Pudukkottai Town
Pudukkottai Town, 1908
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Capital of the State of Pudukkottai, Madras, situated in 10 degree 23' N. and 78 degree 49' E., 33 miles by road from Trichi- nopoly. Population in 1901, 20,347, compared with 16,885 in 1891 and 15,384 in 1881. Hindus number 18,459 ; MusalmSns, 1,344 ; and Christians, 544. It is an unusually clean, airy, and well-built town, possessing many fine public buildings. At the suggestion of Sir w.
Blackburne, the Political Agent, Raja Vijaya Raghunatha Raja Bahadur, who died in 1825, pulled down the whole of the old town, which was built with narrow and tortuous lanes, and rebuilt it in regular streets, a large number of the houses being tiled. The place was further improved in the time of Sir A, Seshayya Sastri, K. C.S.I., who was Diwan- Regent for some years while the present Raja was a minor. The fine public buildings outside the town were erected by him. The chief of these are the new palace, the public offices, the hospital, the jail, the college, the Residency, and the summer villa. The old palace, which contains the Raja's Darbar room, is in the heart of the town. This building is not used except on state occasions and is somewhat out of repair. Two large drinking-water tanks in the town (Pallavankulam and Pudukulam) and several others were also improved at considerable cost, but with the most beneficial results, during Sir A. Seshayya Sastri's administration. Particulars of the educational and medical institutions in the town will be found in the article on the State.
