The propagation of groundwater drought poses a significant threat to agricultural productivity and sustainability, especially in water-scarce basins. This study explores the extent of groundwater drought in the agricultural districts of the Palar River Basin (PRB) in southern peninsular India, utilizing monthly meteorological and groundwater datasets from 2010 to 2020. The focus of the study is to evaluate the groundwater fluctuations with respect to rainfall deficits because the farming activities in the study area solely depend on the rainfall and subsurface water resources and insufficient river water in the ephemeral nature of the Palar River. The study employs drought propagation characteristics pooling, lag, lengthening, and attenuation to assess the evolution of groundwater drought based on the anomalies in rainfall and groundwater levels from 2010 to 2020. The findings indicate that a 21-month pooling of rainfall deficits results in a decline in groundwater levels by 1.5 to 2 m below the ground surface. Subsequently, a lag of 7 to 15 months marks the transition from meteorological to groundwater drought. The prolonged impact of combined water demand for irrigation and industrial use extends the drought period to 10-12 months, causing groundwater levels to plummet to depths ranging from 6.37 to 11.43 m below the surface. The research outcomes have practical implications for informing the development of groundwater resources during the periods of meteorological deficits so that effective irrigation practices can be planned in the studied region.