ABOUT US
Early and 18th-Century History
Battle of Ambur (1749)
Ambur is a town and municipality in Tirupathur district, Vellore region of Tamil Nadu, India. It is located on the banks of the Palar River between Chennai and Bangalore. Ambur has a sizeable leather industry, and is known for its spicy biryani and for the sweet, makkhenpeda. Ambur was the site of two major military actions in the 18th century. The first was the 1749 Battle of Ambur that opened the Second Carnatic War between the Arcot State and the Mughal Empire. In 1767, the siege of Ambur took place during the First Anglo-Mysore War, with local troops and a British force successfully resisting an attack by the Kingdom of Mysore and by the Hyderabad State.
Siege of Ambur (1767)
The siege of Ambur (10 November – 7 December 1767) was conducted by a combined force of Mysorean and Hyderabadi troops under the command of Hyder Ali against the town of Ambur in southern India during the First Anglo-Mysore War. The town was successfully defended by a garrison of local troops and a small force of British East India Company troops under the command of Captain Calvert.
Colonial and Modern Development
Railways and Connectivity
Ambur railway station (station code: AB) is an NSG–5 category Indian railway station in Chennai railway division of Southern Railway zone.It is located in Ambur, Tirupattur district, Tamil Nadu.
Ambur railway station was built in 1856 by the British raj. Royapuram to Ambur railway line started operating on July 1, 1856.
This station has a waiting hall, dormitory, retiring rooms, AC and non-AC upper class waiting room and separate waiting rooms for men and women.
Economic and Social Transformation
Leather Industry
Where Exactly Is Ambur and Why Does It Matter?
Ambur is not your typical small South Indian town. It sits quietly along the Chennai-Bengaluru highway, right on the banks of the Palar River. You’d probably miss it on a map if you weren’t looking. But here’s the thing — for over a century, this quiet town has been the heartbeat of India’s leather shoe industry.
What makes Ambur matter isn’t just the volume of leather it produces. It’s the human story behind it. Families across Ambur and its surrounding villages like Vaniyambadi, Pernambut, Nethaji Nagar, and more have built their lives around this industry. They don’t just make leather. They live it.
