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Karur

Karur (Tamil: [kaɾuːɾ]) is a city and municipal corporation in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Karur district and is administered by the Karur Municipal Corporation. It is located on the banks of the rivers Amaravathi, Kaveri and Noyyal. It is situated at about 395 km (245 mi) southwest of the state capital Chennai.

The region was ruled by the Cheras during the Sangam period and the town might have been part of the Chera capital at Vanchi-Karuvoor. It formed a part of the principal trade route between the west coast and Tamil Nadu. Archeological evidence points to Karur being a centre of trade during the Chera period. The region was ruled later by the Cholas, as evident from temple epigraphs. It was under the control of Pandyas, Vijayanagara Empire and the Madurai Nayaks across various periods in history. In the later part of the 18th century, the region came under the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company annexed it to the Madras Presidency in 1799. After Indian Independence in 1947, it became pert of Madras State, the predecessor of Tamil Nadu.

The economy of the town is dependent on agriculture and textiles. Hindus form the majority of the urban population, with a minor population of Muslims and Christians. Tamil is the major spoken and official language. Karur is a part of the Karur Assembly constituency that elects a member to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly once every five years.

The name "Karur" came from Karuvur, the Chera capital of the same name. In Tamil, the name literally means '"embryo town"' (Karu meaning "embryo" and "Oor" meaning "town" or "place"). It is probably derived from the Hindu mythology linked with the creator God Brahma and was earlier referred to as Brahmapuri. In vernacular parlance, the town was referred by names such as Tiruvanilai and Pasupati.

Cheras, one of the three kingdoms of the Sangam period (3rd century BC to 3rd century CE), ruled over the region with their capital at Vanchi-Karuvoor. Historians are divided on the exact location of the Chera capital and have opined that it might correspond to either the present day Karur in Tamil Nadu or Kodungalur in Kerala. Karur, which was known as Karuvur, was part of the Kongu Nadu region in the ancient Tamilakam and was one of the oldest inhabited towns in the state. Archaeological excavations from Kodumanal, further along the Noyyal River from Karur, show traces of civilization from 4th century BCE.

Archeological evidence points to Karur being a centre of trade during the Chera period. The Tamil epic Silapathikaram mentions that the Chera king Senguttuvan ruling from Karuvur. The archaeological excavations undertaken in Karur have yielded pottery, bricks, mud-toys, Roman Amphorae, Rasset coated ware, rings and coins belonging to various eras. Karur might have been the center for old jewellery-making and gem setting, as seen from various excavations. In 150 CE, Greek scholar Ptolemy mentioned "Korevora" as an inland trading center in South India. The region was part of an ancient Roman trade route that extended from Muziris in the west coast to Arikamedu along the east coast of India. Early Tamil Brahmi writings have been found on coins, seals and rings obtained from Amaravati River bed near Karur.

The region came under the influence of the Pandyas during the reign of Arikesari Maravarman in the seventh century CE. Later, the region was ruled by various dynasties such as Rashtrakutas and Western Gangas. The Cholas led by Aditya I, conquered the region in ninth century CE. While the region was directly under the control of the Imperial Cholas till 1064 CE, the Kongu Cholas who were probably vassals or viceroys of the Cholas, ruled the region autonomously later. Temple inscriptions found near Karur dated to the period of Kulothunga Chola I mention the location as Vanchimanagarama Karuvur (Vanchi city of Karuvur).

It was later ruled by the Vijayanagara Empire and the Madurai Nayaks, who were vassals of Vijayanagara earlier. In the latter part of the 17th century, the region came under the influence of the Kingdom of Mysore. In the later part of the 18th century, the place changed hands multiple times between the Mysore Kingdom and the British East India Company. In 1790, the British captured it for the third time and the Karur fort remained as a British garrison until 1801.

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