Tam: குடியாத்தம் guṭiyāttam
‘Village Way’ Town, Tamil Nadu
From Tam: kudi, ‘village’, ‘settlement (of family, tribe or people related to one another)’; and Tam: attam, ‘way’, ‘road’, ‘(rough) path’.
Gudiyattam/Gudiyatham is nicknamed ‘Little Sivakasi’ because it is no. 2 for safety match manufacturing in Tamil Nadu. It also ships homemade beedis to many parts of India and Pakistan.
Its traditional handloom products, especially lungis, are exported to many countries in South Asia and the Middle East, although power looms are now starting to take over.
Gudiyattam is also a thriving gold jewellery centre.
I used to live near Gudiyattam and remember cycling through the wonderful avenues of tamarind trees planted by the British for their shade and fruit.
Tamarind Trees, Gudiyattam Road T. R. Shankar Raman