Pollachi

Pollachi was known as Pozhil Vaitchi in Tamil which means "gifted with beauty" and later became Pollachi; it was also known as Pozhil Vaitchi during the period of the Cholas.[3]

In 2019, the town became notable for the 2019 Pollachi sexual assault case involving the rape and extortion of numerous women by a gang.[4]

Pollachi is located at 10.662°N 77.0065°E / 10.662; 77.0065.[5] It has an average elevation of 293 metres (961 ft). Aliyar river passes about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) away from the town and the town receives rainfall from Southwest monsoon due to the presence of Palghat gap.The average rainfall of the Pollachi PWD station is around 1274 mm.Pollachi town gets more rainfall in south west monsoon compared to north east monsoon.Western part of the city like Vannamada gets 180 cm Annual rainfall contrast to eastern part of the city like Udumalpet town gets only 60 cm Annual rainfall.

According to the 2011 census, Pollachi had a population of 90,180 with a sex-ratio of 1,012 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929.[6] A total of 7,732 were under the age of six, constituting 3,952 males and 3,780 females. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 10.57% and 0.29% of the population respectively. The average literacy of the city was 82.15%, compared to the national average of 72.99%.[6] The city had a total of 24,755 households. There were a total of 36,972 workers, comprising 219 cultivators, 488 main agricultural laborers, 1,018 in household industries, 32,720 other workers, 2,527 marginal workers, 25 marginal cultivators, 45 marginal agricultural laborers, 124 marginal workers in household industries and 2,333 other marginal workers.[1]

Paddy fields in Pollachi

The economy of the town is predominantly dependent on agriculture. Coconut, jaggery, vegetables and cattle contribute to the agricultural output. There are also coir producing units with raw materials sourced from local farms.[7][8] Vanilla is also cultivated in certain locations.[9] Pollachi is also a popular movie shooting location for the Tamil film industry owing to its scenic landscape.[10][11]

Pollachi has schools which follow different curricula such as CBSE, ICSE and state board. Proximity to the educational hub of Coimbatore aids in higher education. Another school is Rural India Student Education (RISE), based in Samiyandipudhur, founded in 2000 by R. Krishnan and Geetha Krishnan, who currently reside in the United States. The school has had 300+ students; students from the school have won high marks in the tenth standard CBSE exams and won local collegiate sports events.

Road to Valparai in the Western Ghats

Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary is situated at an average altitude of 1,400 feet (430 m) in the Western Ghats near Pollachi. Valparai is a hill station about 65 kilometres (40 mi) from Pollachi and is situated at an altitude of 3,500 feet (1,100 m). Topslip is a popular picnic spot located at an altitude of about 800 feet (240 m) in the Anamalai mountain range which is about 37 kilometres (23 mi) from Pollachi. Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in the valley between the Anaimalai Hills of Tamil Nadu and the Nelliampathi range of Kerala. The area is hilly and rocky, drained by several rivers and is thickly forested with some marsh lands and scattered patches of grass.[16] Parambikulam-Aliyar multipurpose project involves a series of dams interconnected by tunnels and canals at various elevations to harness the various rivers flowing through the area. Azhiyar Dam is located on the foothills of Anamalai in the Western Ghats and Solaiyar Dam is 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Valparai and is one of the largest rock dams in India.[17]

• Pollachi travel guide from Wikivoyage