the town to important cities like Chennai, Bangalore, Tiruppur and Thoothukudi. The major intercity bus routes from the town are to cities like Madurai, Chennai, Erode, Karur, Coimbatore, Karaikudi, Dindigul, Trichy, Ramanathapuram, Thanjavur, Sankarankovil, Sengottai, Rajapalayam, Tenkasi, Kovilpatti, Tiruppur, Dharapuram, Oddanchatram, Thoothukudi, Tiruchendur, Nagercoil and Tirunelveli. Being an industrial town, there is significant truck transport with around 400–450 trucks entering the town for loading and unloading activities daily. Three wheelers, called autos are also a common public transport system. Sivakasi railway station is located in the rail head from Madurai to Sengottai. It connects Tamil Nadu with Kerala through Rajapalayam and Sengottai. The Podhigai Express connects Sivakasi to Sengottai and Chennai Egmore in either directions. All other express trains ply from Virudunagar station. There are also passenger trains running either direction from Madurai to Shencottah. There is another railway station at Thiruthangal, which caters to the locality of Thiruthangal, where passenger trains, Podhigai Express and Silambu Express stops. Nearby international airport is Madurai international Airport situated in 70 km away. Culture Arulmigu Viswanatha Swamy Temple is the important ancient temple in Sivakasi built by Pandya King Arikesari Parakkirama Pandian between 1428 and 1460 during his reigns. Badhrakali Amman temple is one of the prominent temple of Sivakasi. The tower or Rajagopuram of this temple has a breadth of , a width of and a height of . "Panguni Pongal" and "Chithirai Pongal" are the annual festivals celebrated for the deities Mariamman and Badrakali Amman in April and May, respectively, both of which are celebrated for ten days. Periya Palli Vasal mosque and Chinna Palli Vasal mosque are two of the most prominent mosques in the town. The CSI Regland Memorial Church is the prominent church. Notable people Thondar Duraiswamy (1915–1971), Indian freedom movement comrade Sports AJ Indoor Stadium on Velayutham Road, a coaching center for badminton, table tennis, and basketball. This is a major sporting venue in Sivakasi. Many district, state and national level badminton championship matches are held in this stadium. See also Standard Fireworks (India) Notes Footnotes Citations References External links Municipality of Sivakasi Sivakasi Weekly Sivakasi Fireworks Young Entrepreneur School, Sivakasi Smartoffice, Sivakasi Cities and towns in Virudhunagar district