RAJAPALAIYAM

also spelled Rajapalayam city, Tamil Nadu state, southeastern India, at the eastern foot of the Western Ghats. It is named after its Raju inhabitants, Telugu speakers who migrated during the Vijayanagar (13361565) conquest. The city grew as a centre for cotton handlooming and weaving. It has cotton mills and a cement factory. Pop. (1991 prelim.) 114,042.