Budalur

Budalur
பூதலூர்
village
Budalur

Location in Tamil Nadu, India

Coordinates: 10°47′10″N 78°59′11″E / 10.78611°N 78.98639°ECoordinates: 10°47′10″N 78°59′11″E / 10.78611°N 78.98639°E
Country  India
State Tamil Nadu
District Thanjavur
Languages
  Official Tamil
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Coastline 0 kilometres (0 mi)
Nearest city Thanjavur

Budalur (pronounced as 'boodhaloor') is a village in Thanjavur District, Tamil Nadu, India. It is located at 22 km to the west of Thanjavur and around 45 km to the east of Thiruchirapalli (called as Trichy). There are 3 rivers passing through Budalur namely Vennaaru, Anandha Cauvery and Grand Anaicut Canal (also called Pudhaaru).

Culture

Budalur stands as a witness for Tamilian Culture. Jallikattu used to be a very famous event conducted with the co-operation of people from the surrounding villages during Pongal festival. But after 2009 the Jallikattu is stopped in Budalur because of strict restrictions based on the Tamil Nadu Regulation of Jallikattu Act, 2009 and also the supreme court regulations. Other events like Rekla Bull and Horse races also happen occasionally. Also many specialists in Silambaatam(Tamilian Martial Art), Karakaatam(Rural Dance Method) are available in the nearby villages. Another special festival here is Aadi Perukku. People used to go to river on that day and spend the evening there with their families and friends.

A picture from the Rekla Horse race event that happened in Budalur in 2013. Photo By: Sugan Raj Bharathi

Budalur is also home to more than a 100 varieties of birds including Sparrows, Sandpipers, Treepies, Orioles, Cranes, Herons, Kites, Kingfishers, Swallows and many more. Many foreign birds such as Pelicans and Siberian Cranes visit this place when water flows through the river Vennaru.

A juvenile Green Bee Eater sitting on the television cable line. Photo By: Sugan Raj Bharathi

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Transport

The most significant landmark of Budalur is its Railway Station that was built by the British people some 140 years ago. This station falls under the Class B category of Indian Railway stations and most trains that pass through the station will stop there for passengers. Some 30 years ago, this was a small village with much less population and the major occupation was agriculture. But now lot of other businesses are available and the life style of people has also changed. The major change is due to the easiness to travel provided by Railway Station.

There are lot of roadways from Budalur to reach the main towns of Thanjavur and Trichy. There are lot of buses available from major towns and other villages to Budalur. Most of the people use two-wheelers. There are taxi stands, load vehicle stands and a vegetable market available around the railway station. There are 3 petrol bunks available in Budalur.

Schools

There are 3 Matriculation Schools (Our Lady of Health Matriculation School-A Christian Convent, Vidhya Matriculation School , Wesley Matriculation School), 2 Government Elementary Schools, a Government Girls Higher Secondary School and a Government Higher Secondary School. Budalur is the main educational center for lot of small villages around it.

Offices

Village president and students create awareness on the importance of conserving rain water

A sub-registrar's Office in Budalur covers more than 80 villages in Budalur Circle. Also the major office of Budalur is the Panchayat Union Office (formerly called as Block Development Office) that connects Budalur with 40 major village panchayats with 90 smaller villages. T.Thanga Kennedy is serving as the current Panchayat President.

There is a Public Works Department Office and an Assistant Educational Office. The Primary Health Care Centre (PHC) in Budalur serves a lot of village people, free of cost. The PHC contains sophisticated Operation Theater, Beds and Scanning facilities to help people in case of urgency.

As per the announcement from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister in May 2013, the [Thanjavur] Taluk is bifurcated and a new Budalur Taluk is formed.

Temples

There are 7 main temples for Lord Shiva(2), Lord Vijaya Kothanda Raama, Lord Murugan, Goddess Naachiyaaramman, Lord Ganesh and Lord Ayyanar. One of Lord Shiva's temple is called as Aabathsahaayeswara (God who helps during problems) temple, which was constructed by Raja Raja Chola (who built Thanjavur Big temple), is located in a vast landscape in Kovilpathu (a sub-division of Budalur). This temple has got songs from Ancient Devotees of Lord Shiva like Sundarar etc.,.

The world famous Poondi Matha Bascillica (a Catholic Shrine), is located in 9 km from Budalur. Also there is a mosque and 2 churches in Budalur. In total, Budalur maintains secularism.

The place Thiruvaiyaru, which is famous for its Thiyagaraja Aaraadhanaa (Carnatic Music Concert), is located at 24 km from Budalur.


External links