Tam: இராசபாளையம் irācapāḷaiyam
‘Raju Cantonment’ City/Taluk, Tamil Nadu
From Tam: pāḷaiyam, ‘fort’, ‘camp’, ‘cantonment’.
The Rajus, a Telugu speaking community, migrated here from Andhra Pradesh following the collapse of the Vijayanagara Empire in the 17thC. They were probably refugee soldiers or administrators.
A palayam indicates a camp or HQ of a local chieftain,
‘Cotton City’, as it is also called, is famous for its spinning mills (it has 42 of them).
It also has its very own breed of dog: large, white, regal and eminently suitable for hunting or guard dog duties.
Bheem, the Rajapalayam Dog Vbala0733
