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 GAZETTEER OF THE TRICHINOPOLY DISTRICT.

CHAPTER I.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION.

General DEScnrpxiON — Position and boundaries — Taluks and chief towns — Etymology' of the name— Natural divisions. Hills— The Pachaimalais— The Kollaimalais— The Talaimalais. Rivers— The Cauvery— The Amar&vati— The AiyAr— The KaraipottanSr- The Mfimandiy&r— The Nandiy^r-The two VelMrs. Climate — Temperature— Humidity— Winds. Soils. Geology — General distribution of rocks— The gneisses— Crystalline limestones— Iron ores— Quartzites, etc. — The cretaceous rocks—Their geological importance— Their claBsifieation— Their position— The tittatnr group— The Triohinopoly group — The Ariyalnr group — The Ninniyfir cretaceous rocks — Fauna of creta- ceous rocks— The Cuddalore sandstones and alluvium. Mineuals — Their small importance— Minerals actually worked. Flora— Fruit trees — Other trees. Fauna— Cattle--Cattle fairs- Buffaloes— iSheep and goats— Uses of cattle, etc. — Superstitions about cattle — Pony breeding— Game — Fish.

Trichinopoly i8 an inland district in the south of the Presidency, lying between 10' 16' and 11° 32' N. and 77° 45' and 79° 30' E. It has an area of 4,959 square miles. It is bounded on the north by the Salem and South Arcot districts, on the west by Coim- batore and Madura, and on the south and east by the Native State of Pudukkottai and the district of Tan j ore. The Collector of Trichinopoly is Political Agent for Pudukkottai, and some account of that State will be found in Chapter XVI of this volume.

The district is made up of the five taluks of Trichinopoly, Udaiyarpalaiyam, Perambalur, Musiri, and Kulittalai ; but to these it is proposed to add the Karur taluk from the Coimbatore district and the Namakkal taluk from Salem, and this volume deals with the district as it will be when this change has been effected. The head-quarters of these taluks (except of Udaiydr- pAlaiyam, which is Jayankonda-Cholapuram) are the towns from which they are named. Other important places are Srirangam and L^lgudi in the Trichinopoly taluk; Udaiydrp^laiyam, Ariyal{ir