Tam: ஆம்பூர் āmpūr
‘Lily Town’ -City, Tamil Nadu
From Tam: āmpal, ‘Water-lily’ [Nymphaea lotus]; and ur, ‘town’, ‘city’.
The town sits on the mighty 348km Palar river and this may have been famous at one time for its water-lilies.
The modern city is better known for its leather works – there are more than 300 leather tanneries, all regularly accused of turning the riverbed into a dumping ground for pollutants.
Also: (1) ‘Arrow City’ [from Tam: ampu, ‘arrow’]. The Naganathasamy temple has a hero stone portraying a warrior armed with a sword, bow and arrow; his chest has been shown pierced by several arrows. (2) ‘City of Devotion’ [Tam: anpu, ‘devotion’, ‘grace’, ‘love’]. Ambur has been called an ālayam ur, ‘temple town’, because every street has a temple.
Ambur Station Sameer.udt
