Coimbatore is a major industrial city in India and the second largest city of Tamil Nadu. Known as 'Manchester of South India, it is the administrative headquarters of Coimbatore District. The city is famous for the engineering firms, textile industry, and automobile parts manufacturers. Also known as Kovi, the city derived its name from the local Goddess Koniyamman, Kuniyattamuttur, or Koyamuttur which came to be known as Coimbatore. Geography and Climate Coimbatore is situated in the west of Tamil Nadu on the border of Palakkad district of Kerala. Situated on the banks of Noyyal River, the city is surrounded by the Western Ghats mountain range to the West and the North, with reserve forests and the (Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve) on the northern side. The city is located at an elevation of about 411 meters. Coimbatore has a pleasant salubrious climate owing to its proximity to densely forested mountain ranges and the cool breeze blowing through the Palghat gap which makes the hot temperatures pleasant. The city has a tropical wet and dry climate, with the wet season that starts from October and lasts till December due to the northeast monsoon. The maximum and minimum temperatures vary between 35 °C (95 °F) and 18 °C (64 °F). Demographics According to 2011 census, Coimbatore had a population of 1,050,721 with a sex-ratio of 997 females for every 1,000 males. A total of 102,069 were under the age of six, constituting 52,275 males and 49,794 females. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 10.27% and .07% of the population, respectively. The average literacy of the city was 82.43%. The local language spoken in the Coimbatore city is Tamil. The majority of the population belongs to Hindu community and small group of Muslim. Besides these, Christians, Sikhs and Jains are the other religions followed in the city. Coimbatore also has a large number of Kannadigas or Telugus, Malayalis, mainly from Palakkad and Gujaratis. History of Coimbatore Coimbatore was ruled by Sangam Cheras and it served as the eastern gateway to the Palakkad Gap, the principal trade route between the west coast and Tamil Nadu. Most part of Tamil Nadu came under the rule of the Vijayanagara Empire by the 15th century, which brought new settlers from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and in 1550 the military governors of the Vijaynagara Empire took control of the region. After the fall of Vijayanagara Empire in the 17th century, the Madurai Nayaks established their state as an independent kingdom, with other Vijayanagar branches forming new kingdoms in Vellore, Tanjore, Gingee, Chandragiri and Mysore. The Nayaks introduced the Palayakkarar system under which Kongu nadu region was divided into 24 Palayams. In the later-half of the 18th century, Coimbatore came under the Kingdom of Mysore, following a series of battle with the Madurai Nayak Dynasty. In the year 1799, after defeating Tipu Sultan in the Anglo-Mysore War, the British East India Company annexed Coimbatore to the Madras Presidency. The city played an major role in the Second Poligar War (1801) when it was the area of operations of Dheeran Chinnamalai. In the year 1865, Coimbatore was established as the capital of the newly formed Coimbatore district and in 1866 it was given municipality status and Sir Robert Stanes became the first Chairman of the Coimbatore City Council. Industrialization of the region started in the year 1888 and continued till the 20th century. The textile indutry in Coimbatore started in 1920 due to the decline of the Cotton industry in Mumbai. The city played a significant role in the Indian independence movement and after independence, Coimbatore has seen rapid growth due to industrialization and in the year 1981, Coimbatore was constituted as a corporation. Culture of Coimbatore Though it is usually regard as a traditional city, Coimbatore has a much more diverse and cosmopolitan culture than other cities in Tamil Nadu. The city conducts a music festival every year and art, dance and music concerts are held annually during the months of September and December. Coimbatore cuisine is principally south Indian with rice as its staple food. However, the population of Coimbatore is multi-cultural due to the arrival of migrant population from various regions of the country. Most locals still retain their rural flavor, with many restaurants serving food over a banana leaf. Mysorepa, idly, dosa, Halwa, vada-sambar and biryani are popular among the locals. Tourist Destinations in Coimbatore Situated in the Western Ghats and bestowed with pleasant climate throughout the year, Coimbatore is one of the intriguing tourist spots of South India. The city has a varied range of flora and fauna and its landscape is speckled with magnificent temples, which lures the travelers from all parts of the World. Some of the important Travel Destinations are: TNAU Botanical Gardens Town Hall Gass Forest Museum G.D. Naidu Museum Government Museum Ancient Industrial Artifacts Museum Regional Science Center Noyyal river Siruvani Waterfalls and dam Vaideki Falls Sengupathi Falls VOC Park and Zoo Transportation Air The city of Coimbatore houses an International Airport named Coimbatore International Airport, which is located at Peelamedu 15 km (9.3 mi) from the city and an air-force base at Sulur 23 km (14 mi). The Coimbatore International Airport caters to domestic flights to major Indian cities like Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, etc., and international flights to Sharjah and Singapore. Railways Broad gauge trains connect Coimbatore to all parts of India and Tamil Nadu. The Coimbatore Junction is well connected to all the major Indian cities and comes under the Jurisdiction of the Salem Division. Coimbatore North Junction is another important railway junction in the city apart from Coimbatore Junction and Podanur Junction. The other railway stations of the city are Peelamedu, Singanallur, Irugur, Perianaikanpalayam, Madukkarai, Somanur and Sulur. Road The city has six major arterial roads, namely Avinashi Road, Trichy Road, Sathyamangalam Road, Mettupalayam Road, Palakkad Road and Pollachi Road. There are three National Highways passing through the city, which connects it to other major cities of the country. Coimbatore has several major bus stations and the intra-city bus service operate from the town bus stand in Gandhipuram to other bus stations across the city.
