From the 19th century AD, District Collectors and Judges appointed by the British controlled the area. In 1910, the District of Ramanathapuram was created for reasons of administrative convenience, by carving-out territories from Madurai and Tirunelveli Districts. In 1948, after India attained independence, the zamins were abolished.

        The District headquarters is Virudhunagar town. It covers an area of 4232 sq. km. and is divided into 8 taluks, namely Aruppukkottai, Kariapatti, Rajapalayam, Sattur, Sivakasi, Srivilliputur, Tiruchuli and Virudhunagar.

        The District was formed by trifurcating Ramanathapuram District into Ramanathapuram, Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar and Kamarajar District (G.O. Ms. No. 347, dated 8th March 1985).

        In 1997 the Government decided to replace the names of all Districts christened after individuals/leaders with those of their administrative headquarters. Kamarajar District was accordingly renamed Virudhunagar District.

        On 3rd March 1996, Sivakasi taluk was created separating the firkas of Sivakasi, Edirkottai and Salwarpatti from Sattur taluk and Mangalam firka from Virudhunagar taluk.

       On 31st August 1998, Kariapatti taluk was formed by separating Kariapatti, Mudukkankulam and Kalkurichi firkas from Aruppukattai taluk. Mallanginar firka, the 4th firka of the taluk was carved out of Kalkurichi firka.

        The District is divided into two Revenue Divisions comprising four taluks each. The Aruppukkottai Revenue Division comprises Kariapatti, Tiruchuli, Aruppukkottai and Virudhunagar taluks, and Sivakasi Revenue Division of Sattur, Sivakasi, Srivilliputur and Rajapalayam taluks.

        There are 6 Assembly Constituencies in the District. 209. Rajapalayam Assembly Constituency is reserved for the scheduled castes. 204. Aruppukkottai, 205. Sattur, 206. Virudhunagar, 207. Sivakasi and 208. Srivilliputur are the other Assembly Constituencies.

        There are 2 Parliamentary Constituencies in the District. Aruppukkottai Assembly Constituency falls within 34. Ramanathapuram Parliamentary Constituency and 35. Sivakasi Parliamentary Constituency extends over all the other five Assembly Constituencies and also includes 212. Kovilpatti Assembly Constituency in Tuticorin District.

        There are 6 Municipalities – Aruppukkotai, Virudhunagar, Sattur, Sivakasi, Srivilliputur and Rajapalayam, 11 Panchayat Unions, 10 Town Panchayats, 450 Village Panchayats and 598 villages of which 506 are inhabited and 92 are uninhabited.

        Virudhunagar District is landlocked on all sides with no direct access to the sea. It is bound on the north by Madurai, on the north-east by Sivaganga, on the east by Ramanathapuram and on the south by Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts.

        Physiographically it consists of two distinct regions. The eastern slopes of the Western Ghats in Srivilliputtur and Rajapalayam taluks and the black soil plains of Sivakasi, Virudhunagar, Sattur, Aruppukkottai, Tiruchili and Kariapatti. The average height of the hills of the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats is 1500m, though a few peaks rise to 1700m. The highest peaks are Peyimalai Mottai and Kottamalai. The foothills have rich loamy soil with good vegetation cover. The plains with black cotton soil (locally known as karisal) have underlying cal carious formations.

        Virudhunagar does not have any perennial rivers. The Vaippar, Arjuna nadi, and Gundar constitute the river network of the District. Numerous streams and rivulets, activated by the monsoon, feed these rivers. The Mandiri odai and Girudhamal nadi flow into the Gundar, which irrigates the northeastern region of the District. The Sengundrapuram odai, Kausika manadi, Uppodai and Mannarkottaiyar are feeder streams of the Arjuna nadi, which flows through the central portion of the District. The Kayalkudiyar and Nichepa nadi join the Vaippar, which runs through the southern part of the District. The Arjuna and the Vaippar meet at Irukkangudi.

          The District consists of red loam, red clay loam, red sand, black clay and black loam in large areas with extents  of black and sand cotton soil found in Sattur and Aruppukottai taluks. Limestone of different grades and common use minerals like sand, clay and gypsum are the minerals of economic value found. Granite of export value occurs in small pockets in the southern regions of the District.

        The climate of the region is semi-arid tropical monsoon type. It has a high mean temperature and a low degree of humidity. The temperatures range from 20° C to 37° C. April, May and June are the hottest months of the year. Virudhunagar receives scanty rainfall with an annual average of 812 mm. The South West monsoon which sets in June and lasts till August brings scanty rain. The bulk of the rainfall is received during the North East monsoon in the months of October, November and December.

        The forests are found on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats. Only 6.3% of the total geographical area is under forests. The type range from west coast tropical evergreen forests, west coast semi evergreen forests, dry teak forests, southern mixed deciduous forests and dry grasslands. According to the National Forestry Resolution the optimum area under forests should be 1/3rd of the total geographic area. Given the nature of the topography of the District, the soil profile and the rainfall pattern this is an unattainable target. However measures have been undertaken to increase the area under forest coverage and to ensure among other things adequate pasture for live stock, supply of firewood for domestic consumption and raw material for industries. Social forestry programmes have enlarged their range of activities and the area covered by plantations is 3216 hectares. Revenue from the forest for the year 1999-2000 was Rs. 53 lakhs.

        Many rare and endemic varieties of flora and fauna are found along the mountain slopes. A wildlife sanctuary, spread over 480 sq. kms. was established in 1989 at Shenbagathopu in Srivilliputur taluk.. This sanctuary is contiguous with the Periyar tiger reserve on the south-western side and the Megamalai reserve forest on the north-western side. The altitude varies from 100m to 2010 m above sea level. The sanctuary is home to the endangered, arboreal grizzled giant squirrel Ratufa macrora. This grayish brown squirrel weighs 1 to 1.8 kg. and is the size of a small cat. It measures about 73.5 cms. from nose to tail with the tail being 36 – 40 cm. long. They construct drays at forked branches where the crowns of neighbouring trees meet. This enables the squirrel to move away from the site by jumping from tree to tree when threatened. The home range of an individual is between 0.197 hectares and 0.611 hectares.

        The sanctuary also hosts a variety of birds, mammals, reptiles and butterflies. Resident and migratory elephants are common. Other animals sighted are tiger, leopard, Nilgiri thar, spotted deer, barking deer, sambar, wild boar, porcupine, Nilgiri langur, lion-tailed macaque, common langur, slender loris, bonnet macaque, sloth bear and flying squirrel. Over 100 species of birds have been identified. The rare Great Indian horn bill is also found.

        Special steps have been taken to conserve the forest areas in the sanctuary. The annual leases given for the collection of fruit and other minor forest produce has been stopped. Fruit bearing trees and other trees have been planted. This will increase the food sources as well as ensure continuity in the canopy. Soil conservation and water harvesting measures have been undertaken to improve the habitat.

        The forests of Alagarkoil valley in Srivilliputur taluk and Saduragiri are known for rare medicinal plants. The medicinal value of 275 plants has been recorded and reported. The forests host a rich variety of orchids and ferns.

        The area under cultivation accounts for 37% of the total geographic area. Agriculture provides sustenance to 52% of the working population. Productivity of agriculture is influenced by numerous factors such as soil, climate, irrigation, marketing and credit facilities and agricultural practices and techniques. The soils of the District are of poor productivity and are mainly black loamy soil (locally known as (Karisal). Cotton, pulses, oilseeds and millets, which do not require much irrigation, are the main crops grown. Paddy and sugarcane are grown where tank or well irrigation is available.

The crops cultivated are:

Black gram – raised in both irrigated and rain fed conditions. In rain fed conditions the sowing commences in September and extends up to the middle of October as pure crop and inter crop. In irrigated conditions sowing commences in February.

Green gram - In rain fed conditions the sowing commences in September and extends up to the middle of October as pure crop and inter crop. In irrigated conditions sowing commences in February.

Cowpea – The crop is raised in rain fed and irrigated conditions as pure crop and inter crop. In rain fed conditions the owing takes place in June/July and September/October. In irrigated conditions sowing takes place in February/March.

Lablab – Is mainly cultivated as a rain fed crop during the months of June/July.

Cholam - In rain fed conditions the sowing commences in August/September. In irrigated conditions sowing commences in February/March.

Ragi - The crop is mainly cultivated under rain fed conditions Sowing commences in the month of September and extends to the middle of October.

Small Millets – Thinai, Varagu, Samai and Kuthraivali are cultivated under rain fed conditions alone. Thinai, Samai and Kuthiraivali are sown in the months of September and extends to October. Varagu is sown in the month of July.

Maize - The crop is mainly cultivated under rain fed conditions Sowing commences in the month of September and extends to the middle of October.

Sunflower – The crop is cultivated only under rain fed conditions in the month of November.

Groundnut – It is raised both under rain fed and irrigated conditions. Under rain fed conditions sowing is taken up in the months of July/August and September/October. Under irrigated conditions the sowing is taken up in the months of April/May.

Gingelly - It is raised both under rain fed and irrigated conditions. Under rain fed conditions sowing is taken up in the months of June/July and again February/March. Under irrigated conditions the sowing is taken up in the months of February/March.

Chilli - is raised under both rain fed and irrigated conditions. Sowing commences in September and continues till November. Over 4500 hectares are under chilli cultivation

Sugarcane –  is cultivated under irrigated conditions only. The planting is done in 4 seasons the main one being the month of June/July. Planting is also taken up in the months of December/January; February/March; and April/May.

The District has a State Seed Farm at Devadanam. This farm produces and distributes quality seeds of paddy, millets, pulses, oilseeds and vegetables. The farm also serves as a model farm on farm maintenance and scientific methods of cultivation.

The details of Reservoir systems in the district are :

There is no electricity generating station in the district. There are 8 sub stations in 110KV, one sub station at Aruppukkotai in 230 KV, 3 sub stations in 66 KV and 9 sub stations in 33 KV located in the District.

As  per 2001 census ,there are 5 veterinary hospitals, 28 veterinary dispensaries, 70 Govt. veterinary sub-centres, 70 visiting centres and 11 mobile veterinary dispensaries engaged in rendering service to the livestock.  An Intensive Cattle Development Project with 39 artificial insemination centres was launched to improve the quality of the cattle.

Fisheries

As Virudhunagar is land-locked with no coastline, fishing is restricted to inland water sources.Fish farms have been established at Periyar and Vembakottai dams. Around 8.09 lakh fingerlings were reared in these farms. The fish catch in these reservoirs during 1999-2000 was 3558 tonnes. Fish ponds have been developed at the Pilavakkal dam under the drought area development programme.

The establishment of textile mills, cement factories and a number of industries in the small and medium sectors coupled with the encouragement given by the state Government in the form of incentives and setting up of industrial centres has accelerated the rate of industrialization in the District.

Cotton is a major commercial crop of the District and the cotton industry therefore occupies an important place in the economy. Rajapalayam is the chief centre for spinning mills and ginning factories. Surgical cotton and bandage cloth are manufactured here. Textile mills in the produce a variety of cotton yarn.

As the District has deposits of limestone and gypsum, the cement industry has gained a strong foothold. Tamil Nadu Cements – a Public Sector undertaking at Alangulam and Madras Cements – a Private Sector undertaking at Thulukkanpatti are two large cement producing units. Tamil Nadu Cements has an annual production capacity of 4 lakh tonnes of Portland cement while Madras Cements has an annual capacity of 4.15 lakh tonnes.

Tamil Nadu Asbestos  is another Public Sector unit in the District producing asbestos cement sheets.

Sivakasi and Sattur are famous for the match industry. There are over 4500 match units. Crackers and fireworks is another important industry with about 400 units in the District. Explosives for blasting are also manufactured here. Over 70% of the total production of matches and fireworks in India is manufactured in Virudhunagar District. A large percentage of crackers are exported.

The printing industry was originally established to supply labels for the match and firework industries. Soon the industry developed and diversified into other areas of printing like books, posters, greeting cards and diaries. Sivakasi now offers state of the art, world class printing facilities.

Sundaram Fasteners and Brakes India Ltd. , private sector enterprises of the TVS group are located at Aviyur and Kanjanaiyakampatti in Kariapatti taluk. The former manufactures high density bolts and nuts while the latter manufactures automobile brakes.

There are 19335 registered small scale industrial units as on 31 December 1999 engaged in the manufacture of a very wide range of products.

  Cottage and village industries are dispersed throughout the rural areas. Some common cottage industries are: making of boxes and other articles from Palmyra leaves, metal artifacts fashioned from copper and brass, and aluminium vessel manufacture for domestic use. Gem cutting has been introduced to provide employment for women.

Virudhunagar is a traders’ town. It has been involved in the marketing and distribution of commodities since British times and has a well developed network for purchase of goods and commodities. Virudhunagar, Rajapalayam, Sattur, Watrap, Aruppukkottai and Kamudi are important centres for wholesale and retail trade. Cotton, groundnut, chillies and spices are the main agricultural goods of trade. Matches, crackers, cement and textiles are marketed both within and outside the State.

Two warehouses at Virudhunagar and Rajapalayam offer facilities for storage of food grains, spices, pulses, chillies, jaggery and cotton.

Transport and Communications

Three National Highways run through the district.

NH 208 - Thenkasi, Rajapalayam, Sriviliputur, Tirumangalam – 49.8kms.

NH 45B - Trichy, Viralimalai, Thuvarankuruchi, Madurai, Aruppukkottai, Tuticorin–32.6 km.

NH 7 -  Madurai to Kanyakumari – 50.40 km.

In addition to the National highways there are 162.13 km. of State Highways, 122.20 kms of major District Roads and 1378.48 kms of other District roads. There are 256 government owned and 175 private stage carriers operating in the district.  Buses serve about 4 lakhs people and cover a distance of 61,523 kms per day.

Both Broad Gauge and Metre Gauge sections of the Southern Railway serve Virudhunagar. The newly laid Broad Gauge line links Tuticorin with Chennai. In the District, the Broad Gauge route line covers 43.16 km. and the Meter Gauge 125.17 km. At present ,gauge conversion takes place  from Virudhunagar to Rajapalayam and once this project is over, the  entire district will be ready for  Broad gauge railway transportation . 

The Post and Telegraphs network is fairly extensive. There are 4 Head Post Offices, one each at Aruppukkottai, Virudhunagar, Sattur and Sivakasi, 72 Sub Post Offices, 9 Extra Departmental Sub Offices and 196 Extra Departmental Branch Offices. There are 74 combined telegraph offices to provide telegraph facilities to the District.

According to the 2001 census the percentage of literate population in the District is 62.91. The percentage of male literacy is 75.67% and female literacy is 50.17%.

Health

The District has fully equipped Government and Private hospitals. There are 9 Government hospitals with a combined bed strength of 772 beds.

There are 36 Primary Health Centers and 284 Sub-Centers attached to Primary Health Centers in various blocks of the District.

The following Research Organizations are functioning in this district:

        Cotton Research Station, Srivilliputur

Engaged in Research on summer Irrigated cotton, Implements the All India Co-ordinated Cotton Improvement Project

        Palymar Research Centre, Thiruvnnamalai, near Srivilliputur

Conducts Research on the utilization of the whole palm tree right from the palm crown to its roots.

 

Regional Research Station, Aruppukottai.

 

The centre caters to the needs of the dry land farmers and operates a Research Centre for Aridsone fruit research.  It conducts studies on various fruits crops for assessing their suitability for growing under rainfed conditions, apart from its other objects.  It implements the All India Co-ordinated Fruit Improvement Project and certain other schemes started for the welfare of the Dry Land Farmers specially Adi Dravidas.

           Horticulture

The Department of Horticulture with its headquarters at Srivilliputur is running an Orchard-cum-Nursery for the production of quality seedlings of Mango, Cauva, Citrus, Sapota etc.

 

Poultry Research and Development Centre, Rajapalayam.

 

The centre conducts systematic survey of the polutry industry and conducts investigation of all problems affecting the poultry industry.  It tenders technical help in the establishment of poultry units and supply project profiles.