Porur
Porur is a town in Thiruvallur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a vibrant suburb of Chennai. It is located at 13.03° N and 80.16° E and 52 feet (15 metres) above sea level. It is located 18 km south-west of Chennai city limits on the Guindy-Poonamalee road which eventually merges into the Chennai-Bangalore highway. For administrative purposes, Porur has been included in Tiruvallur district.
- Taluk : Saidapet
- District : Thiruvallur district
- State : Tamil Nadu
- MLA Constituency : Villivakkam
- MP Constituency : North Madras
- STD Code : 044
- PIN Code : 600116
- Neighbouring Towns : Poonamallee, Valasaravakkam, St Thomas Mount, Kundrathur
History
Porur is believed to have a very long history, its existence going back to Pallava times. A decisive battle is believed to have been fought here during the Pallava period and hence the name 'Porur' which in Tamil roughly translates as 'Battlefield'.Besides,there is an ancient Shiva temple which is claimed to have been in existence for centuries.
The antiquity of this township is further vouched for by the presence of a nearby township by name Mugalivakkam which may be an indicator of the inclusion of this region within the Mughal viceroyalty of Poonamallee during the 17th and 18th centuries AD.
The history of Porur as a suburb of Chennai however dates from the post-independence era. During British rule, Madras ended with Guindy Cantonment. The modern residential localities of Porur date from the 1970s onwards.
Some important localities of old Porur are Karambakkam, Sheikmaniam and Chinna Porur.
Geography
Porur is located at
13.03° N 80.16° E. It has an average elevation of 16 metres (52 feet). It is situated on the Poonamalee High Road at the point where Poonamalee high road and Arcot Road meet. It is situated 4 km west of Guindy and 9 km east of Poonamallee on the Guindy-Poonamalee road.It is 5 km from Virugambakkam on the Arcot Road. Suburbs which surround Porur are Valasaravakkam,Mugalivakkam,Iyyapanthangal, Kerugambakkam,Thandalam and KattupakkamLocalities
Prominent divisions of Porur include
- Alapakkam
- Ambedkar Nagar
- Ganapathy Nagar
- Lakshmi Nagar
- Lakshmi Nagar Extension
- Madanandapuram
- Mangala Nagar
- Sakthi Nagar
- Samayapuram
Demographics
As of 2001 India census, Porur had a population of 28,782. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Porur has an average literacy rate of 79%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 83%, and female literacy is 76%. In Porur, 9% of the population is under 6 years of age. The sex ratio was 938 females for every 1000 males. The township is administered by a Town Panchayat.Transport
Porur is situated at the junction of three major roads
- 1) The Arcot road which is 8-kilometre long and runs from Porur via Alwarthiru Nagar,Valasaravakkam,Virugambakkam and Vadapalani to Kodambakkam from where it extends further eastward as the Kodambakkam High Road.
- 2) Mount-Poonamalle Trunk road which is around 13 kilometre long and connects Guindy and St.Thomas Mount with Poonamallee township.
- 3) Kundrathur road which connects Porur with Kundrathur and Mangadu.
Of these,the Poonamallee trunk road extends all the way to the taluk headquarters of Poonamallee beyond which it becomes the Chennai-Bangalore Highway.The Poonamallee trunk road also connectes Porur with the Chennai-Kanyakumari National Highway at Guindy.
Its strategic location at the junction of three major roads and its position as a highway town on the Chennai-Bangalore highway indicates that Porur is well-connected with the rest of Chennai.However, this is not the case.The obscureness of Porur and the distance from the heart of the city has limited transport facilities.
However, Porur,still is fairly well connected with buses to Broadway,Chennai Highcourt,T.Nagar,Thiruvanmiyur,Mylapore,Vadapalani,Nungambakkam,Kundrathur,Mangadu and Poonamallee.
The nearest railway station is 5-kilometres away at Guindy which had,for a long time,before the arrival of new residential areas, been Porur's main means of contact with Chennai city.However, things have changed a lot and Porur is awaiting a railroad in the near future.
The nearest airport is Chennai International Airport at Meenambakkam,8-kilometres away.
The main mode of transport and conveyance are buses and share-autos.Autos and call taxis are rarely used.
Places of Worship
- Sree Yoga Vinayagar Alayam B.T.Nagar Kolapakkam
- Porur Evangelical Church www.porurchurch.org
- Balamurugan Koil (Modern Murugar temple with a history of less than 30 years)
- St.Joseph's Church (Roman Catholic - Built in 1986 in the new location originally from 1980)
- Evangelical Church of India (ECI)
- Kamakshi Amman Koil
- Eswaran Koil (400 plus years of history)
- Nagathamman Koil
- Sethu Kshetram Temple
- Pillaiyar temple (In Shakthi nagar. Had the kumbabishekam recently).
Education
- Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute.
- Alpha College of Arts and Science.
- Little Flower Polytechnic.
- Holy Anges Matriculation School.
- Govt Higher Secondary School.
- Swami Matriculation School.
- St Johns Matriculation School.
- St Anne's Higher Secondary School.
- Assisi Matriculation Higher Secondary School.
And 10+ Middle Schools.
