According to a myth, Karikala Cholan first cleared forest and then had people settle here, so it was named "Kudiyetram", which evolved into "Gudi-yetram".

An inscription of 14th century found at Chenji (now in Cuddalore District) also reveals existence of the town in the name of “Gudi-yetram”.

During the regime, the king had denoted 90 goats for maintenance and for purchase of oil for lighting.

Sri Lakshmaiyah Chetty[3] was a pioneer in developing the town who established a cloth store in 1850 which mainly sold handloom products such as sarees and lungis.

The following are the surrounding districts: The Gowndanya Mahanadhi is a seasonal river which flows through the town's centre.

According to the 2011 census, Gudiyatham had a population of 235,672 with a sex-ratio of 1,029 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929.

[12] Kamarajar was elected as a Member of Legislative Assembly from the Gudiyatham constituency when he was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

This flag was hoisted by the first prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru at Red Fort on 15 August 1947.

In appreciation, the national leaders viz., Motilal Nehru and Sardar Vallabai Patel in their letter dated 12.08.1947 complimented the weavers.

The handloom and powerloom lungies manufactured here are sold in India, Africa and Arab countries.

The Middle East is supplied with handloom lungis by exporting firms in Gudiyatham.

Sugar cane, paddy and other vegetables are cultivated here and transported to the nearby markets called Ulavar Santhai in Tamil in Gudiyattam.

Cattle and milk production are also important and most villagers are active in both agriculture and cattle-farming.

The Ambur/Vaniyambadi biryani is accompanied with 'dhalcha,' a sour brinjal curry and pachadi or raita, which is made of sliced onions mixed with plain curd, tomato, chilies and salt.

Palkova is a dairy sweet which is enriched with pure, thick milk without any added water.

The municipality has two bus stations equipped to provide intra-town and inter-city routes.

The paintings portray scenes of a Jallikattu clash, a warrior fighting a leopard and a man riding a bullock cart.

The temple, which is surrounded by a wall with an imposing portal, differs from most Chola temples in the region by its almost geometric, but restored, gate and tower decor; it consists of a mandapa (a flat, covered porch) and a vimana (a stepped tower structure) with a transverse bearing.

While the outer walls - apart from their pilasters - and niche structure are almost unadorned, there are numerous blind windows on the cornice fronts (kudus).