Avur
| Avur | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates: 12°8′5″N 79°12′9″E / 12.13472°N 79.2025°ECoordinates: 12°8′5″N 79°12′9″E / 12.13472°N 79.2025°E | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| Municipality | Avur |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5) |
| Area code(s) | 04175 |
Avur is a small town situated in Tiruvannamalai District, Tamil Nadu, India. Prior to this, it was part of the North Arcot district. For administrative purposes it comes under Kilpennathur Revenue Union. Avur has a proud and ancient history. It was under Cheran and Pandian Dynasties and then ruled by the Arcot Navabs.
Avur shares the border with Vettavalam on the East, Karippur on the West, Nadupattu on the North. It is situated on the Tamil Nadu State Hwy 135 which connects Villupuram and Tiruvannamalai. Two lakes namely Periyeri (Larger Lake) and Chitteri (Smaller Lake) serve as the main sources of water for farming. There are 5 temples, 2 mosques and 3 churches for different religions living here. The nearest train station is Tiruvannamalai which is about 18 km from the village center, the nearest airport is Kamarajar International airport, Chennai which is about 180 km.
Though the initial settlers, called as Dravidians followed nature worship, the different kingdoms, Aryan intrusion and British colonization has brought in various religions in to this village. Muslims, Hindus and Christians constitute the major population here.
The major source of income is farming and mat weaving. The religion also plays a major role in what a person will do for his/her living. Muslims are predominantly involved in running the mat weaving industries. The mat that gets woven here gets exported to various eastern countries and other parts of India. This business also has helped many people to migrate to East Asian countries, and also has created lot of job opportunities for poor people who could not afford to do their own farming.
Hindus are mostly involved in farming and running grocery shops in the region. Hindus own the majority of the land around the village. Though the Hindus form the second largest population, there are divisions among the Hindus based on caste like Udyars, Parayas, Naikars, Ottars, etc. Each of the castes/communities have their own temple and customs of living. It is quite normal that they don't share the temple with other caste people. Avur has been identified in some of the renowned History books for the Temples which date back to few centuries.
Christians form the third largest population. Most of them are educated and get employed in organizations either as Teachers, State government staffs, Army men or run some small businesses. The poor families end up sending their children to work as waiters in restaurants to nearby cities.
The Communal Harmony among this diverse communities in this small town has been greatly appreciated by many. There are four schools of which two are run by the catholic institutions. Sacred Hearts Matriculation school is run by Sisters of Carmelite and the R.C.M school is run by the Catholic Diocese of Vellore. The Union School is run by the Town administration backed by the State Government of Tamil Nadu. The Muslim school here teaches Urdu for Muslim students.
Nawaz baba...........