same name. Between 1732 and 1734, the city was the scene of the warlike conflicts for the throne of Arcot between Chanda Sahib and Pudukkottai's ally Mohamed Ali. Parts of the city were destroyed in the process. From the early 19th century, a resident of the British East India Company was based in the town, which was burnt down at his behest in 1812 and rebuilt as a checkerboard. Until 1947, Pudukkottai remained the capital of the princely state of the same name under British suzerainty.

Textile, food and chemical industries form the economic base of the city. The state government of Tamil Nadu operates a printing press in Pudukkottai.

79 percent of Pudukkottai's inhabitants are Hindus, 15 percent are Muslims and 5 percent are Christians. The main language, as in the whole of Tamil Nadu, is Tamil, which is spoken by 97 percent of the population as their mother tongue.

Sons and daughters of the city

• Gemini Ganesan (1919-2005), actor
• Suriya Loganathan (* 1990), track and field athlete