Pudukkottai is the administrative headquarters of Pudukkottai District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a large city located on the banks the Vellar River, it has been ruled, at different times, by the Cholas, Early Pandyas, Thondaimans, and the British. It is situated about 395 kilometres southwest of the state capital Chennai and about 55 kilometres southeast of Tiruchirappalli. The people in the city are employed mainly in tertiary sector activities. Tamil Nadu's first women Asiad Santhi Soundarajan is from Pudukkottai.
Being the district headquarters, Pudukkottai accommodates the district administration offices, government educational institutes, colleges, and schools. Pudukkottai is a part of Pudukkottai constituency and elects its member of legislative assembly every five years, and a part of the Lok Sabha constituency Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga, Tiruchirappalli Karur constituencies that elects its member of parliament. The city is administered by a selection-grade municipality established in 1912 as per the Municipal Corporation Act. The city covers an area of 21.25 km² and had a population of 117745 in 2011.