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Kovilpatti | |
|---|---|
Special grade municipality | |
      Clockwise from the top Kovilpatti Kadalamittai,City,Kovilpatti railway,Main City,Government College arts,Kovilpatti hockey stadium,Kathiresan malai temple, andKovilpatti Lakshmi Mill | |
  Kovilpatti Kovilpatti, Tamil Nadu | |
| Coordinates:9°10′22″N77°52′17″E / 9.172700°N 77.871500°E /9.172700; 77.871500 | |
| Country | India |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| District | Thoothukudi |
| Government | |
| • Type | Special grade Municipality |
| • Body | Kovilpatti Special grade Municipality |
| Area | |
• Total | 76.71 km2 (29.62 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 13 |
| Elevation | 130 m (430 ft) |
| Population (2011)Metro Population Around 3,00,000 | |
• Total | 178,620 (2,011) |
| Languages | |
| • Official Tamil | Tamil |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| Vehicle registration | TN 69, TN 96 |
| Website | municipality |
Kovilpatti is anindustrial city andspecial grade municipality inThoothukudi District,Tamil Nadu,India. It is located 65 km (40 mi) fromThoothukudi, 102 km (63 mi) fromMadurai and 565 km (351 mi) fromChennai. It is the headquarters of theKovilpatti taluk ofThoothukudi district. It is the second largest city in the district afterThoothukudi. The nearest airport to Kovilpatti isTuticorin Airport (TCR) atVaagaikulam inThoothukkudi district about 73 km (45.3 mi) away, which offers daily flights toChennai andBangalore. The nearest international airports areMadurai International Airport about 99 km (61.5 mi) away andThiruvananthapuram International Airport (TRV) about 210 km (130.5 mi) away. The nearest seaport isThoothukudi Port which is 70 km (43.4 mi) away.
Kovilpatti is located at9°10′N77°52′E / 9.17°N 77.87°E /9.17; 77.87. It has an average elevation of 101 metres (334 feet).[1]
The climate of Kovilpatti town is hot and dry. Temperatures range between a maximum of 37 °C and a minimum of 22 °C. April to June are the hottest months, and December and January are coldest, with temperatures rising towards the end of February. Rainfall occurs mostly during the northeast monsoon in October to December. However, the town receives little rainfall, averaging 840 mm compared to the district average. Annual rainfall has ranged from 964 mm to 228 mm during past decades.[2]
In the2011 census, Kovilpatti had a population of 95,057. The sex ratio of 1,065 females to 1,000 males exceeded the national average of 929.[3] A total of 8,325 residents were under the age of six, constituting 4,158 males and 4,167 females.Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 10.32% and 0.84% of the population, respectively. The city's literacy rate was 81.27%, compared to the national average of 72.99%.[3] The city had 25099 households in 2011. There were a total of 41,006 workers, comprising 85 cultivators, 165 main agricultural labourers, 932 in household industries, 36,989 other workers, 2,835 marginal workers, 26 marginal cultivators, 26 marginal agricultural labourers, 262 marginal workers in household industries, and 2,521 other marginal workers.[4]
In the religious census of 2011, Kovilpatti was reported to comprise 92.29%Hindus, 2.48%Muslims, 5.12%Christians, 0.01%Sikhs, 0.01%Buddhists and 0.08% followers of other religions.[5]
TheKovilpatti Assembly constituency is part of theThoothukkudi Lok Sabha constituency.[6][7]
Being industrially well developed, Kovilpatti boasts of diversified Micro, Small, and Medium Industries. Apart from Handmade Match Boxes, which the city is known for, Kovilpatti is home to two giant textile mills, The Loyal Mills of Madura Coats, and The Lakshmi Mills of Lakshmi Mills group, Coimbatore. Other than these, two more medium size textile mills, Ginning Factories, Ready-made Garment manufacturing units, Edible Oil producing companies, Cattle,Poultry feed manufacturing units, Chemical Industries, and many more ancillary units are doing business here. Kovilpatti is known for its unique candy "Kadalai Mittai"(Peanut Candy).[8] Manthithoppu Transgenders' Milk Producers' Cooperative Society (MTMPCS) – the first cooperative society in the country to be run by trans people – was set up at Manthithoppu by the former Thoothukudi district collector Sandeep Nanduri IAS.[9]
Kalugumalai is a dome of rock 300 ft (91 m) high on the road connecting Kovilpatti and Sankarankoil. It is famous for a rock cut temple called "Vettuvankoil". Another rock cut temple is dedicated to Subramaniya Swamy at Kalugumalai's base.[10]
Sankarankoil is situated west of Kovilpatti.[10]
