[citation needed] The ancient name of the town was "Arumthamizh kundram" ("Arumtamil kunram") which is believed to have been derived from the Tamil words aaru konam meaning "six angles" or hexagon, based on the fact that six important places exist on the town's six sides, namely Kanchipuram, Thakkolam, Manavur, Thiruvalangadu, Thiruttani and Sholinghur.

[citation needed] Arakkonam Junction[2] is one of the oldest junctions in the country connecting with major cities such as Chennai,Vellore,Bangalore, Mumbai, Goa, Vijayawada, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Tirupati, Mangalore, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.

Arakkonam junction is also feature in a song "Vellarikka" of movie Kadhal Kottai starring Ajith Kumar and Devayani.

The second-biggest Food Corporation of India (FCI) godown is located at Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu.

An underpass beneath the railway connects Arakkonam and Kanchipuram and is one of the city's oldest structures.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, L. Hari Krishnan of AIADMK wrested the seat from the DMK with a margin of over 2,40,000 votes.

Tmt P. Laskhmi of DMK won the post of municipality chairman in the 2022 Tamil Nadu Local body elections.

[8] In the 2019 General elections, Dr. S. Jakathrakshagan from Dravid Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) won against AIADMK Front (from PMK) candidate A.K.