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Mannargudi () is a Municipality in Thiruvarur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the headquarters of the Mannargudi taluk. The town is located at a distance of from the district headquarters Thiruvarur, 12 km from Needamangalam, 36 km from Kumbakonam, 40 km from Thanjavur, and from the state capital Chennai. Mannargudi is known for the Rajagopalaswamy temple, a prominent Vaishnavite shrine.
Mannargudi was founded as an agraharam village by the Medieval Cholas during the 7th century A.D. The town was subsequently ruled by various dynasties including the Chola king Rajadhiraja Chola (1018–1054 CE), Vijayanagar Empire, Delhi Sultanate, Thanjavur Nayaks, Thanjavur Marathas and the British Empire. Mannargudi was a part of the erstwhile Tanjore district until India's independence in 1947 and Thanjavur district until 1991. It subsequently became a part of the newly formed Tiruvarur district. The town is known for agriculture, metal working and weaving. The region around Mannargudi has considerable mineral deposits.
Mannargudi is administered by a municipality established in 1866. As of 2011, the municipality covered an area of and has a population of 67,999. Mannargudi comes under the Mannargudi assembly constituency which elects a member to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly once every five years and it is a part of the Thanjavur constituency which elects its Member of Parliament (MP) once in five years. Roadways are the major mode of transportation to the town and it also has rail connectivity. The nearest seaport, Nagapattinam Port, is located 52 km (32 mi) from Mannargudi, while the nearest airport, Tiruchirappalli International Airport, is located 97 km (60 mi) from the town. Mannargudi is a fifth largest town in delta region after Thanjavur, Kumbakonam, Thiruvarur and Nagapattinam
Etymology
alt=Srividhya Rajagopalaswamy of Mannargudi with Cows|left|thumb|Srividhya Rajagopalaswamy of Mannargudi with cows
The word Mannargudi is derived from the Tamil word Mannar referring to Vishnu and gudi referring to a place, meaning the "Place of Vishnu". The town was also called "Mannarkovil" or "Rajamannarkoil" after the Rajagopalaswamy temple. The town was known during the period of Nayaks for the tall compound wall around the Rajagopalaswamy temple, leading to the adage Mannargudi Mathil Azhagu, (meaning "the walls of Mannargudi are beautiful").]]
Mannargudi was founded as an agraharam village during 7th century. After that Rajadhiraja Chaturvedimangalam by the Medieval Chola king Rajadhiraja Chola (1018–1054 CE), who constructed the Jayam Kondanathar temple and the Rajathirajeswara temple. The Rajagopalaswami temple is believed to have been constructed by Kulothunga Chola I (1070–1125 CE), with bricks and mortar, indicated by various stone inscriptions found at the site. The town started to grow around the temple. Successive kings of the Chola empire, Rajaraja Chola III (1216–56 CE) and Rajendra Chola III (1246–79 CE), and Thanjavur Nayak king Achyuta Deva Raya (1529–1542 CE) expanded the temple. The temple contains inscriptions of the Hoysala kings and information about grants by Vijayanagara kings, and many records of the later Nayaks and Marathas. A fort was constructed under the rule of the Hoysala kings, and Hindu temples were built under the leadership of both Hoysala and Pandya rulers. The current temple structure, hall of thousand pillars, main gopuram (temple gateway tower) and the big compound wall around the temple were built by the king Vijaya Raghava Nayak (1532–1575 CE). The town emerged as one of the chief centres of inland trade in the district during the British rule. Rice, betel leaves, groundnut, oil, metal articles and clothes were the major exports. A Methodist mission was established in the town during the third decade of the 19th century. During 1944, Chinese copper coins were unearthed from Thaliketti village in the region, dated to Sui period (585 CE) to the end of Song period (1275 CE). The coins indicate a possible Buddhist influence in the region. Mannargudi continued to be part of Tanjore district until India's independence in 1947 and Thanjavur district until 1991 and subsequently a part of the newly formed Tiruvarur district.
Geography and climate
250px|thumb|Haridra Nadhi – the temple tank in Mannargudi and one of the largest tanks in the state belonging to the Sethubhava Religious Charities
Mannargudi is located at . It has an average elevation of . Mannargudi is situated on the banks of Pamaniyar River, a branch of the Vettar (distributary of Kaveri) and is covered with fertile soil conducive for rice cultivation. The topography is completely flat and the town is a part of the fertile Cauvery Delta. Mannargudi is situated at a distance of from the state capital Chennai and from Tiruvarur, the district headquarters. The nearest airport is at Tiruchirappalli, away from the town. The nearest seaport is at Nagappattinam, located from Mannargudi.
Like in the rest of the state, the period from November to February in Mannargudi has a climate full of warm days and cool nights. The onset of summer is from March to the end of June. The average temperature range from in January to in May and June. Summer rains are sparse and the first monsoon, the South-West monsoon, usually sets in June and continues until September. North-East monsoon usually sets in October and continues until January. The rainfall during North-East monsoon is relatively higher and is beneficial to the district at large because of the heavy rainfall and the Western ghats feeding the river Cauvery. The average rainfall is , most of which is contributed by the North-East monsoon. The most common trees planted in the town are jack fruit, coconut, tamarind and palmirah. Being an agricultural town, Mannargudi's economy largely depends on the income from agriculture. The crops cultivated include paddy, cotton, sugarcane, and pulses like urad and mung bean. The agriculture around the town mainly depends on the rivers Koraiyaru, Mullaiyar and Pamaniyar, while the other sources of irrigation are bore-wells. There are no big industries around the town, while there are a few small scale industries like a sugarcane factory, a fertilizer industry, a beer factory and a chemical factory in and around the town. There is a gas treatment and filling plant in Edayarnatham, a village in the outskirts of Mannargudi. A 107.8 MW Combined Cycle Power plant of Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) functions at Thirumakkottai, a village away from Mannargudi.
Mannargudi town has one of the largest coal reserves in the country. The total quantity of lignite reserves identified in the area is around 19,500 million tonnes. Exploration of coal bed methane in the area was not started until 2008.