Rajapalayam

Rajapalayam, also spelled Rajapalaiyam, city, southwestern Tamil Nadu state, southern India. It lies on a lowland plain at the eastern foot of the Western Ghats, about 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Madurai.

The city is named for its Raju inhabitants, Telugu speakers who migrated there during the Vijayanagar (1336–1565) conquest. The city grew as a centre for cotton hand-looming and weaving. It has cotton mills and a cement factory. Pop. (2001) 122,307; (2011) 130,442.