Aranthagi is the second largest city in the district of Pudukkottai in the Tamil Nadu state, which forms a part of the Indian subcontinent. Aranthagi lies at a short distance of 34 kilometers from Pudukkottai. In fact Aranthagi was the most populous locality in the southern parts of the district of Thanjavur till it was added to Pudukkottai. According to the census of 2001 the population of Aranthagi is 34,266. The literacy rate of this city is higher than of the rate of national literacy. The city of Aranthagi consists of one Government polytechnic, which was a result of the intuition of Mr. Thirunavaukarasar M.P. and also one private Science and Arts College.
There are a host of tourist attractions in the city of Aranthagi. The main center of attraction over here is a ruined fort, which has a unique feature. The walls of this popular fort are not constructed of brink or stone but of large interstices filled with mud. There is not definite indication as to when this fort was constructed and there are no ruins of
palaces or any other striking building inside this fort. But due to meager source of information it is believed by some that a line of Tandaimans who were unconnected with those of Pudukkottai were in power here from the 15th century A.D. to the 18th century A.D. and might have constructed this fort. Another famous tourist spot here is the temple here, which is believed to have been constructed by the monarch of the Chola dynasty, Rajendra Chola. The other attractions of this city are the Palk Straits, which is 23 kilometers away from Aranthagi, an ancient temple known as Avudiyar Koil, which is just 15 kilometers away from Aranthagi. The uniqueness of this temple lies in the sculptures and drawings. The 100 years old Oiyur St. Arulunadar Church is only 40 kilometers away from the city of Aranthagi.
Some small-scale industries are located here and they manufacture fibre from the coconut waste. The health provisions in Aranthagi are also remarkable. Both Government and private hospitals are located here. There are also a number of banks in the city of Aranthagi including State Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank and ICICI bank. There are a number of clubs sited in the city of Aranthagi for the purpose of recreation and amusement. The inhabitants of this city also seem to be very religious as is evident from the number of temples situated here; the famous ones among them are Sivan Temples, Many Vinayagar Temples and Murugan Temples. The festivals of the city of Aranthagi are also celebrated with much pomp and show.
Reaching the city of Aranthagi is not a big hassle as this city is connected with all the major cities of the nations. The connections of this city with Cuddalore, Chennai, Villupuram, Thiruthurai Poondi, Chidambaram makes it easy to reach this place. Bus services are available from Chennai, Trichy, Villupuram and Pudukottai to Aranthagi.
