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Virudhunagar, formerly known as Virudhupatti, is a town and the administrative headquarters of the Virudhunagar district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located southwest of the state capital Chennai and south of Madurai. Virudhunagar emerged as an important trade centre during the British rule. The town is the birthplace of freedom fighter K. Kamaraj, former chief minister of Tamil Nadu, and Bharat Ratna recipient. Located to the east of Kowsika River, Virudhunagar has an average elevation of above sea level and is largely flat with no major geological formations. The town has a humid climate and receives rainfall annually. Virudhunagar was a part of Madurai and has been ruled at various times by Later Pandyas, Vijayanagar Empire, Madurai Nayaks, Chanda Sahib, Carnatic kingdom and the British. Virudhunagar is administered by a municipality covering an area of . In 2011, the town had a population of 72,296. As the administrative headquarters of the district, the town's economy is based on the service sector, which employs 93 per cent of the total workforce. The remaining 7 per cent is employed in agriculture, mining, quarrying, raising livestock, manufacturing, construction, trade and commerce. Roadways are the main means of transportation, while the town also has rail connectivity. The nearest airport is Madurai Airport, located north-east of the town. There are 14 secondary schools, two colleges of arts and sciences (one for men and one for women), one polytechnic college and three university study centres. ==Etymology and history== According to a local legend, a warrior who won a number of banners (called ''virudhu'' in Tamil) from his conquest of kingdoms, came to the town and challenged the residents. A resident accepted the challenge, killed the warrior, and then proceeded to seize the flags held by him. From then on, the town was known as ''Virudhukkalvetti''.〔 Virudhunagar was a part of Madurai region (the region comprising all of Southern Tamil Nadu beyond Trichy in modern times) during the 16th century CE. The region became independent from Vijayanagar Empire in 1559 under the Nayaks. Nayak rule ended in 1736 and the region was repeatedly captured several times by Chanda Sahib (1740 – 1754), Arcot Nawab and Muhammed Yusuf Khan (1725 – 1764) in the middle of 18th century. In 1801, the region came under the direct control of the British East India Company and was annexed to the Madras Presidency. During the 1800s, Nadars (also called Shanars), an entrepreneurial South Indian caste, emerged as successful businessmen in the Ramnad region and established their commercial base in the town along with five other towns namely Sivakasi, Thirumangalam, Sattangudi, Palyamaptti and Aruppukkottai. By the late 19th century, all the castes, especially the Maravars (also called Thevars), were against the Nadar domination. Nadars were also the majority in religious conversions from Hinduism to Christianity under the influence of the European missionaries. Some of the Nadars who remained in Hinduism sought entry into the temples governed by Maravars, which was denied as Nadars were considered inferior in caste. The mutual confrontation between the two groups reached its peak in the region in 1899, leading to the Sivakasi riots. During the riots, 866 Nadar houses were burnt, seven Nadars and 14 Maravars were killed out of the 21 known deaths. The Maravar retaliated by attacking the Nadars scattered around the region killing three Nadars. Eventually the riots came to an end after the intervention of the military in mid-July 1899. The town's name was changed to Virudhupatti in 1875 and on 6 April 1923, the town council renamed it Virudhunagar. It was an important trading centre during the British rule and the merchandise from Virudhunagar was exported overseas through the ports of Kulasekharapatnam, Thoothukudi, Vaippar and Devipattinam. The town is the birthplace of K. Kamaraj, a freedom fighter, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1954 to 1963 and a recipient of the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award.〔〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Virudhunagar」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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