Tiruttani

Tiruttani is a historic temple town situated in the Tiruvallur district and serves as a suburb of Chennai within the Chennai Metropolitan Area in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The town is famous for the Tiruttani Murugan Temple, an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Kartikeya, also known as Murugan, the Hindu god of war. This temple is one of the Arupadaiveedu, a group of six significant abodes of Murugan. Tiruttani was officially incorporated into the Chennai Metropolitan Area in October 2022, signifying its growing importance and influence within the region..

History
The name Tiruttani is of Tamil origin. During the formation of Andhra state on 1 November 1953, Tiruttani was part of Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh state and continued to be there until 1960. On 1 April 1960, with the Andhra Pradesh and Madras Alteration of Boundaries Act of 1959, Tiruttani, Pothatturpettai, Pallipattu and Ramakrishnarajapettai assembly areas of Andhra Pradesh are transferred to Madras state (now Tamil Nadu) in exchange for smaller area on linguistic basis.

Geography
Tiruttani is located at 13.18°N, 79.63°W. It has an average elevation of 76 m. It is a hot and humid area, and this town is surrounded by small hills. Tiruttani is located near the Andhra Pradesh border in Ponpadi, a village close to Tiruttani. The nearby cities and towns in proximity to Tiruttani include Chennai, situated 80 kilometers away; Tirupathi, located 66 kilometers away; Chittoor, at a distance of 66 kilometers; Kanchipuram, 44 kilometers away; Tiruvallur, 40 kilometers away; Arakkonam, 13 kilometers away; and Vellore, 80 kilometers away.

Demographics
According to the 2011 census, Tiruttani had a population of 64,781 with a sex ratio of 1,003 females for every 1,000 males, well above the national average of 929. A total of 4,656 were under the age of six, constituting 2,441 males and 2,215 females. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 12.42% and 2.4% of the population respectively. The average literacy of the town was 75.32%, compared to the national average of 72.99%. The town had a total of 11,122 households. There were a total of 16,451 workers, comprising 462 cultivators, 715 main agricultural labourers, 550 in household industries, 12,648 other workers, 2,076 marginal workers, 44 marginal cultivators, 180 marginal agricultural laborers, 202 marginal workers in household industries and 1,650 other marginal workers. As per the religious census of 2011, Tiruttani had 91.85% Hindus, 6.35% Muslims, 1.61% Christians, 0.02% Sikhs, 0.04% Buddhists, 0.06% Jains, 0.06% following other religions and 0.06% following no religion or did not indicate any religious preference.

Politics
The Andhra Pradesh and Madras Alteration of Boundaries Act, enacted in 1959 by the Parliament of India under the provisions of article 3 of the constitution, went into effect from 1 April 1960. Under the act, Tiruttani taluk and Pallipattu sub-taluk of the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh were transferred to Madras State in exchange for territories from the Chingelput (Chengalpattu) and Salem Districts.

The assembly constituency of Tiruttani is located within the Arakkonam Lok Sabha constituency, having previously been a part of the Sriperumbudur Lok Sabha constituency. Currently, S. Chandran holds the position of Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Tiruttani.

Transport
Tiruttani has transport links to nearby cities, towns, and villages. The bus depot houses a total of 79 buses, with 42 operating in rural areas. Additional buses are put into service during the festival season to accommodate the increased demand. The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) operates regular services to Chennai, Tiruchirappalli, Salem, Tiruvallur, Vellore, Aarani, Arakkonam, Chengalpattu, Kanchipuram, Tiruvannamalai,Tindivanam. It also runs interstate buses to Tirupati, Bengaluru (Via Vellore), Chittoor, and Pondicherry. The State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) operates a direct bus from Tiruttani to Tirunelveli four times a week (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday). Additionally, buses travelling from Tirupati to Madurai, Nagercoil, Peravurani (via Kumbakonam and Pattukkotai), and Nagapattinam (via Chidambaram and Mayiladuthurai) pass through Tiruttani. The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) operates frequent buses to Tirumala, while the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) runs two daily buses (Sarige Type) to Bengaluru (via Chittoor).

Tiruttani Railway Station (Station Code - TRT) is situated on the Chennai to Mumbai rail line. Long-distance trains make stops at Tiruttani Railway station. The Southern Railway provides regular Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) services from Chennai Suburb, Chennai Beach, and Velachery to Tiruttani. The first local train from Chennai Central departs at 3:50 AM, while the initial train from Tiruttani commences at 4:30 AM. The final train from Chennai Central Suburb to Tiruttani sets off at 8:20 PM, and the last train from Tiruttani to Chennai Central leaves at 9:45 PM.

Airports
The closest international airport to Tiruttani is Chennai International Airport, which is located 82 kilometers away. Additionally, Tirupati Airport is also an option, located 62 kilometers from Tirutttani.

Notable people
The city is renowned as the birthplace of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the 2nd President and 1st Vice President of India. He was born in this city on 5th September 1888, and his birthday is commemorated as Teacher's Day across India.

Schools

 * 1) Dr. Radhakrishnan Government Boys High School
 * 2) Government Girls High School
 * 3) Dr.V. Genguswamy Naidu Matriculation Higher Secondary school
 * 4) Thalapathy K. Vinayagam Higher Secondary School
 * 5) Sudhandira Matriculation Higher Secondary School
 * 6) GRT Mahalakshmi Vidyalaya CBSE School
 * 7) Ruby Matriculation School
 * 8) New Eden School
 * 9) MGR Nagar School
 * 10) Panchayat Union Primary School
 * 11) St. Mary's Matriculation School
 * 12) Shakthi public school
 * 13) KIDZOM International Play School
 * 14) Maha Bodhi Vidyalaya English medium school
 * 15) TRS Global Public school
 * 16) TRS IKEN Ë-Brain Kids

Colleges

 * 1) Arulmigu Sri Subramaniya Swamy Government Arts College
 * 2) GRT Institute of Engineering and Technology
 * 3) GRT college of Nursing
 * 4) Tamil Nadu paramedical training institute
 * 5) GRT College of educations
 * 6) Tiruttani Polytechnic college
 * 7) Saravana ITI

Hotels
Due to the historical significance of the temple, a significant number of people visit daily to seek the blessings of Tiruttani Murugan. This has led to the establishment of several hotels in the vicinity to accommodate the influx of visitors.