Ranipet, also called Ranipettai, is an industrial city with about 80,000 inhabitants (2011) in the Vellore district, Tamilnadu, India. It's mainly known for its industrial development, in particular leather. It's on the northern bank of the river Palar, opposite Arcot.
Ranipet means "place of queen". The town was founded in 1771 by Sadut-illa-khan and named in honour of the young widow of Desigh Raja of Gingee. She followed her husband into death by committing the ancient (and now banned) Indian tradition of "sati", suicide by setting herself on fire.
Ranipet is 20 km from Vellore, serving more or less as a suburban city.
Scudder Memorial Hospital was established during British period. Institute of Veterinary Preventive Medicine (IVPM) was established at Madras (present day Chennai) in 1932. Many Govt. & Private Schools which was started during British period are still providing good education.
The nearest railway junction is that of Vellore-Katpadi Jn, 17 km from Ranipet. The nearest airport is Chennai International Airport.
2nd-order administrative division
Primary administrative division