Mayiladuthurai gets its name from the peahen form in which the Hindu goddess Parvathi worshipped the god Shiva at this place. The town is one of the 274 Saiva holy places in the world.
Mayiladuthurai is of considerable antiquity and cultural and religious significance. The town must have originated in the Medieval Chola period though there are suburbs which predate the town itself. Mayiladuthurai was ruled by the Early Cholas, Medieval Cholas, Later Cholas, Pandyas, the Vijayanagar Empire, Thanjavur Nayaks and the Thanjavur Marathas before it was annexed by the British East India Company along with the rest of the Thanjavur Maratha kingdom in 1799. It rose to be an important town during British rule when it formed a part of Tanjore district. The town was constituted as a grade III municipality in the year 1866. Currently, Mayiladuthurai forms a grade I municipality.
The town is situated on a flat plain on the banks of the Kaveri River and is surrounded by paddy fields. The town is situated on the northern border of the Chola Nadu region of Tamil Nadu.
Assembly segments
Mayiladuturai Lok Sabha constituency is composed of the following assembly segments:
- Sirkali (SC)
- Poompuhar
- Mayiladuturai
- Kumbakonam
- Thiruvidamaradur
- Papanasam
Members of the Parliament
Eight | 1984-89 | E.S.M. Packeer Mohamed | Indian National Congress |
Ninth | 1989-91 | E.S.M. Packeer Mohamed | Indian National Congress |
Tenth | 1991-96 | Mani Shankar Aiyar | Indian National Congress |
Elewenth | 1996-98 | P.V. Rajendran | Tamil Maanila Congress |
Twelfth | 1998-99 | K. Krishnamoorthy | Tamil Maanila Congress |
Thirteenth | 1999-04 | Mani Shankar Aiyar | Indian National Congress |
Fourteenth | 2004-2009 | Mani Shankar Aiyar | Indian National Congress |
Fifteenth | 2009- | O S Manian | Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
