Arcot, town, northeastern Tamil Nadu state, southeastern India, on the Palar River. It is located at the point where the Palar River valley meets the Coromandel Coast region and commands the inland route from Chennai (Madras) to Bengaluru (Bangalore), between the Mysore Ghat and the Javadi Hills.
A fortified capital of the Muslim nawabs, Arcot was the scene of numerous battles between the Muslims, Marathas, French, and British in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the second half of the 20th century, Arcot was superseded in importance by Vellore, about 12 miles (19 km) to the west. Pop. (2001) 49,953; (2011) 55,955.