Dindigul is located 420 km (260 mi) southwest of the state capital, Chennai and 100 km (62 mi) away from Tiruchirappalli. Dindigul is believed to be an ancient settlement; it has been ruled at different times by the Early Pandyan Kingdom, the Medieval Cholas, Pallava dynasty, the later Pandyas, the Madurai Sultanate, the Dindigul Sultanates, the Vijayanagara Empire, the Madurai Nayak Dynasty, Chan
da Sahib, the Carnatic kingdom and the British. Dindigul has a number of historical monuments, the Rock Fort being the most prominent. Industries in Dindigul include lock making, leather, administrative services, agricultural trading, banking, agricultural machinery and educational services. Dindigul is administered by a municipality which will be upgraded to a municipal corporation. The city covers an area of 14.01 km2 (5.41 sq mi) and had a population of 207,327 in 2011. Dindigul is well-connected by road and rail with the rest of Tamil Nadu It is the 11th-largest urban agglomeration in the state and has a population of 292,132 according to Tamil Nadu's 2011 census. Dindigul has 200,000 hectares of cultivable land, and agriculture continues to be the main occupation of its inhabitants. Located between the Palani and Sirumalai Hills, Dindigul has a reserved forest area of 85 hectares.