Namakkal is the headquarter of Namakkal district, located about 80 km from Yercaud. It is situated at the base of the Single Rock Hillock. One of the premier attractions of this region is a rock fort perched on top of a hillock. Spread over an area of one-and-a-half acre, the fort is accessible from the southwest direction via a flight of narrow steps. It was a centre point for various power struggles between Hyder Ali, the ruler of the kingdom of Mysore (later his son Tipu Sultan) and the British.

Today, it is home to a cave temple dedicated to Lord Ranganatha and Lord Lakshmi Narasimhan. The place is also popular with devotees of the 1500-year-old Digambara Anjaneya Temple. The unique feature of this temple is that the statue of Lord Anjaneya is built in such a way that has its eyes are fixed at the divine feet of Lord Narasimha, whose idol is enshrined at the hillock. Namakkal is the first ISO 14001-2004 certified municipality in Asia for environmental management, especially provision and maintenance of water supply, solid waste and waste management, town planning, lighting and other social services.