Virudhunagar was formerly part of ramanathapuram district and now a new district and its headquarters. It was under the pandyas and passed in to the paligars known as ‘palayakkararkal’ in tamil. They showed stiff opposition to the colonial supremacy and finally were subdued by the british. Now virudhunagar is a very big grocery centre in tamilnadu and plays a vital role in edible oil business and a number of cement factories are also located here. It is the birth place of kamarajar, popularly known as ‘kala gandhi’(kala – black) who played a vital role in freedom struggle and at one time became the king-maker of india. The house where he lived is preserved as a monument and memorial. Virudhunagar is 44 kms from madurai and 536 kms from chennai.