Coimbatore | Pollachi | Valparai | Anamalai Hills | Tamil nadu India

Coimbatore | Pollachi | Valparai | Anamalai Hills | Tamil nadu India

Coimbatore, also spelt as Koyamputhur (Tamil pronunciation sometimes shortened as Kovai is one of the major metropolitan cities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

It is located on the banks of the Noyyal River and surrounded by the Western Ghats. Coimbatore is the second largest city in Tamil Nadu after Chennai . It is administered by the Coimbatore Municipal Corporation and is the administrative capital of Coimbatore District.

Podanur Junction is the oldest Railway station in Coimbatore City. The city is one of the largest exporters of Jewellery, Wet grinders, Poultry and Auto Components; the "Coimbatore Wet Grinder" and the "Kovai Cora Cotton" are recognised as Geographical Indications by the Government of India.

Being a hub of textile industry in South India, the city is sometimes referred to as the "Manchester of South India".

History Of Coimbatore :

Coimbatore region was ruled by the Cheras during Sangam period between c. 1st and the 4th centuries CE and it served as the eastern entrance to the Palakkad Gap, the principal trade route between the west coast and Tamil Nadu.

The Kosar tribe mentioned in the 2nd century CE Tamil epic Silappathikaram and other poems in Sangam literature is associated with the Coimbatore region. The region was located along an ancient Roman trade route that extended from Muziris to Arikamedu.

The medieval Cholas conquered the Kongu Nadu in the 10th century. A Chola highway called Rajakesari Peruvazhi ran through the region. Much of Tamil Nadu came under the rule of the Vijayanagara Empire by the 15th century.

In the 1550s, Madurai Nayaks, who were the military governors of the Vijaynagara Empire, took control of the region. After the Vijayanagara Empire fell in the 17th century, the Madurai Nayaks established their state as an independent kingdom. They introduced the Palayakkarar system under which Kongu Nadu region was divided into 24 Palayams(towns).

In the later part of the 18th century, the Coimbatore region came under the Kingdom of Mysore and following the defeat of Tipu Sultan in the Anglo-Mysore Wars, the British East India Company annexed Coimbatore to the Madras Presidency in 1799.

The Coimbatore region played a prominent role in the Second Poligar War (1801) when it was the area of operations of Dheeran Chinnamalai. In 1804, Coimbatore was established as the capital of the newly formed Coimbatore district and in 1866, it was accorded municipality status with Robert Stanes as its chairman.

Etymology

There are multiple theories regarding the origin of the name Coimbatore. According to one theory, "Coimbatore" is a derivation of Kovanpudhur (literally 'new town of Kovan'), after chieftain Kovan or Koyan,

evolved into Koyampuththoor and later anglicised as Coimbatore. Koyamma, the goddess worshipped by Koyan evolved into Koniamma and later Kovaiamma. Another theory states that the name could have been derived from Kovaiamma.

Geography

Coimbatore lies in south India at 427 metres (1401 ft) above sea level on the banks of the Noyyal River, in northwestern Tamil Nadu. It covers an area of 642.12 km2 (247.92 sq mi).

It is surrounded by the Western Ghats mountain range to the west and the north, with reserve forests of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve on the northern side. The Noyyal River forms the southern boundary of the city, which has an extensive tank system fed by the river and rainwater.

The eight major tanks and wetland areas of Coimbatore are namely, Singanallur, Valankulam, Ukkadam Periyakulam, Selvampathy, Narasampathi, Krishnampathi, Selvachinthamani, and Kumaraswami. Multiple streams drain the waste water from the city.

Demographics

Coimbatore has a population of 1,601,438 As per the 2011 census based . It is the second largest city in the state after capital Chennai and the sixteenth largest urban agglomeration in India.

Administration and politics

Coimbatore is a municipal corporation administered by the Coimbatore Municipal Corporation and is the administrative headquarters of Coimbatore district.

Coimbatore was established as the capital of Coimbatore district in 1804 and in 1866, it was accorded municipality status. In 1981, Coimbatore was elevated as a municipal corporation.

The city is divided into five administrative zones – East, West, North, South and Central, each further subdivided into 20 wards. Each ward is represented by a councillor who is elected by direct election and the Mayor of Coimbatore is elected by Councillors.

Economy

Economy of Coimbatore - Lakshmi Mills was one of the earliest textile mills in Coimbatore,Coimbatore is one of the largest exporters of software. CODISSIA Trade Center, Coimbatore.

A major hub for manufacturing, education and healthcare in Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore is among the fastest growing tier-II cities in India. It houses more than 25,000 small, medium and large industries with the primary industries being engineering and textiles.

Coimbatore is called the "Manchester of South India" due to its extensive textile industry, fed by the surrounding cotton fields. Coimbatore region experienced a textile boom in the 1920s and 1930s. Robert Stanes had established Coimbatore's first textile mills as early as the late 19th century, it was during this period that Coimbatore emerged as a prominent industrial centre.

Transport

Coimbatore International Airport - Coimbatore International Airport at Peelamedu 15 km (9.3 mi) from the city centre. The airport commenced operations in 1940 as a civil aerodrome with Indian Airlines operating Fokker F27, Douglas DC-3 and later Hawker Siddeley HS 748 aircraft.

Coimbatore Airport to International status  of international airport by the Union Cabinet on 2 October 2012. The airport is operated by Airports Authority of India and caters to domestic flights to major Indian cities and international flights to Sharjah, Singapore and Sri Lanka.

As of 2014-15, the airport was the 15th largest airport in India in terms of total aircraft movement, 18th largest in terms of passengers handled and 13th largest in terms of cargo handled.

It has a single runway, which is 9,760 feet (2,970 m) in length and is capable of handling large aircraft. Air Carnival, a private airline commenced its operations in 2016 with the Coimbatore International Airport as its Sulur Air Force Station, 

located at Kangayampalayam is an air base operated by the Indian Air Force and accommodates Antonov An-32 heavy air lifter aircraft, Mil Mi-8 transport helicopters and the HAL Dhruv helicopters of the Sarang helicopter display team.

The first squadron of ingeniously built HAL Tejas will be inducted at Sulur AFS and Sukhoi Su-30MKI aircraft were stationed at the base by 2016.

Coimbatore Junction railway station - Train service in Coimbatore started in 1861, upon the construction of the Podanur – Madras line connecting Kerala and the west coast with the rest of India.

Coimbatore lies on the Coimbatore – Chennai 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge railway line and the city falls under the Salem division of the Southern Railway zone of Indian Railways.

The major railway station is the Coimbatore Junction which is the second-largest income generating station in the Southern Railway zone after Chennai Central and is amongst the top hundred booking stations of Indian Railways.

Other major railway stations catering to the city include Coimbatore North Junction, Podanur Junction and minor stations at Peelamedu, Singanallur, Irugur Junction, Perianaikanpalayam, Madukkarai, Somanur and Sulur.

The city is located near the railhead for the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, a UNESCO World heritage site and mountain railway which goes to the hill station of Ooty.

Coimbatore Metro - Central Government proposed a metro rail system for 16 tier-2 cities in India including Coimbatore in 2010. While the Government of Tamilnadu in 2011, shelved in favour of a monorail.

Coimbatore Railway Struggle Committee has also protested to implement metro rail project in Coimbatore. In 2013, E. Sreedharan made survey and announced metro rail as suitable transport for Coimbatore.

Tamil Nadu Government proposed a metro In 2017 for the city of Coimbatore. The Systra group was involved to do the feasibility and finalize the routes in the proposed metro rail.The CMRL proposed five corridors in Coimbatore Metro.

Coimbatore New Bus Stand - There are six major arterial roads in the city: Avinashi Road, Trichy Road, Sathy Road, Mettupalayam Road, Palakkad Road, Pollachi Road and Thadagam Road. The Coimbatore bypass is a series of bypasses connecting the various National Highways and State Highways passing through and originating from Coimbatore.

Town buses started operating in 1921 and serve most parts of the city, as well as other towns and villages in the district. The number of inter-city routes operated by Coimbatore division is 119 with a fleet of more than 500 buses.

It also operates town buses on 257 intra-city routes. The intra-city buses operate from major bus stations in Gandhipuram Central Bus Terminus, Singanallur Bus Terminus, Ukkadam Bus Terminus and Saibaba Colony Bus Terminus to other parts across the city. Inter-city and intra-city buses that connect Coimbatore operate from different bus stands.

Coimbatore to Chennai Bus route is very busy and there are buses plying at regular intervals. The distance between the two cities is approximately 500 km.

Places To Visit In Coimbatore :