This is an old revision of this page, as edited by BostonMA (talk | contribs) at 13:57, 16 January 2006 (Deleted possible "original research", see talk). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 13:57, 16 January 2006 by BostonMA (talk | contribs) (Deleted possible "original research", see talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Salem is the 5th largest city of Tamil Nadu located in the central part of the southernmost state of India. Almost completely surrounded by hills, Salem is one of the major textile centres in the country.
Salem is also the capital of Salem district whose other major locations are Mettur, Omalur and Attur. The district is well connected by rail and road networks. Salem was the largest districts of Tamilnadu before it was bifurcated in to two as Salem and Dharmapuri. Later Salem was again divided with the formation of new districts such as Namakkal. Salem is also at the base of the renowned tourist destination of Yercaud hills, which offers breathtaking views both during the ride up the hill and from the peak. Like all towns of Tamilnadu, there are people from different states of India settled in Salem. Some of them speak Kannada, Telugu, Sowrashtra and a good number of Muslims are also present.
The word "Salem" literally means, "surrounded by hills". The city of Salem is surrounded by several ranges of hills, including the Shevaroys and Yercaud hills.
The town is surrounded by an amphitheatre of hills, the Nagaramalai in the north, the Jeragamalai in the south, the Kanjanamalai on the west and Godumalai on the east. It is divided by the Thirumanimuthar in the main division. The fort is the oldest place of the town.
History
The name 'Salem' appears to have been derived from Sela or Shalya by which the term refers to the country around the hills, as in the inscriptions. Local tradition claims Salem as the birth place of Tamil poetess Avvaiyar.
Salem was taken from Hyder by Colonel Wood in the beginning of 1768. But 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of the residents stationed at Sankari drag and remained a military station till 1861 when the troops were altogether withdrawn.
Economy
Salem is known as the Mango city in Tamilnadu, India. Its mangoes are sent to various parts of the state and even around the state. It also has a steel plant run by the SAIL and the brand Salem Steel is very widely known. Salem is also occasionally known as Steel City. It's also famous for Sago, Bauxite, Lorry Body building, Hand loom Weaving. Salem is one of the largest producers of traditional silver anklets, which is popular among women of India.
It has magnesite deposits, second largest in India. The companies like Dalmia and TANMAG have mines here. Salem also boasts of a large sago industry. The Lee Bazaar market is one of the largest regional markets for agro products.
Salem had a very active film production, with former Modern Theatres Studios being the hub of Tamil film production. Now defunct Modern Theatres had produced some of the most successful Tamil films, in which many veteran actors have acted, including former Chief Minister M G Ramachandran (known as MGR).
Religious Sites
There are several Mariamman temples in Salem. Mariamman is a Hindu goddess, an incarnation of Shakti. Every year around July the Town celebrates Mariamman Festivel for a fortnight. During this festivel, Goddess Mariamman is decorated with Jewellery and flower chariots and taken around the town in mid-night. On the first important day of the festivel, 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 time to visit Salem.
Aragalur is located approximately 21 km from Attur that boast of 2 old temples and a large Buddha statue. The one day Temple Car festival in summer invites lots of people in the region.
Education
Salem, which was once considered as the most educationally backward district in Tamilnadu, now has a large number of good educational institutions. New schools and colleges have come up in the recent past.
Government College of Engineering - Salem is a premier engineering institute run by the Government of Tamil Nadu.
Salem has two medical colleges and a good number of quality engineering colleges. The catholic diocese of Salem has started St.John's Matriculation Higher Secondary School in its sprawling campus in the heart of the city at New Fairlands. This is an English medium school and it has its own website at http://www.salemstjohns.com.
Holy Cross Matriculation Higher Secondary School , a Boys school run by Brothers of Holy Cross located at K.N.Colony ( 7 km from city)on the way to Chennai, It has been the pioneer of english medium education in Salem for more than 42 years. The school website is at http://www.salemholycross.org/ and http://www.salemholycross.net
The Cluny catholic order for nuns, also run Cluny Matriculation Higher Secondary School for girls, that has earned a good reputation among the people of Salem. Salem is famous for its colleges like Saradha Institutions, Vysya and Vinayaka Missions to name a few.
Vidhya Peetham Matriculation School is in Mannarpalayam(around 10kms from the city). Conceptual learning, hybrid phonic spelling, multisensorial worksheets, play-way, burden free education, abundant extra-curricular activities, student teacher ratio of 30:2 are some of the special features of this school. For more details visit http://www.vidhyapeetham.org
