Aruvankadu
Encyclopedia
Aruvankadu, is a small town located in The Nilgiris District
, Tamil Nadu
, India
. It is located between Coonoor
and Ooty on the NH 67, at distances 5 km and 12 km respectively. It houses the Cordite Factory, one of the 40 Indian Ordnance Factories
. It is one of the oldest Defence Factories coming under the reign of the Ministry of Defence and the Indian Ordnance Factories. The Cordite Factory was established in 1903 by the then British Government on a huge campus and it still caters the Defence Services by manufacturing Cordite (Gun powder as generally known) which is used in manufacturing arms and ammunitions and also as a propellant in various armed tanks. Aruvankadu - the name means the 'forest full of snakes', in literary Tamil. It is also the place where Robert Hanbury Brown
, a British astronomer
and physicist
was born.
Aruvankadu enjoys a very pleasant climate round the year much in comparison with Ooty, the queen of the Hills. It is surrounded by lush greenery, tea gardens and eucalyptus plantations. It is well connected by Road and Rail. The world famous Nilgiri Mountain Railway
runs through Aruvankadu. The Railway station is located in a picturesque location at the border of the Cordite Factory near Hubbathalai village. The main highway of the Nilgiris NH-67 runs through Aruvankadu on the way to Ooty from Coimbatore and Coonoor. Aruvankadu also houses some of the best schools in the Nilgiris like the Kendriya Vidyalaya, Cordite Factory HSS, St. Anns Girls HSS etc.
, followed by Baduga, a tribal language. Malayalam, Urdu
, Kannada, Hindi
and English
are also popularly spoken.
It is also used as community center for family functions like marriage.
Aruvankadu is also surrounded by beautiful landscape. There is a natural water source at Mynallah and it is well known as Channel. The channel was previously open and a walk along the channel till the Channel End can be a sight to see atop the hills and low lying villages called Jagathala. The evening market at Main Gate is home for garden fresh vegetables like greens, spinach and other English vegetables. A view from top of Hubbathalai hill is gorgeous.Some other points of interest are White stone, located inside the estate, from where a beautiful view of the Coonoor road is available. For trekking the one-tree hill (the hill has one tree) offers a beautiful get away.
The Nilgiris District
The Nilgiris District is in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Nilgiri is also the name given to a range of mountains spread across the states of Tamilnadu as well as Karnataka and Kerala. The Nilgiri Hills are part of a larger mountain chain known as the Western Ghats...
, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is located between Coonoor
Coonoor
Coonoor is a town and a municipality in the Nilgiris district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is known for its production of Nilgiri tea....
and Ooty on the NH 67, at distances 5 km and 12 km respectively. It houses the Cordite Factory, one of the 40 Indian Ordnance Factories
Ordnance Factories Organisation
The Indian Ordnance Factories Board is an industrial setup functioning under the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. It is engaged in production of arms, ammunition, and equipment for civilian as well as military applications...
. It is one of the oldest Defence Factories coming under the reign of the Ministry of Defence and the Indian Ordnance Factories. The Cordite Factory was established in 1903 by the then British Government on a huge campus and it still caters the Defence Services by manufacturing Cordite (Gun powder as generally known) which is used in manufacturing arms and ammunitions and also as a propellant in various armed tanks. Aruvankadu - the name means the 'forest full of snakes', in literary Tamil. It is also the place where Robert Hanbury Brown
Robert Hanbury Brown
Robert Hanbury Brown, AC FRS was a British astronomer and physicist born in Aruvankadu, India. He made notable contributions to the development of radar and he later conducted pioneering work in the field of radio astronomy...
, a British astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
and physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
was born.
Aruvankadu enjoys a very pleasant climate round the year much in comparison with Ooty, the queen of the Hills. It is surrounded by lush greenery, tea gardens and eucalyptus plantations. It is well connected by Road and Rail. The world famous Nilgiri Mountain Railway
Nilgiri Mountain Railway
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is a railway in Tamil Nadu, India, built by the British in 1908, and was initially operated by the Madras Railway Company. The railway still relies on its fleet of steam locomotives. NMR comes under the jurisdiction of the newly formed Salem Division...
runs through Aruvankadu. The Railway station is located in a picturesque location at the border of the Cordite Factory near Hubbathalai village. The main highway of the Nilgiris NH-67 runs through Aruvankadu on the way to Ooty from Coimbatore and Coonoor. Aruvankadu also houses some of the best schools in the Nilgiris like the Kendriya Vidyalaya, Cordite Factory HSS, St. Anns Girls HSS etc.
Temples and Shrines
- Vinayakar Temple
- Iyyappan Temple
- Paarai Muneeshwarar Temple
- Muneeshwarar Temple
- Line Mariamman Temple
- Manjithala Mariamman Temple
- ASJ Mosque
- Osatyy Mosque
- St. Velankanni Church
- St. Stephens Church
- Holy Sprit Chruch
Administrations
Aruvankadu is a town panchayat union that includes villages namely, Jegathala, Odanatty, Karakorai, Osatty, Balaji nagar, Karakorai , MG colony , Boys company , Muthamaa chaaeri , Gedange . The town has an elected council of administrators, named councillors under the leadership of an elected president. The Panchayat council takes care of lamping, water supply, electricity supply, road maintenance.Language
Aruvankadu is a multilingual town and the major lingua franca is TamilTamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, followed by Baduga, a tribal language. Malayalam, Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
, Kannada, Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
are also popularly spoken.
Schools
- Defence Employees' Matriculation School
- Kendriya Vidyalaya
- Cordite factory Higher Secondary School
- St. Anns Girls Higher Secondary School
- St.Joseph"s Boys High School
- St.Antonys Boys Hr.Sec School
Recreational Club
- Cordite Factory Recreational Club - which also trains youth in games like tennis, table tennis, chess, and carroms.
It is also used as community center for family functions like marriage.
External links
Aruvankadu is also surrounded by beautiful landscape. There is a natural water source at Mynallah and it is well known as Channel. The channel was previously open and a walk along the channel till the Channel End can be a sight to see atop the hills and low lying villages called Jagathala. The evening market at Main Gate is home for garden fresh vegetables like greens, spinach and other English vegetables. A view from top of Hubbathalai hill is gorgeous.Some other points of interest are White stone, located inside the estate, from where a beautiful view of the Coonoor road is available. For trekking the one-tree hill (the hill has one tree) offers a beautiful get away.