Verulam () is a town 24 kilometres north of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and part of the eThekwini Metropolitan area. History In 1850 a party of 400 Methodists settled here and formed the town. The town was then named after the Earl of Verulam, patron of the British who settled here. Demography Verulam is inhabited mainly by people of Indian descent. The population is over 63,000. There are several primary and secondary schools catering for all races and all areas of the town. The town contains densely populated residential and industrial areas, which include a multitude of shopping centres, mosques, temples & churches. At the outskirts are large farming areas, several built-up townships, and rural townships. There has been slow but steady progress in modernising the town by providing adequate infrastructure to the rural areas. Geography Verulam is situated on the banks of the uMdloti River and on a gentle hilly terrain surrounded by sugarcane plantations to the north. Verulam forms part of the uMhlanga Coast/North Region of eThekwini which stretches from the uMngeni River in the south to the uThongathi River in the north and alongside Verulam includes Durban North, uMhlanga, Mount Edgecombe, oThongathi, eMdloti, La Mercy and Westbrook. Verulam is situated approximately 24 km north-east of Durban and 10 km north-east of uMhlanga. It is bordered by Waterloo and Ottawa South to the south-east, Phoenix to the south, Mawothi to the south-west and Redcliffe to the west. Suburbs Most of Verulam lies south of the uMdloti River except for the industrial suburbs of Canelands and Barrs Flats. The suburbs or neighbourhoods that form part of Verulam include: Barrs Flats (industrial) Brindhaven (residential) Canelands (industrial) Cordoba Gardens (residential) Dawncrest (residential) Everest Heights (residential) Grangetown (residential) Litchie Farm (residential) Lotus Farm (residential) Lotusville (residential and industrial) Mountview (residential) Mzomuhle (residential) Oaklands (residential) Ottawa (residential) Redcliffe (residential) Riet River (residential) Riverview Park (residential and industrial) Riyadh (residential) Saana Township (residential) Southridge (residential) Temple Valley (residential) Umhloti Heights (residential and industrial) Valdin Heights (residential) Religious places of interest One of the main attractions in Verulam is the Sri Gopalall Hindu Temple which was opened in 1913 by Mahatma Gandhi. It is situated in the small suburb of Temple Valley in Verulam. It is one of the oldest temples in South Africa and still caters for prayer & wedding ceremonies. The Shree Siva Subramaniar Alayam has a significant following devotees with the