Geographical Location of the District
Virudhunagar District is situated in the southern portion of Tamil Nadu State. It is bounded on the north by the districts of Madurai and Sivagangai. On the east by the districts of Sivagangai and Ramanathapuramm on the south by the districts of Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli and on the west by a portion of Kerala State and the district of Madurai.
The district comprises 10 Taluks, 39 Firkhas, 600 Revenue Villages including one Corporation, five Municipalities, 11 Panchayat Unions, 9 Town Panchayats, 450 Village Panchayats and 897 hamlets.
The District Headquarters is Virudhunagar Town. It covers an area of 4243 sq. kms. Under revenue administration, the district is divided into 3 revenue divisions, one at Sivakasi comprising of Sivakasi, Srivilliputhur, Rajapalayam and Watrap Taluks, another one at Sattur comprising of Sattur, Vembakottai and Virudhunagar Taluks, and another one at Aruppukottai comprising of Aruppukottai, Kariapatti and Thiruchuli taluks.
District Administration
The administrative Head of Virudhunagar district is the Collector. The district is divided as follows for the administrative purposes:
| Divisions | 3 |
| Blocks | 11 |
| Taluks | 10 |
| Frikas | 39 |
| Villages | 600 |
| Corporation | 1 |
| Municipalities | 5 |
| Panchayat unions | 11 |
| Town Panchayat | 9 |
| Village Panchayat | 450 |
| Member of Legislative Assemblies – Aruppukottai, Rajapalayam, Sivakasi, Srivilliputhur, Thiruchuli and Virudhunagar | 6 |
| Member of Parliament-Virudhunagar (some pockets in the district vote for Ramanathapuram Parliament and Tenkasi Parliament constituencies) | 1 |
Industries
Limestone of different grades, granite and sand are major minerals of economic value found in the district. 70% of the total production of matches and 90% of fireworks in India are manufactured in Sivakasi and Sattur taluks of this district. Sivakasi is not only famous for fireworks but also famous as an industrial town for printing technology works. In and around Sivakasi 488 fireworks, 3989 match works, 380 printing press, 82 off-set printing presses and 20 paint production companies are functioning, and it provides employment to thousands of persons.
Rajapalayam is another important industrial town where a large number of spinning mills and ginning factories are located. Nearly 26 mills are functioning in this district especially in Rajapalayam / Aruppukottai areas. Surgical cotton and bandage cloth are also manufactured in and around this town. As the location of this town is on the eastern slope of western ghats, the climatic condition prevalent throughout the year is best suited for cotton industries. At present due to shortage of Cotton in Rajapalayam centre, arrivals from others states like Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and from other country like China fulfill the demands of the mills. Now Cotton Lint (candy) arrives from Andhra, Gujarat and we are also importing from China to meet out the demands of mills due to shortage of cotton. The Sundaram Fasteners Ltd., and Sundaram Apex Ltd., of TVS Group, manufacturing bolts and nuts and automobiles ancillary parts are located in the backward areas of Kariapatti block.
Tamilnadu Cements at Alangulam, a government undertaking has an annual installed capacity of 4,00,000 M.T., and Madras cements (Ramco) Ltd., at Thulukkapatti has an annual installed capacity of 7,50,000 M.T. Handloom weaving of cotton textiles is an ancient occupation followed in this district. Nearly 58 weaver co-operative societies are registered and among that 55 are functioning. All these industries providing large scale employment to the rural as well urban population of the district.
Research
The district has a fully equipped cotton research station in Srivilliputhur and a Palmyra Research centre at Thiruvannamalai near Srivilliputhur. A Regional Research station at Aruppukottai, where a research Centre for aridsone fruit is also being operated, and a poultry research and development Centre in Rajapalayam where research for employment opportunities is being searched.
Andal Thirukoil at Srivilliputhur, Irukkankudi Mariamman Temple at Sattur, Boominathan Temple at Thiruchuli, Srinivasaperumal kovil (then Thirupathi) at Srivilliputhur and Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple at Aruppukottai and Thiruthangal are the holy centres of Hindus. Apart from the age old portal of worship RC Church at Srivilliputhur, the famous Twin towered Mosque in Rajapalayam proclaims the district’s pious and harmonious life.
Tourist Centre
Virudhunagr district has some interesting tourist places of historical importance such as the Memorial House of Thiru.K.Kamarajar, our late Chief Minister in Virudhunagar, Pilavakal dam near Watrap, Andal koil at Srivilliputhurm, Boominathar koil, the birth place of Ramana Maharishi at Thiruchuli, Ayyanar falls near Rajapalayam, Shenbagathoppu near Srivilliputhur and Sastha koil near Thevathanam (Rajapalayam). They are some of the noted spots for research, picnics and recreation.
Education
There are 13 Engineering and Technology Colleges, 26 Arts and Science Colleges, 2 Pharmacy colleges, 4 Nursing Colleges, 16 Polytechnic colleges, 4 Hotel Management and Catering Colleges, 6 Teacher Training Institutes, 17 B.Ed. Colleges, 4 Special Schools for differently abled person, 8 Industrial Training Institutes, 1110 Primary schools, 220 Middle schools, 118 High Schools, 169 Higher Secondary Schools, 86 Matriculation Schools, 6 ICSE Schools, 30 CBSE Schools, including one Kendra Vidyalaya School are functioning in this district