Sivakasi is a city in Virudhunagar District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This city is known for its firecracker, matchbox and printing industries. The industries in Sivakasi employ over 2,50,000 people with an estimated turn over of ₹20 billion (US$310 million).
Sivakasi is locally administered by a special-grade municipality which covers an area of 6.8 km2 (2.6 sq mi). Roadways are the major mode of transport to the town, while there is also railroad connectivity. In 2011, Sivakasi had a population of 71,040.
As per Chief Minister Mr. Edappadi K. Palaniswami announcement on Oct 23, 2017, Sivakasi town will be upgraded soon as Municipal corporation city Integrated with Tiruthangal and other several village panchayats.
Country: India
State: Tamil Nadu
District: Virudhunagar
Government
• Type: Municipality
• Body: Sivakasi Municipality
Area
• Total: 6.8 km2 (2.6 sq mi)
Elevation: 101 m (331 ft)
Population: (2011) 71,040[1]
Languages
• Official Tamil
Time zone: IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN: 626123,626124,626189,626130
Telephone code: 04562
Vehicle registration: TN 67, TN 84, TN 95
Places to Visit in Sivakasi
Mariamman Temple Tank
Sri Arulmigu Badrakaliamman Temple - The World's Tallest Kali Temple
Theradi Karuppasamy Kovil
Arulmigu Muppidariamman Temple - Kaichalkaara Amman Kovil
Swamy Kasi Viswanatha Thiru Koyil
Sri Nindra Narayana Perumal Temple, Thiruthangal
The year 1923 means a lot to the success story of Sivakasi as the first fireworks manufacturing industry started its operation in the town.
The town of Sivakasi is widely looked at as India's fireworks hub as the region is the official address of more than 450 fire crackers manufacturing industries extending direct employment opportunities to over forty thousand people. Not just that as the massive base of fireworks industries in the town offers indirect work opportunities like packaging, printing, box making, wire cutting and tube creating works to over one lakh people in the region.
The yearly production of fire crackers is almost fifty thousand tones and turnover at industry monetary value is approximated around three fifty crore rupees. The Government of Tamil Nadu gained almost forty million rupees through nuisance tax collected from the fireworks industries alone.
Shri. Kaliappa Nadar started the first printing press of Sivakasi known as 'Sivakasi Industrial Printing Works' during the year 1937, which simply kick started the success story of massive printing industry base of the town.
As a matter of fact, Sivakasi falls second only to Gutenburg Press located in Germany for the total number of offset printing machines it owns.
The town of Sivakasi is notable for its printing industries as the region houses more than 500 printing presses, including offset printing, foam printing and flexo printing.
In 1922 Shri. Shanmuga Nadar and Shri. Ayya Nadar were moved from Sivakasi to Calcutta to get exposed to the various techniques involved in the safety matches production.
The Nadars came back back to the town of Sivakasi with all the essential expertness regarding safety matches production and collectively founded South India's first safety matches industry known as 'The South India Lucifer Match Industry' during the year 1923. As of now, Sivakasi manufactures about 60% of country's demand of safety matches. Also, the town of Sivakasi houses more than two hundred safety matches companies in the region extending employment opportunities to more than thirty thousand people.