It is believed that Lord Vedapureeshwarar imparted spiritual guidance to the heavenly bodies about the Vedas at this place and since then this place came to be known as Thiruvothur. Thiruvathipuram, Tiruvettipuram and Tiruvattiyur are the other names of this place. On the northern banks of the Cheyyar the Vedapureeshwarar Temple (Vedanatheshwarar Temple) is located .It is also said that Saint Thirugnanasambanthar converted a male palm tree into a female palm tree at this holy place. The places located near Cheyyar are Vakkadai, Anakkavur, Moranam, Mamandur and Virambakkam.
The main occupations of the people living in Cheyyar are Agriculture and weaving. The rice mills of Cheyyar provide employment to a lot of people. The Cheyyar cooperative Sugar mill is one of the largest sugar mills in the country. Previously, Cheyyar was not an industrial region, it is becoming an industrial region following the establishment of the industrial complex by the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) Limited It is becoming the next investment destination of the companies after Sriperumbudur and Oragadam.
