Etymology
Sulur was called Suralur until the ninth century and from
the ninth century to fourteenth century it was called Ariyapirati Nallur, during
the regime of Aditya Cholan. Until the eighteenth century it
was called Sundrapandiya Nallur, during the regime of Sundra Pandiyan. From
eighteenth century it was called Suranur, which in due course got transformed
to Sulur. There are several theories for this name; it may be for a type of Sugarcane, Sural, or for a previous
ruler, Suranoor.[4]
Geography
Sulur is located at 11.03°N
77.13°E.[5] It has an average elevation of
340 metres (1115 feet). Sulur is regarded as a pleasant town situated
very close to the cities of Coimbatore (19 km) and Tirupur (35 km).
Thus it is a popular location for various textile millsand weaving slots. Near to Sulur there is a railway station and an Air Force base. The twin lakes to the north of
the town, bounding the Coimbatore-Nagapattinam
highway adds a scenic view to the town. The town is divided into two parts by the
holyNoyyal River. Sulur is the East-end of the new Coimbatore district.[6]
History
The history of Sulur dates back to around 2300 years ago;
ancient coins dating back to third century BC have been found at Sulur. During
the ninth century AD, Aditya Cholan introduced agriculture in Sulur. The Sulur Reservoir was
constructed during the reign of Adithya Chola. The Sulur pond was reconstructed
in thirteenth century AD during the rule of Sundra Pandian. The Megalithic
pottery[sulur dish] dating back to first century has been found in
archeological digs at sulur and is currently in display at the British Museum,
London(No:1935.4-19.15). The inscriptions on the pottery might even be from the
harappa civilization.[7]
Education
Sulur is very rich with respect to Education. There are
several Educational Institutions in and around Sulur which nourishes the
knowledge base of Coimbatore District as a whole.[8] Few of them are:
·
C.S.I
Elementary School (Formerly London Mission School) - 1913
·
Govt Boys
Higher Secondary School
·
Govt Girls
Higher Secondary School
·
Kennedy
Matriculation Higher Secondary School
·
Kalaivani
Matriculation School
·
Kendriya
Vidyalaya, Air Force Station, Sulur
·
RVS
Matriculation Higher secondary School
·
Michael Job
Matriculation School
·
Kovai
Maruthamali Matriculation School
·
Kids Club
(Kindergarten/Primary) school
·
Fun Kids Play
Centre for Kids
The Govt Boys Higher Secondary School was established in
1889 as Thiruvengadanathar Upper Primary School. Over many years, the school
has grown to the status of a higher secondary school. Its chronological
progress is listed below:
·
April 1925 -
Taluk Board Higher Elementary School,
·
June 1926 -
Zilla Board Middle School
·
June 1938 -
Union, Kalagam)Board Secondary School
·
July 1962 -
(Union, Kalagam)Board Boys Secondary School
·
January 1966 -
Govt Boys Secondary School
·
July 1978 -
Govt Boys Higher Secondary School.
The Girls high school started in July 1962 with 224
students. Its inauguration was attended by the then Chief Minister of Tamil
Nadu, Mr. Bhaktavasalam.
All the colleges in Sulur are run by the RVS group
(Rathnavel Subramaniam group).
Agriculture and Industries
Sulur has many Cotton mills that provide employment to
approximately 5,000 to 10,000 people from the surrounding area. Many of the
people who cannot continue their studies after school join these mills and the
knitwear companies of Tirupur.[10] The local market (Sulur Sandhai Tamil: சூலூர் சந்தை) opens near the banks of Sulur river every Friday.
People from Sulur and the nearby villages gather here and sell their produce.
In addition to (Sulur Sandhai Tamil: சூலூர் சந்தை) there is another market which is open daily in the
morning and evening called as (Uzhavar Sandhai Tamil: உழவர் சந்தை), near to Balaji Hospital on Trichy Road. Market opens
early in the morning and caters for retail and wholesale buyers. C.S.I Primary
School - 1913
Transport
Sulur is well connected by Road and Rail. Also there is a
railway station in Muthugoundan
Pudur which is 3 km apart from Sulur viz. Sulur Road and its code is SUU. The nearest
International airport is Peelamedu Airport, which is about 16 km from sulur. Buses
connect Sulur to most of the nearby villages.
Culture
The people of Sulur are known for their hospitality. The
'Thai Pongal Vizha' (Pongal Festival) conducted in Sulur is very
popular. This Pongal Vizha is conducted at "Anna Kalaiarangam" a
common area in Sulur where many celebrations and get-togethers are held. It is
an annual event which encourages people from all ages to participate in a variety
of games and events. It also serves as a platform for young children to show
their hidden talents.
Administration
Sulur is administered by the elected Panchayat Body headed by the President. Sulur also is the headquarters
of the newly created Sulur Taluk. Earlier, Sulur and adjacent areas were
part of Palladam taluk of the undivided Coimbatore district. The carvation of
eastern parts of Coimbatore district into Tirupur district has caused to form
the new Taluk headquartered at Sulur.[11]
·
The Sulur
Panchayat board started functioning on 30 August 1892.
·
The Sulur
police station came into existence in 1861 during the British rule. Until 1920,
the police station was near the girls' high school. After that it got shifted
to Trichy road.
·
The Registrar
Office opened on 1 January 1884.
·
The Electricity
board opened in Sulur on 1 November 1933, and the Telephone Exchange opened on
31 July 1961.
·
The Sulur Post
Office was opened in June 1882.
·
The Sulur
Telegram Office opened on1 February 1948 in the today's post office.
·
The Sulur
UNIT-RTO Office(TN-37Z) opened on JUNE 2013(vehicles registered under TN-37-CZ,CY,CX series belongs to this RTO)
·
The Cooperative
Movement in Sulur started in 1911.
·
On 22 February
2009 Sulur Taluk was formed and started functioning while bifurcating
Coimbatore district.
Air Force Station Sulur
Sulur Air Force Base operated by the Indian Air Force is located at Kangayampalayam village near Sulur. This Air base was established in the year 1940 by RN of the then British Raj. This was a
strategic base during World War II for the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm: "Royal
Navy Air Squadron"(RNAS). This base was used as repair base for Southeast
Asian planes. The Sulur Airbase which was used by the British, was burned down
on 26 August 1942 during the 1942 August Quit India Movement to overthrow the
British empire from Indian soil. In 1943, the Indian Royal Airforce came to
Sulur, which later got shifted to Cochin in 1949. After gaining independence,
the Indian Navy established INAS Hansa at this place to operate the Sea Hawks.
After the liberation of Goa, INAS Hansa shifted to Dabolim there and
Sulur was taken over by the Air Force. In 1955, the 5BRD (No 5, Base Repair
Depot) of Indian Air Force was planned and it started functioning in 1959. For
some time this airbase was also used for civil aviation. Since 14 January 1984
this base has been a part of the Indian Air Force. The runway was used for
racing motorcycle and cars in the 1960s.[12] Sulur airbase is also being developed for hosting Tejas
LCA by 2014-15.
Religion
Sulur has numerous temples, of which, Perumal Kovil, Vaitheeswaran Kovil, and Mahakaliamman Kovil are very popular. Perumal Kovil and Eswaran Kovil are situated on the banks
of Sulur Lake. It also has the famous Kumaran Kottam temple,Sulur Tirupathi and
Bagavathi[13] constructed by RVS group of
Institutions. In Perumal Kovil, 'pepper' is given to devotees which is not done
in any other Venkateshwara temple. The myth behind this is that a merchant was
travelling through the forests of Sulur to go to nearby town to sell his
items(eatables). Night descended and so he decided to take rest in the temple.
When he was about to sleep, a god appeared before him in the form of a poor
farmer and asked him if he had anything to eat. The merchant told that he had
nothing except pepper in all his bags which could not be eaten. So the god said
"ok" and left the place. The next day when he woke up, to his
surprise he found all his bags contained pepper. Then he realized the person
who came the previous day was not an ordinary man but the godBalaji. He immediately went before the statue
and cried for forgiveness. Balaji appeared before him and told that he would be
forgiven if he renovated the temple and the temple gave out pepper to all of
his worshippers from that day forth. The Sulur Sivankovil (Sivan Temple)
was constructed in the 9th century during the rule of Adithya Cholan. The
Perumalkovil (Perumal temple) was constructed during the 15th century during
the Vijayanagar regime. The Masjid at Sulur was constructed in the 18th century
. The land and the funds for the Masjid were donated by Tipu Sultan. Apart from temples and mosques
there are also catholic and london mission (Latterly C.S.I) Lutheran churches
in the town of sulur. There are few Pentecostal churches also established,out
of which a vibrant worship church is GARMENT INDIA CHURCH,http://www.garmentindiaministries.com also established and functioning since
three decades.