Poonamallee is a western suburb of Chennai, India under the Chennai Metropolitan Area. It was historically called Pushpagirimangalam, later renamed in Tamil as Poovirundhavalli, and now colloquially called as Poondhamalli. It is the headquarters of the Poonamallee taluk of the Tiruvallur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The nearest Railway station is at Avadi. It acts as the gateway to the city from its western side. It is a town with rich cultural heritage and also a fast-growing areas in the city. As of 2011, the town had a population of 60,607. There are plans to merge the areas under Poonamallee Municipality with Avadi Municipal Corporation.