Pollachi was known as Pozhil Vaitchi in Tamil which means "gifted with beauty" and later became Pollachi. It was also known as Mudi Konda Chola Nallur during the period of the Cholas.
Geography
Pollachi is located at. It has an average elevation of. Aliyar river passes about away from the town and the town receives rainfall from Southwest monsoon due to the presence of Palghat gap.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census, Pollachi had a population of 90,180 with a sex-ratio of 1,012 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929. A total of 7,732 were under the age of six, constituting 3,952 males and 3,780 females. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 10.57% and 0.29% of the population respectively. The average literacy of the city was 82.15%, compared to the national average of 72.99%. The city had a total of 24,755 households. There were a total of 36,972 workers, comprising 219 cultivators, 488 main agricultural laborers, 1,018 in household industries, 32,720 other workers, 2,527 marginal workers, 25 marginal cultivators, 45 marginal agricultural laborers, 124 marginal workers in household industries and 2,333 other marginal workers.
Economy
The economy of the town is predominantly dependent on agriculture. Coconut, jaggery, vegetables and cattle contribute to the agricultural output. There are also coir producing units with raw materials sourced from local farms. Vanilla is also cultivated in certain locations. Pollachi is also a popular movie shooting location for the Tamil film industry owing to its scenic landscape.
Education
Pollachi has schools which follow different curricula such as CBSE, ICSE and state board. Proximity to the educational hub of Coimbatore aids in higher education.
connects with Palakkad to the west, Coimbatore to the north and Dindigul to the east. Metre to broad gauge conversion on Dindigul line was completed in January 2015. In 2017, the track between Pollachi and Podanur was converted from metre to broad gauge at a cost of.
Air
is the nearest airport, located about 48 km from Pollachi.
Places of interest
is situated at an average altitude of in the Western Ghats near Pollachi. Valparai is a hill station about from Pollachi and is situated at an altitude of. Topslip is a popular picnic spot located at an altitude of about in the Anamalai mountain range which is about from Pollachi. Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in the valley between the Anaimalai Hills of Tamil Nadu and the Nelliampathi range of Kerala. The area is hilly and rocky, drained by several rivers and iss thickly forested with some marsh lands and scattered patches of grass. Parambikulam-Aliyar multipurpose project involves a series of dams interconnected by tunnels and canals at various elevations to harness the various rivers flowing through the area. Azhiyar Dam is located on the foothills of Anamalai in the Western Ghats and Solaiyar Dam is from Valparai and is one of the largest rock dams in India.
