Tindivanam

Tindivanam is a town and a municipality in Viluppuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the second largest town in Villupuram District after the headquarters town Villupuram. Important roads from north to south (NH 45) Tamil Nadu pass through Tindivanam and similarly from west to east (NH 66).

Tindivanam was earlier known as (திந்திரிவனம்) due to the shivan (Eswaran) temple located at Tindivanam. The name of Shiva(Suyambu linga) located there is திந்திரிஈஸ்வர். (Thinthrineeswarar) with Maragadhambigai Amman is a Thevara Vaipu Sthalam. Tindivanam is a Selection grade Municipal Town. Tindivanam was constituted as a Municipality in 01.04.1949 then it was upgraded as 2nd grade Municipality from 03.04.1970, 1st grade Municipality in 22.05.98 and Selection Grade in 02.12.2008. Ennairam, located near Tindivanam, has inscriptions about the Hindu shastras that date back to the 11th century. The Chola temple of Narasimma swamy koil built by Rajaraja Chola 1 (985 –1010) and has reached 1,000 years. 8,000 samanaras lived in this village. As of 2011, the town had a population of 72,796.

It was initially known as "Tinthrivanam"(Jungle of Tamarind புளியங்காடு) where "Tinthiri" means 'tamarind' and "vanam" means 'Jungle' in Tamil.

Tindivanam is located at It has an average elevation of 58 metres (190 feet). Tindivanam is southwest from Chennai and northwest from Pondicherry. Tindivanam is one among the three sub divisions of Viluppuram District, Tamil Nadu. This small town lies about northwest of Cuddalore. Tindivanam is divided into 234 Revenue Villages under Tindivanam Taluk. It lies in the stretch of NH 45, about from Chennai, capital city of Tamil Nadu. Tindivanam is at the junction of roads going to Tiruchirapalli, Pondicherry, Thiruvannamalai, Kanchipuram, Viluppuram, Thellar, Marakkanam and Chennai. Tindivanam is about from Chengalpet; it takes about 1.30 hours to reach by roadways.

According to 2011 census, Tindivanam had a population of 72,796 with a sex ratio of 1,003 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929. A total of 7,664 were under the age of six, constituting 3,922 males and 3,742 females. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 16.59% and 0.49% of the population respectively. The average literacy of the town was 78.19%, compared to the national average of 72.99%. As per the religious census of 2011, Tindivanam had 82.16% Hindus, 11.95% Muslims, 4.39% Christians, 0.04% Sikhs, 0.02% Buddhists, 1.36% Jains, 0.08% following other religions and 0.0% following no religion or did not indicate any religious preference.

Tindivanam's climate is classified as tropical. In winter, there is much less rainfall in Tindivanam than in summer. The Köppen Geiger climate classification is Aw. The average annual temperature is 28.4 °C in Tindivanam. In a year, the average rainfall is Precipitation is the lowest in March, with an average of With an average of , the most precipitation falls in October. At an average temperature of 32.3 °C, May is the hottest month of the year. January has the lowest average temperature of the year. It is 24.5 °C. Between the driest and wettest months, the difference in precipitation is During the year, the average temperatures vary by 7.8 °C.

Tindivanam is connected by roads to major cities and to the rest of the state. The major National Highways in the town are

National Highway 32 (India) which connects Chennai and Tuticorn via Tindivanam, Puducherry, Cuddalore and Nagapattinam. National Highway 77 (India) which connects Tindivanam and Krishnagiri via Tiruvannamalai, Gingee and joins National Highway 48 (India) at Krishnagiri. National Highway 132 (India) which connects Tindivanam and Viluppuram.

Tindivanam railway station is a railway station serving Tindivanam, a city and taluk headquarters in Viluppuram district, Tamil Nadu. It is a station on the South line of the Chennai Suburban Railway and comes under the Chennai railway division of the Southern Railway Zone. The station code is TMV.

The nearest airport is Pondicherry Airport at Pondicherry, in Puducherry, approximately from Tindivanam. Pondicherry Airport is connected to Bangalore and Hyderabad by commercial airlines. The nearest major airport is Chennai International Airport (MAA), approximately from the town; the next closest major airport is Tiruchirapalli Airport, approximately from the town.

The Enga Ooru Tindivanam flyover is the state's second railways flyover, which was built under the former union Minister Tindivanam G. Venkatraman, who was the minister for surface transport government of India and Member of parliament of Tindivanam constituency. The foundation was laid by former union Minister Murasoli Maran on 02/02 1997, which uplifted the town on various departments and solved so many issues in and around Tindivanam town. It has roundana and four lanes. The flyover is located in the heart of the Tindivanam, between NH 66 (Bangalore – Pondicherry) and NH 45 (Chennai Dindukkal). This flyover was inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanithi in 2000. This flyover was constructed at a cost of Rs.22 crores.

National Fossil Wood Park, Tiruvakkarai is a notified National Geo heritage Monument located in the Villupuram District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and is maintained by the Geological Survey of India. The park was established in 1940 and is located 1 km east of Thiruvakkarai village on the road between Tindivanam and Pondicherry. The park contains petrified wood fossils approximately 20 million years old, scattered throughout the park, which covers about 247 acres (100 ha). The park consists of nine enclaves, but only a small portion of the 247 acres (approx 1 square km) is open to the public. Officials of the GSI believe the fossils were formed during massive flooding that occurred millions of years ago. The park hosts about 200 fossilized trees.