Paramakudi or Paramagudi is the largest town in the district of Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu, with a population of over 95,579 (2011 census). It has been the taluk headquarters since 1918, i.e. from the date of formation of Ramanathapuram District. Paramakudi consists of two separate settlements, Paramakudi and Emaneswaran from the first half of this century. These settlements were classified as separate towns in the census records from 1901 to 1961 and then merged together to form the present municipal town in 1964. The area of the town is 13.45 km2. The strength of the council is 36. The river Vaigai flows through Paramakudi on its way to the Bay of Bengal. History Paramakudi area was ruled by the Pandyan dynasty and later by Sethupathi of Ramanathapuram. According to the ancient epic Ramayana, Lord Rama started his battle against Ravana at Sethu Canal, 45 minutes away. In the late 12th and early 13th century, this province was ruled by Hazrat Sulthan Syed Ibrahim Shaheed of Ervadi. His heirs continued to rule following a peace treaty with the Sethupathis. Until the early 15th century the present territories of Ramanathapuram were included in the Pandyan Empire except for a short period under the Chola Dynasty, when Rajendra Chola I took it in 1063 AD. In 1520 CE, the Nayaks of the Vijayanagara Empire took the area and reigned till the 17th century. At the beginning of the 18th century, family disputes over succession resulted in the division of Ramanathapuram. With the help of the king of Thanjavur in 1730 CE, one chieftain deposed the Sethupathi and became raja of Sivaganga. Seeing the weakness of the Nayak, the local chieftains (Palayakarars) became independent; including the raja of Sivagangai and the Sethupathi of Ramanathapuram. In 1730, Chanda Shahib of Karnataka captured Ramanathapuram. In 1741 it came under the control of the Maratha Empire and then the Nizam in 1744 CE. The chieftains revolted against the Nawab in 1752. By then, the throne of Karnataka had two rival pretenders, Chanda Shahib and Muhammed Ali, and this district was part of Karnataka. In 1795, the British deposed Muthuramalinga Sethupathi and took over the administration of Ramanathapuram. In 1801 they made Mangaleswari Nachiyar zamindar of Sivaganga. After the Velu Nachiyar died, the Maruthu brothers took charge and made regular payments to the East India Company. In 1803 the Maruthu Pandiyar of Sivaganga revolted against the British in