Panagudi

Legend has it that Panagudi got its name from its abundance of palm trees, known in Tamil as Panai Maram. The name Panagudi directly derives from Panaikudi, the names of its post office and railway station.

As of 2007, Panagudi was a fast-developing town at the centre of many important industries. The town was becoming a business hub for various corporations such as KKNPP and ISRO, as well as tile factories, wind farms, and other projects.

As of 2011 India census,[2] Panagudi had a population of 29,895. Males constituted 49% of the population and females constituted 51%. Panagudi has a literacy rate of 77%, which is higher than the national average of 74.04%; literacy is 80% for males, and 73% for females. In Panagudi, 11% of the population is under six years of age.

Adherents of three religions, Islam, Christianity, and Hinduism, live in different areas of the town. Panagudi is a hub for different castes and religions, but the Nadars predominate. They were well known as palm climbers in earlier days, but currently, they depend more on business activities. Nadars are categorized as Hindu Nadars and Christian Nadars

Surrounded by mountainous terrain, Panagudi is located in a windy area, which has led to the development of several wind farms around the area.

Panagudi experiences two monsoons, the southwestern monsoon and the northeastern monsoon. Panagudi has the Western Ghats (Mahendragiri) running on the west side and is surrounded by a chain of mountains. The mountains form natural waterfalls named Kuthara Paanjan and Kani Maram Thoppu, both of which receive water when the season is favourable. A waterfall is located in the area which is known to everyone as Kuthira Panchan, in Mahendragiri of the Western Ghats, just 9 km away from the Panagudi Police Station. The waterfall is located outside of the town limits, though there is an approach road. There are no signboards, so people who wish to visit the place must find the falls with the help of locals in the area. The fall is seasonal in nature, and hence the best time to visit is after the monsoon, when the flow is good.[3] The other popular areas in the mountains are Kanchi Paarai, Kunni Muthu Solai, Sengamaal, and Iyar Thottam. There are farms and plantations of various crops, fruits, cashew nuts, and mangos around Panagudi. Nature is well protected and maintained in this area. Paddy and banana are cultivated and Vazhai Thoppu is famous for banana cultivation. The Panagudi forest is a habitat of various animals such as tigers, elephants, different species of deers including Sambar deers, fox, Indian wolves, red dogs, bears, rabbits, porcupines, and various species of snakes and birds.