Sivakasi - The Name
Sivakasi has a known history of more than 5 centuries.
The legend about Sivakasi goes like this.
Long back between 1428 and 1460 AD, King Harikesari
Parakkirama Pandian ruled the southern region of Tamilnadu,
with his capital at Tenkasi. He wanted to construct a temple for
Lord Siva in Tenkasi. Therefore he went to Kasi and
brought a Sivalingam from there. On his way back with the
prized Linga he took rest under a groove of Vilva trees,
a few miles past Madurai.
The cow which carried Sivalingam, refused to move from
there. He found it hard to reach Tenkasi and to install
the Sivalingam on time. So he realised that the wishes of Lord
Siva were different from his own. The king reverentially placed
the Linga in the place where he had halted and proceeded to Tenkasi.
The place which was sanctified by the "Siva linga
brought from Kasi", henceforth came to be called Sivakasi.
Industrialisation of Sivakasi
In 1922 Mr. P.Ayya Nadar and Mr. A.Shanmuga Nadar went to
Calcutta and learnt the art of safety matches manufacture.
Next year they established the company ‘The South India Lucifer
Match Industry’. It was the starting point of the modern
industrialized Sivakasi which caters safety matches, fireworks
and printing to the whole India.
Today 90% of Fireworks, 80% of Safety Matches and 60% of Printing in India is produced in sivakasi.