Karaikudi is a municipality in Sivaganga district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is part of the area commonly referred to as "Chettinad" and has been declared a heritage town by the Government of Tamil Nadu, on account of the palatial houses built with limestone called karai veedu. Karaikudi comes under the Karaikudi assembly constituency, which elects a member to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly once every five years, and it is a part of the Sivaganga (Lok Sabha constituency), which elects its member of parliament (MP) once in five years. The city is administered by the special grade Karaikudi municipality, which covers an area of 33.75 km2 (13.03 sq mi). As of 2011, the city had a population of 106,714. Roadways are the major mode of transportation to Karaikudi and the nearest airport is Madurai Airport, located 80 kilometres (50 mi) away from the city. The town derives its name from thorny plant Karai referred in ancient literature as Kareekudi, which in modern times became Karaikudi. The town was established in the 19th century, and the oldest known structure is the Koppudaiya Nayagi Amman Temple. Mahatma Gandhi delivered two speeches in Karaikudi in 1927 and Bharathiyar visited Karaikudi in 1919 to participate in a function. Post independence, the town registered significant growth in the industrial sector. Karaikudi and surrounding areas are generally referred as "Chettinad". The town is home to Nagarathar, a business community and Chettiars, financiers and trade facilitators.