About my home town

Salem is a city and a corporation in Salem district in the Indian State of TamilNadu.. Located in the north central part of the southernmost state of India, it is the Fifth largest city of Tamil Nadu, after Chennai,Coimbatore (Kovai),Madurai and Tiruchirapalli (Trichy). Almost completely surrounded by hills, it is also a part of the Kongu nadu (Tirupur and Coimbatore) region.

Salem is at the base of the renowned tourist destination of Yercaud hills, which offers breathtaking views both along the ride up the hill and from the peak. There are also remote sites of beauty such as Kiliyur Falls. Yercaud is at an altitude of 1600 m above mean sea level.

The city is surrounded by a natural amphitheatre of hills formed by the Nagaramalai to the north, the Jeragamalai to the south, the Kanjanamalai to the west, and Godumalai to the east. It is divided by the Thirumanimuthar in the main division. The fort is the oldest building in town.

History

The name Salem appears to have been derived from Sela or Shalya or Sayilam which are found in inscriptions referring to the country around the hills. Local folklore believes Salem to be the birthplace of the Tamil poetess Avvaiar. Inscriptions from the Ganga dynasty have been recovered from parts of the district.

Salem along with Coimbatore remained under the Madurai nayaks. Later, in the early 18th century, it came under Hyder Ali after a long feud know as the Mysur-Madurai war. Salem was then taken from Hyder Ali by Colonel Wood in the beginning of 1768. It was recaptured by Hyder towards the end of the year 1772. Under Lord Clive in 1799, it was again occupied by a detachment of the regiment stationed at Sankari Durg and remained a military station until 1861 when the troops were altogether withdrawn.

Many great personalities including Salem Ramasamy Mudaliar,C. Vijayaraghavachariar, Pagadala Narasimhalu Naidu, C.Rajagopalachari and Dr. P. Subbarayan started their political careers in Salem.

Industries in salem

• SISCOL
• MALCO
• Chemplast SANMAR
• Burn Standard & Co
• Tata Refractories
• Dalmia Magnesite
• TANMAG
• SAGOSERVE
• Indian-Oil Bottling Plant
• POWERGRID

Export commodities

• Textiles, Yarn, granite, readymade garments, mangoes, coir products and stainless steel

Special Economic Zones (SEZ)

Being one of the fastest growing tier II cities, the Tamil Nadu government and ELCOT are planning an IT park in Salem covering about 160 acres.It comes under SEZ

SAIL is planning a Steel SEZ inside the Salem Steel plant covering about 250 acres^]

There is an exclusive Electrical and Electronics Industrial Estate in the Suramangalam area of Salem city.

Religious sites

There are several Mariamman templs in Salem. Mariamman is a Hindu goddess, an incarnation of Shakyi. Every year around July the city celebrates Mariamman festival for a fortnight. During this festival, Goddess Mariamman is decorated with jewellery and flower chariots and taken around the city at midnight. On the first important day of the festival, people walk on fire (note: devotees call fire as flower) with their prayers. The second day is colourful with parades of fancy dress. This is one of the best times to visit Salem. This festival is celebrated at temples at Fort, Shevapet, Ammapet, Gugai, Andheripati etc. Shevapet Mariamman temple car is the biggest one among the cars of Amman temples across the state. This festival is celebrated for a week. The Kottai Marriamman temple is very famous not only in Salem but throughout Tamil Nadu.

There is an Alagirnathar Thirukoil popularly known as "Kottai Perumal Koil", located at the heart of the city. The temple has been built centuries ago and has some beautiful sculptures. " Vaikunta Ekadasi" is the most famous festival in the temple, and on that day, lakhs of devotees visit the temple.In this temple, other festivals such as Brahmotsavam, Pavithrotsavam, Navarathri, and Puratasi are celebrated at good spirit. Thousands of devotees throng the temple during these days. "Aandaal Thirukalyanam" is a famous utsavam in the temple for which a special garland is brought from Sri Villi Puttur ("Soodi kodutha sudar malai")

The Sugavaneshwarar temple is also a very important shrine of Salem. Mythology records that sage Sugha Brahmarishi worshiped the lord here. Arunagirinadhar has sung a song on Lord Muruga in Sugavaneshwarar temple.

Kandashramam is a small hill temple for Lord Muruga. It is situated 10 km from Salem City towards Chennai highway. Kandashramam houses statues of unique and vital gods. It has the statues of Panchamukha Anjaneya, Panchamukha Vinayagar, Swarna Bhairavar, Dhanvanthri, and others. In Salem City, at Seelanaickenpatty there is another hill for Lord Murugan, named Oothumalai.

Kumaragiri is a small temple for Lord Muruga. It is situated 5 km from Salem city.

Two more mountain temples are in Salem for Lord Vishnu.

Salem also has a Heritage Temple called Sitthar Koil, which is located about 10 km from Salem. This is a Shiva temple, which is located in the foothills of Kanja Malai. Some believers say that this temple was built by Sitthar's which is believed that they still survive in the Mount of Kanja Malai. The famous Tamil poetess Avvayar is believed to be living in this hills.

Aragalur is located approximately 21 km from Attur, boasting two old temples and a large Buddha statue. The one day Temple car festival in summer invites many people in the region. The Kailasanatha Temple situated at Tharamangalam is very famous for its architectural beauty. The Tharamangalam temple has many beautiful sculptures. Noteworthy amongst them are the sculptures of Arjuna's penace, Shiva-parvathi & Manmadha, Rama killing Vaali, etc. There are ancient shiva temples at Belur(Thanthondreeshwarar) and Uttamacholapuram (Karaburanathar). Ayothiappattanam, located 7 km away from the city, houses a beautiful Kothandaramar temple.

A Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama is located in Salem. It was started in 1928 and made a branch of the mission in 1941.

Also, Eden Gardens School near Gandhi Road area has an attached prayer hall which functions as LEF

All parts of Salem are covered by mosques. Jamia masjid in Bazaar St, meltheru and Keeltheru Mosques in Fort, mosques near railway junction and New integrated bus terminal, mosques in Ammapet, 5 Roads and Gugai are the famous one. Moreover there is a famous Arabic collegenear located Tamilnadu Magnesite, Salem, offering world-class Arabic studies to the students.

AAngala Parashwari temple is situvated in near kottagoundapatti near the Sellapilikuttai

A relatively new ISKCON ashram has been started, home to a very enthusiastic group of ISKCON devotees, mostly young brahmacharis, who have recently relocated to a new property, a three-acre plot of land, just a half kilometer from Periyaar University and the Government Engineering college. The new land is located just three kilometers outside Salem, off the main highway to Bangalore, well known as the Bangalore-Madurai highway, which is in the process of being upgraded to a four-lane highway. Gokul Chandra Prabhu, a towering six-foot, five-inch tall Croatian brahmachari, who’s been residing in India for the past thirteen years, is the temple manager. One of the most interesting aspects of this new construction is that Gokul Chandra Prabhu has been inspired to use "traditional" building materials — for the most part, but with a few exceptions — to construct the "ashram" buildings, including a few residential huts, a temporary temple, a library and a kitchen.

Education

Salem, which was once considered the most educationally backward district in Tamil Nadu, now has a few good educational institutions.

Periyar University is located in Karuppur, Salem. Government Medical College and Government Nursing College are located in Salem.

Engineering colleges in Salem

• Government College of Engineering was started during the Third Five Year plan in 1966 and is located on a beautiful 162-hectare site surrounded by hills. This was at the time the third government engineering institution in Tamil Nadu. The first batch of students was selected for the academic year 1966-67 for courses in Civil, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineering. In the 1973-74 school year, the Metallurgical Engineering branch was started. The Electronics and Communication branch was introduced in 1985-86. The Computer Science engineering course was introduced in 2001.
• Sona College of Technology, established in the year 1997. This college is situated in the heart of city.
• Vinayaka Mission's University was established in the year 2001 as a 48th University in India.
• SSM College of Engineering was established in 1998 under private management.

• Maha college of engineering,vazhapadi tk.
• The Kavery Engineering College,mecheri,mettur.

Arts and science colleges in Salem District

• AVS college of arts and Science, vazhapadi tk.
• Sri Shakthi kailassh college for Women
• Government Arts college for Men
• Government Arts college for Women
• Sarada College (Arts and Science) for Women (autonomous)
• Sarada College of Education
• Vysya College
• Salem Sowdeswari College
• Jairam Arts and Science college,salem.
• Vinaka Missions Kirupananda variyar Arts and Science college,ariyanur,salem.
• A.A Govt Arts college,attur.
• Bharathiyar Arts and science college for women,attur.
• Paavenar college of Arts and Science,salem.
• Padmavani college of Arts and science for women.
• Rabindranath Tagore college of Arts and science for science.
• Sri Balamurugan Arts and science college
• Sri Ganesh college of Arts and science.

Schools in Salem

Government Higher Secondary School, Mettupatty. Government Higher Secondary School, Dasanaickenpatty Salem 636201

Government-aided schools (state board syllabus)

• The Gugai Higher Secondary School, Gugai, Salem-636 006.
• Little Flower Higher Secondary School, Four Roads, Peramanoor post, Salem
• Sri Ramakrishna Saradha Higher Secondary School, Subramania Nagar,Salem
• Bharathi Vidyalaya Higher Secondary School, Maraveneri, Salem
• St. Marys Girls Higher Secondary School, Arisipalayam, Salem-9
• Sri Sarada Vidyalaya Girls Higher Secondary School, Fairlands, Salem
• St. Pauls Higher Secondary School
• CSI Higher Secondary School
• Neelambal Subramanium Higher Secontary School,Salem,OldSuramangalem

Private schools: Matriculation higher secondary schools

• St.John's Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Fairlands, Salem-636016. Ph:(0091) 0427- 2447767
• Holy Angels Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Fairlands, Salem-636016. Ph:(0091) 0427- 2446969
• Sri Vidya Mandir Higher Secondary School,(Ammapet,Shevapet,Kondalampatti,Anandashram,Ayodhiyapattinam)
• AGN Matric Higher Secondary School, Konganapuram, Salem
• AndersonMatric Higher Secondary School, Yercaud road, Salem- 636 007
• Bala Bharathi Matric Higher Secondary School, Salem
• St.Joseph's Higher Secondary School, Salem -636006
• Glazebrook Matric Higher Secondary School, Salem- 636 004
• Golden Gate Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Yercaud Foothills, Salem-ph- 2412848
• Golden Spark Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Bangalore Main Road, Salem-636 012. ph- 2345112
• CLUNY MARICULATION HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOL,Salem,636007.
• Chinmaya Vidyalaya Matric School, Chinmaya Nagar, Sollampalllam, Steel Plant Road, Salem- 636 005
• C.S.I Good Shepherd Matric Higher Secondary School, Fort, Salem-2211944
• Holy Angels Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Alagapuram pudur post, Salem-ph-2446969
• Holy Flower Matriculation Higher Secondary School, ph2448426
• Holy Cross Matriculation Higher Secondary School, K.N Colony,Ammapet, Salem- 636014,ph-2240888, 2242526, Fax, 2240567, Primary School: 2240179
• Hindu Don Bosco Matric Higher Secondary School, Karungalpalayam, Salem -636006
• Jayarani Matric Higher Secondary School, Nethimedu, Salem- 636 002
• Jothi Matric Higher Secondary School, Ammapet, Salem
• Malco Vidyalayam Matric Higher Secondary School, Mettur dam, Salem-
• PSG Matric Higher Secondary School, Sankagiri, Salem
• Sri Jothi Vidyalaya Matric Higher Secondary School, Kandampatty, Salem- 636005
• Sri Sarada BalaMandhir Boys Matriculation Higher Secondary School, 19, Rajaji Road, Salem-7,Ph 2412160
• Sri Sarada Matric Higher Secondary School for Girls, Fairlands, Salem- 636016
• St. Josephs Matric Higher Secondary School, Pension Line, Salem -636 006
• Sri Vasavi Matric Higher Secondary School, Shevapet, Salem
• Sri Vidya Mandhir Matric Higher Secondary School, Salem Steel plant, Mohan Nagar, Salem- 636 030
• Tagore Matric Higher Secondary School

Private schools: CBSE schools (Central Board of Secondary Education Syllabus)

• Notre Dame of Holy Cross School ( CBSE ), Gundukallur, Udayapatti Area, Salem. Ph: 2240844
• Sri Vidya Mandir Secondary School (CBSE), Shivaji Nagar, Salem, 636003, ph--263617, 261949
• Sri Vidya Mandir Secondary School (CBSE), Annadasramam, Meyanur Road, Salem - 636004, Phone: 448105, - 277105
• Sri Vidya Mandir Secondary School and Junior College (CBSE), Salem- 636002, phone- 212125, 212135
• Sri Vidya Mandir Secondary School (CBSE), Attur Main Road, Ayodhiya Pattanam, Salem - 636103, ph- 812333, 240288
• Sri Vidya Mandir Secondary School (CBSE), Kondalampatty, Salem- 636010, phone- 270637

Residential schools in Yercaud Hills, Salem

• Montfort School, Yercaud
• Sacred Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Yercaud
• Bright Sun Matriculation school, Yercaud

These schools have produced celebrities like cricketer Roger Binny, actor Vikram, Hindi legend actress Rekha, Union Cabinet minister Dr. Anbumani Ramadass and many IITans, etc.

Alumni associations

• Government College of Engineering, Salem

Road

Three important National Highways NH7, NH47 and NH68 intersect each other at Salem.

Rail

Salem is an important rail junction in South India, because of its location almost midway between Cjhennai,Bangalore and Coimbatore. In 2007, Salem became a rail-division (including the high revenue-yielding Coimbatore District and Erode District. This was formally inaugurated on 1 nov 2007 the Tamil nadu chief minister m karunanidhi and Indian Railway Minister Lalu prasad yadav The Salem rail-division was carved out of the palakkad rail-division in Kerala, which had created dissension between the two states.

At Salem junction, most express trains pass through at night. Initiatives have been taken for a bullet train from Chennai to Coimbatore via Salem.

Air

Salem has a domestic airport with international standards (code FR3241) at Kamalapuram near Omalur on NH7 towards Dharmapuri, but currently (2008) it is only being used for charter flights. An aviation school is also utilizing the facilities. The nearest airports are at Trichy (135km) and coimbator(159km).

Salem Airport

• No.of Runways : 1
• Runway Direction : 04-22
• Runway lenght :8000 ft (paved)
• Taxiways : Halfway Backtracking and continue Taxiway A

External links

• Salemjilla.com Fun based Informative website for Salem, Tamil Nadu
• salema2z.in Informative website for Salem, Tamil Nadu
• Official Website of Salem City Municipal Corporation
• Salem, Tamil Nadu at the Open Directory Project
• NIC website for Salem, Tamil Nadu
• History of Salem, Tamil Nadu
• Police and prisons
• Department of Geology & Mining, Govt. of Tamilnadu