It formed a part of the principal trade route between the west coast and Tamil Nadu.

In the later part of the 18th century, the region came under the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company annexed it to the Madras Presidency in 1799.

It is probably derived from the Hindu mythology linked with the creator God Brahma and was earlier referred to as Brahmapuri.

Historians are divided on the exact location of the Chera capital and have opined that it might correspond to either the present day Karur in Tamil Nadu or Kodungalur in Kerala.

Karur, which was known as Karuvur, was part of the Kongu Nadu region in the ancient Tamilakam and was one of the oldest inhabited towns in the state.

[6][8][9] Archaeological excavations from Kodumanal, further along the Noyyal River from Karur, show traces of civilization from 4th century BCE.

[12] The Tamil epic Silapathikaram mentions that the Chera king Senguttuvan ruling from Karuvur.

The archaeological excavations undertaken in Karur have yielded pottery, bricks, mud-toys, Roman Amphorae, Rasset coated ware, rings and coins belonging to various eras.

[13] In 150 CE, Greek scholar Ptolemy mentioned "Korevora" as an inland trading center in South India.

[15][16][17] Early Tamil Brahmi writings have been found on coins, seals and rings obtained from Amaravati River bed near Karur.

In the later part of the 18th century, the place changed hands multiple times between the Mysore Kingdom and the British East India Company.

The town is located on the banks of the rivers Amaravathi, Kaveri and Noyyal with a plain topography.

The soil types are black and red that are conducive for common crops in the Cauvery delta.

The climate is hot semi-arid, labelled BSh under the Köppen and Geiger classification system.

[36] The population density of the city in the 2001 census was 128 persons per hectare and the average household size was 3.95 as of 2001.

[34] Tamil is the main language spoken in the city, and the usage of English is common in educational institutions and offices in the service sector.

[3][44] The functions of the municipality are devolved into six departments: general administration, engineering, revenue, health, city planning, and IT.

A Chief Distribution engineer, stationed at the regional headquarters in Karur, is responsible for administration and management.

[3] The town formed a part of the traditional Chera and Chola empires and has a number of temples.

Karuvurar, born in medieval Karur, was one among the nine who sung the divine composition Thiruvichaippa, the ninth Thirumurai.

[57] About 2000 units were engaged in making High-density polyethylene (HDPE) mono filament yarn and associated products.

[58] TNPL promoted by the Government of Tamil Nadu is located near Karur and is one of the largest producers of paper in India.

The petroleum products received at the terminal in Athur is transported to other districts of Tamil Nadu through tanker trucks.

[60] Chettinad Group operates a wet process cement plant at Puliyur near Karur.