Coimbatore
Encyclopedia
Coimbatore also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the India
n state
of Tamil Nadu
. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester
of South India
".
The Coimbatore region has been ruled by the Cheras
, the Cholas, the later Pandyas, the Vijayanagar Empire and the Madurai Nayaks and is believed to have been named after a chieftain called Koyan. In the 17th century, the city became a part of the Kingdom of Mysore
and remained so until its conquest by the British East India Company
in 1799. The history of modern Coimbatore, however, dates from the 1930s, when the city grew rapidly capitalizing on a textile boom. Since then, the city has witnessed steady growth fueled by its favourable soil, climate and political and economic conditions.
Coimbatore is administered by the Coimbatore Municipal Corporation
which comprises 100 wards grouped into five zones. It is situated on the banks of the Noyyal River
in western Tamil Nadu and is surrounded by the Western Ghats
on all sides. It is well connected by road
, rail
and air with major towns and cities in India.
Coimbatore is an important textile and manufacturing hub of Tamil Nadu. Other important industries include software services, education and healthcare. Coimbatore has been ranked 4th among Indian cities in investment climate by a survey done by the Confederation of Indian Industry
(CII).
Cheras
and it served as the eastern entrance to the Palakkad Gap
, the principal trade route between the west coast and Tamil Nadu
. The Kossar tribe
mentioned in the second century CE Tamil epic Silappathikaram and other poems in Sangam literature
is associated with the Coimbatore region (Kongu Nadu). Large numbers of Roman coins and other artifacts have been unearthed around Coimbatore, indicating the region's ties with Roman
traders. The Coimbatore region is in the middle of the "Roman trail" that extended from Muziris
to Arikamedu
. The medieval Cholas
conquered the Kongu Nadu
in the 10th century CE. 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. The Vijayanagara reign brought new settlers from Andhra Pradesh
and Karnataka
. In the 1550s, the military governors (Madurai Nayaks) 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, with other Vijayanagar offshoots 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 part of the 18th century, the Coimbatore region came under the Kingdom of Mysore
, controlled by Hyder Ali
and later Tipu Sultan
. After defeating Tipu Sultan in the Anglo-Mysore Wars
, the British East India Company
annexed Coimbatore to the Madras Presidency
in 1799. Coimbatore played a prominent role in the Second Poligar War against the British in 1801, as it was the area of operations of Dheeran Chinnamalai
. In 1865, Coimbatore was established as the capital of the newly formed Coimbatore district
and in 1866 it was accorded the municipality
status. Sir Robert Stanes
became the first Chairman of the Coimbatore City Council. Industrialization of the region begin in 1888 and continued into the 20th century. The region was hard hit during the Great Famine of 1876–78
resulting in nearly 200,000 famine related fatalities. On February 8, 1900 an earthquake struck Coimbatore damaging many buildings. The first three decades of the 20th century, saw nearly 20,000 plague related deaths and an acute water shortage. The city experienced a textile boom in 1920s and 1930s due to the decline of the Cotton industry in Mumbai
. The region played a significant role in the Indian independence movement
. Post independence, Coimbatore has seen rapid growth due to industrialization. In 1981, Coimbatore was constituted as a corporation.
. It is surrounded by the Western Ghats
mountain range on the West and North, with reserve forests and the (Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
) on the northern side. The Noyyal River
runs through Coimbatore and forms the southern boundary of the corporation. The city sits amidst Noyyal's basin area and has an extensive tank system fed by the river and rainwater. The eight major tanks / wetland
areas of Coimbatore are - Singanallur
, Valankulam
, Ukkadam Periyakulam, Selvampathy, Narasampathi, Krishnampathi, Selvachinthamani, and Kumaraswami tanks. Sanganur pallam, Kovilmedu pallam, Vilankurichi-Singanallur Pallam, Karperayan Koil pallam, Railway feeder roadside drain, Tiruchy-Singanallur Check drain and Ganapathy pallam are some of the streams that drain the city.
The eastern side of the Coimbatore district, including the city is predominantly dry. The entire western and northern part of the district borders the Western Ghats
with the Nilgiri biosphere as well as the Anaimalai
and Munnar
ranges. A western pass to Kerala, popularly referred to as the Palghat Gap provides its boundary. Because of its close proximity to the Western Ghats, the district is rich in fauna
. The Coimbatore urban wetlands harbours around 116 species of birds. Of these, 66 are resident, 17 are migratory and 33 are local migrants. Spot-billed Pelican, Painted Stork, Open Billed Stork, Ibis
, Spot-billed Duck, Teal
, Black Winged Stilt are some of the migratory birds that visit Coimbatore wetlands regularly.
Apart from the species common to the plains, wild elephant
s, wild boars leopard
s, tiger
s, bison, various species of deer, Nilgiri Tahr
, sloth bear
and black-headed Oriole
can also be found. The Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary 88 km (54.7 mi) in the Western Ghats at an altitude of 1,400 meters covers an area of 958 km². Among the region’s livestock animals are Kangeyam bull
s. This breed, which helped the region gain a foothold in the dairy industry, are found only in Coimbatore and neighbouring districts. More than 20% of the district is classified as forest, lying in the west and north. The forests here are abundant in commercially significant trees such as teak
, sandalwood
, rosewood
and bamboo
. The Nilgiris
slope of the Mettupalayam range is rich in sandalwood trees and bamboo. They vary from rich tropical evergreen forest
s of Punachi range to jungles of shrubs in southern ranges. Apart from the high altitude regions of Western Ghats, most of the forest area has come under Lantana
invasion. The locals refer to it as Siriki Chedi.
, the city has a tropical wet and dry climate. It has mild winters and moderate summers. Coimbatore is located at an elevation of about 411 meters. The mean maximum and minimum temperatures during summer and winter varies between 35 °C (95 °F) and 18 °C (64 °F). highest temperature ever recorded is 41 °C (106 °F) and lowest is 12 °C (54 °F).
Due to the presence of the mountain pass, major parts of the district benefit from the south-west monsoon
in the months from June to August. After a warm, humid September, the regular monsoon starts from October lasting till early November. These monsoons are brought about by the retreating North-eastern monsoon
. The average annual rainfall is around 700 mm with the North East and the South West monsoons contributing to 47% and 28% respectively to the total rainfall. This rainfall is not enough to sustain the needs of the city for the entire year and the shortage is made up through water supply schemes like Siruvani, Pilloor and Athikadavu.
The soil is predominantly black, which is suitable for cotton cultivation, but it also has some red loamy soil. Coimbatore falls under the Class III/IV Seismic Zone
, having experienced a 6.0 Richter scale
earthquake
in 1900.
, Coimbatore had a population of 1,250,446 within Municipal Corporation limits. The 2011 census data for post-expansion city limits is not available and only the population of urban agglomeration is available - 2,151,466. In the urban agglomeration, males constitute 50.08% of the population and females 49.92%. Coimbatore has an average literacy rate of 89.23%, higher than the national average of 74.04%. Male literacy is 93.17% and female literacy is 85.3% with 8.9% of the population under 6 years of age. The Sex ratio was 964 females per 1000 males. In 2005, the crime rate in the city was 265.9 per 100,000 people, accounting for 1.2% of all crimes reported in major cities in India. It ranked 21st among 35 major cities in India in the incidence of crimes. In 2011, the population density in the city was 10,052 per km² (26,035 per mi²).
The native language spoken in the Coimbatore city is mainly Kongu Tamil
, a dialect of Tamil language
. The city's population is predominantly Hindu
, along with a sizable Muslim
population. Christian
s, Sikh
s and Jains
are also present in small numbers. Coimbatore also has a large number of Malayali
s, mainly from Palakkad
, Telugus
and North India
ns, mainly Gujarati
s, who are engaged in trade and commerce. During the 1970s the city witnessed a population explosion as a result of migration fueled by increased economic growth and job opportunities. Around 33% of the city's population lives in slums.
Coimbatore is a Municipal corporation
as well as the headquarters of the Coimbatore District
. 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 councilor who is elected by direct election. Councilors from each zone also elect a Zonal Ward Committee Chairman and most importantly the Deputy Mayor through their numbers . The mayor is elected by the city's voters directly (During 2006- 2011, the Mayor was elected through indirect election). The executive wing of the corporation is headed by a Corporation Commissioner. The corporation runs and maintains basic services like water, sewage and roads. In the last local body elections in 2011, AIADMK won majority of the council seats and AIADMK's S.M.Velusamy became Coimbatore's mayor. The District itself is administered by the District Collector
. The District court is the highest court of appeal in Coimbatore. The Police force in the city is headed by a Commissioner
and there are 18 Police stations in the city.
Besides the Coimbatore Municipal Corporation, the Coimbatore UA comprises the Town Panchayats: Irugur
, Sulur
, Pallapalayam
, Kannampalayam
, Veerapandi
, Periyanaickenpalayam
, Narasimhanaickenpalayam
, Idikarai
, Vedapatti
, Perur
, Kuniyamuthur
, Vellalur
, Madukkarai
, Ettimadai
, Dhaliyur
, Thondamuthur
, Thirumalayampalayam
, Othakalmandapam
, Chettipalayam
, Alanthurai
, Pooluvapatti
, Thenkarai
, Karumathampatti
, Sarcarsamakulam
, Mopperipalayam
and Gudalur
; Census Towns : Ashokapuram
, Kurudampalayam
, Malumichampatti, Perur Chettipalayam, Pattanam
, Chinniampalayam, Somayampalayam, Muthugundun Pudur, Arasur, Kaniyur and Neelambur. These local bodies are in turn split into wards each electing a councilor through direct election. The head of the local body – known as President for the Panchayats– is elected by the councilors from among their number.
. The five legislative assembly constituencies in the city are Coimbatore North, Coimbatore South, Kaundampalayam
, Singanallur
and Sulur
. All five are part of the Coimbatore Parliamentary Constituency
. Till 2009, there were only four assembly constituencies in Coimbatore - Coimbatore East
, Coimbatore West
, Singanallur, and Perur
. Also about 20% of the urban agglomeration came under the Nilgiris
constituency which runs into the northern part of the city and about 10% came under the Pollachi (Lok Sabha constituency)
. In the last Lok Sabha election
held in 2009, Communist Party of India (Marxist)
(CPI-M) candidate won in the Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency. In the last legislative assembly election held in 2011
, the ADMK led front won in all five assembly constituencies.
and textile
s. Coimbatore is called the "Manchester
of South India" due to its extensive textile industry
, fed by the surrounding cotton
fields. The district also houses the country's largest amount of hosiery
and poultry
industries . The city has two special economic zones (SEZ), the Coimbatore Hi-Tech Infrastructure (CHIL) SEZ and the Coimbatore TIDEL park, and at least five more SEZs are in the pipeline. As of 2005, when Tirupur
was a part of Coimbatore district, Coimbatore was the highest revenue earning district in Tamil Nadu. In 2010, Coimbatore ranked 15th in the list of most competitive (by business environment) India
n cities.
An insignificant little town prone to droughts and earthquakes till the early years of the 20th century, Coimbatore experienced a textile boom in the 1920s and 1930s. Though, 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. Narayanaswamy Naidu's Dhandayuthapani Foundry, D. Balasundaram Naidu's Textool, the Lakshmi Mills Company, the Kalleeswara Mills and the Somasundra Mills are some of the important textile and machine units which emerged during the early 1900s.
Coimbatore has trade associations like CODISSIA, COINDIA, SITRA and COJEWEL representing industries in the city.
Coimbatore also has a 160000 square feet (14,864.5 m²) trade fair ground, built in 1999. It was named COINTEC due to its hosting of INTEC (Small Industries Exhibition)http://www.intecexpo.com/. The Trade Fair complex, one of the country's largest, was built in six months, and is owned by CODISSIA (Coimbatore District Small Industries Association)http://www.intecexpo.com/. It is also the country's largest pillar-free hall, according to the Limca Book of Records.
Coimbatore houses a large number of small and medium texitle mills. It also has central textile research institutes like the Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR)- Southern Regional station and the Sardar Vallabhai Patel International School of Textiles and Management. The South Indian Textiles Research Association (SITRA) is also based in Coimbatore. The city also houses two of the Centers Of Excellences (COE) for technical textiles proposed by Government of India, namely Meditech, a medical textile research centre based at SITRA, and InduTech based in PSG College of Engineering and Technology. The neighbouring town of Tirupur
is home to some of Asia’s largest garment manufacturing companies, exporting hosiery clothes worth more than 50,000 million.
The city is the second largest software producer in Tamil nadu, next only to Chennai. IT
and BPO
industry in the city has grown greatly with the launch of TIDEL park and other planned IT parks in and around the city. It is ranked at 17th among the global outsourcing cities. Companies like Tata Consultancy Services
, Cognizant Technology Solutions
, IBM
, Robert Bosch GmbH
, Tata Elxsi
, Dell
, Aditi Technologies, CSS Corp and KGISL having a presence in the city. Coimbatore is already the second largest hub in India for Congizant Technology Solutions as it employs around 5000 people in its Coimbatore centre and is planning to double its capacity here. Software exports stood at 710.66 Crores (7.1 billion) for the financial year 2009-10 up 90% from the previous year.
Coimbatore has a large and a diversified manufacturing sector facilitated by the presence of research institutes like Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, SITRA and large number of engineering colleges producing about 50,000 engineers. Some of the prominent industries in Coimbatore include L&T, BOSCH, PSG, Sakthi group, Lakshmi Machine Works
(LMW), Premier Instruments & Control Limited (PRICOL), Premier Evolvics, Janatics, LGB, Revathi Equipment Ltd, ELGI Equipments, Craftsman Automation Pvt Ltd, Shanthi Gears, Roots Industries. Wind Energy major Suzlon has set up a foundry & machine shop in Coimbatore. Along with it Hansen Transmission, a Belgian Company which manufactures gearboxes for windmills is setting up a plant here with an investment of 940 cr.
Manufacturing of automotive components is also important to Coimbatore's economy. Maruti Udyog
and Tata Motors source up to 30% of their automotive components from Coimbatore. Some of the auto component makers in Coimbatore include Robert Bosch GmbH
, PRICOL and Roots Industries. Coimbatore has more than 700 wet grinder
manufacturers with a monthly output of 75,000 units and is home to a common facility for the manufacturers of wet grinders. Coimbadore's motor and pump manufacturing industry supplies over 40% of India’s requirements.
Coimbatore is one of the major gold jewellery manufacturing hubs in India, renowned for making cast jewellery and machine made jewellery. The city is home to about 3000 jewellery manufacturing companies and to over 40,000 goldsmiths. The jewellery manufacturers have an active association called Coimbatore Jewellery Manufacturers' Association, and have also jointly established Coimbatore Gem and Jewellery Industries Private Limited (Cojewel), which is a common facility with niche goldsmith machinery to be used by the members of the association. Several jewellery retail chains like Kirtilal's are based in Coimbatore or have their manufacturing base in Coimbatore. Owing to the presence of a large number of jewellery manufacturers and the strong engineering base, the city is home to a number of companies manufacturing jewellery making machinery. The city is also a major diamond cutting centre in South India. For example Kirtilal's Jewellers alone have 5 diamond cutting and polishing centres in Coimbatore.
Coimbatore has some of the oldest flour mills in India. The large scale flour mills, which cater to all the southern states, have a combined grinding capacity of more than 50,000 MT per month.The city houses many famous high capacity flour mills like India Roller Flour Mills (which is closed now) and Coimbatore Roller Flour Mills. These flour mills have been around for decades and were in the outskirts of the city at one time. Now they are in the middle of the city owing to increasing urbanization.
In the recent years, the city has seen growth in the hospitality industry. Five star hotels like Taj Surya and Le Meridien, four star hotels like Aloft and several three star hotels like Park Plaza, The Residency, CAG Pride and Mangala International have presence in the city.
. The heavy industrialisation of the city has also resulted in the growth of trade unions. There are numerous temples in and around the city including the Perur
Patteeswarar Temple, Konniamman temple, Thandu Mariamman temple, Vazhai Thottathu Ayyan temple, Echanaari Ganesh temple, Karamadai
temple, Marudamalai
Murugan
temple,Panchamuga Anjaneya Temple(Hanuman with 5 Faces) and the Dhyanalinga
Yogic Temple. The Mariamman
festivals, at the city’s numerous Amman
temples, are major events in summer. The mosques on Oppanakara Street and Big Bazaar Street date back to the period of Hyder Ali. Christian missions date back to 1647 when permission was granted by the Nayak
rulers to set up a small church in Karumathampatti 12 km (7.5 mi). It was destroyed by Tipu Sultan’s army resulting in a new church in 1804. In 1886, Coimbatore was constituted as a diocese
after bifurcating with Pondicherry. Sikh
Gurudwaras and Jain Temples are also present in Coimbatore.
From 1940s to 70s the city was generally peaceful without any communal or caste clashes. Indira Gandhi
's assassination in 1984 was followed by large scale arson and looting targeted at businesses owned by North Indians (particularly Sikhs). During the 1980s crime increased, Hindu – Muslim riots were frequent in the late 80’s and 90's reaching their peak in 1997 when a large scale riot occurred in the Townhall and West Coimbatore area. It was followed by the 1998 bomb blasts
. After 2000, Crime rate in Coimbatore dropped making it one of the largest cities in India with a low crime rate.
as its base. However, the population of Coimbatore is multi-cultural due to the influx of migrant population from various regions of the country and this reflects in the food as well. The flavours are generally fairly mild, with variations to suit the local palette. Most locals still retain their rural flavour, with many restaurants serving food over a banana leaf
. North Indian, Chinese
and continental cuisines are also available. Mysorepa
(a sweet made from lentil
flour and ghee
), idly, dosa
, Halwa (a sweet made of different ingredients like milk, wheat, rice) and vada-sambar and biryani are popular among the locals. The recent influx of coffee shops and pizza shops has increased and serving as hangout locations for the youth. Some popular restaurant brands such as Annapoorna, Sree Sampoorna, Sri Krishna Sweets
and Hari Bhavanam originated in Coimbatore.
Motor sports plays a large part in the city, with Coimbatore often referred to as the Motor sports Capital of India and the Backyard of Indian Motorsports. Some wealthy industrialists, such as S.Karivardhan, who had a penchant for tinkering with machines and cars, plunged into motor racing, later making Coimbatore the country's motor racing hub. The city has a good motor sport infrastructure with racing circuits, formula cars manufacturers and also hosts National Championship races and Rallies. The city has a Formula 3 Category circuit and three Go-Kart circuits. National Champion races for Formula racing
(Cars), Motorcycle racing, Go-Kart
racing are held in Kari Motor Speedway
. The tyre manufacturer MRF
assembles and builds F1 cars in Coimbatore. Super Speeds
designs and constructs almost all Formula cars. Rallying
is another major event with all teams based in Coimbatore. Rallies are conducted in closed roads around Coimbatore districts. Narain Karthikeyan
is the city's most famous driver, being the first Indian to enter Formula One
in 2005 with Jordan Grand Prix
. Also he is the First & only Indian to win A1GP World Championship Race.He is also in the 2011 f1 season as driver for the Hispania f1 team. Other famous motorsport personalities from Coimbatore are former Formula 3 driver J.Anand and seven time national rallying champions N. Leela Krishnan and V. R. Naren Kumar
.
The city is also known for its antique bikes, cars and jeeps. Many prominent industrialists own antique automobiles.Nehru Stadium
, built originally for football
, can also host athletic meets. Now Synthetic track is constructed and Korean grass in the centre. Apart from the stadium, the city also has several sports clubs. The prominent tennis player Nirupama Vaidyanathan
hails from Coimbatore. The Coimbatore Golf Club
is home to a major 18-hole golf course. The Coimbatore Cosmopolitan Club
, which is more than 100 years old, was founded for Indian members only, in response to the English Coimbatore Club, which did not admit Indians until the 1950s. The Coimbatore Flying Club is located in the Coimbatore airport premises. Current world chess
champion Viswanathan Anand
became India's first Grandmaster in 1987 by winning Shakti Finance International chess tournament held here in Coimbatore.
Though there are a lot of entertainment centres mushrooming in the city, visiting the cinema still remains the city's most popular recreational activity. Since the 1980s, the city has had about 10 small to medium sized shopping malls like Cheran towers and Lakshmi Complex. Of late few mega malls like Presidium mall and Brookfield Plaza have opened. The city also has a number of parks including VOC park, the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University park Race Course children's park and Bharathi park. Singanallur lake
is also a popular tourist and bird watcher destination.
(est. 1971), Bharathiar University
(1982), Anna University Coimbatore
(2007) and private universities like Avinashilingam University
(1987), Amrita University (2003), Karunya University
(2004) and Karpagam University
(2005). The city also houses research institutes like Central Institute for Cotton Research, Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Institute for Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding, Indian Council for Forestry Research and Education and Tamil Nadu Institute of Urban Studies. There are also plans to establish a "world class" university in the region and to convert the Government Arts College into a unitary type university.
The first college opened in Coimbatore was the Government Arts College
(1875–76). The Forest College and Research Institute was opened in 1916. The first engineering college in the city was started by G.D. Naidu
as the Arthur Hope College of Technology in 1945. Later it became the Government College of Technology, Coimbatore
. PSG College of Technology
was established later in 1951. The Air Force Administrative College was established in 1949 to train Indian Air Force
personnel. Coimbatore Institute of Technology
(CIT) was started in the 1950s. Coimbatore Medical College
was opened in 1966 and the Government law college
started functioning from 1978. The agricultural school established in 1868 was converted into a full fledged agricultural university (Tamil Nadu Agricultural University) in 1971 and the Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History
was opened in 1990. Several private engineering and arts & science colleges were started during the education boom in the 1990s.
In 1867, the first group of students appeared for the SSLC Examinations
from Coimbatore. The earliest educational institutions established in the city are C.S.I. Boys High School (1831), St. Michael's Higher Secondary School (1860), Stanes Anglo Indian Higher School (1862), St. Francis Anglo Indian Girls High School (1880), Sarvajana High School (1910) and Suburban Higher Secondary School (1917). Presently there are three types of schools in Coimbatore - 1) government run schools (corporation schools) 2) schools funded by the government but run by private trusts (aided schools) and 3) schools funded and administered by private trusts. They are classified as Tamil Nadu Anglo Indian School Board, Tamil Nadu State Board
, Matriculation
and CBSE
schools according to the syllabus taught in them. The Coimbatore Education District (not the same as the revenue district) is the unit of administration for education in the city. In 2010, the number of students who wrote the SSLC (Standard 10) and Higher Secondary (Standard 12) examinations was both around 30,000. The literacy rate in the city is 80%.
,The Times of India
, Deccan Chronicle and The New Indian Express
bring out editions from the city. Business Line
, a business newspaper also brings out a Coimbatore edition. Tamil newspapers which have Coimbatore editions include Dina Malar
, Dina Thanthi
, Dina Mani
, Dinakaran
(all morning newspapers) and Tamil Murasu
and Malai Malar
(both evening newspapers). Two Malayalam newspapers – Malayala Manorama
and Mathrubhumi
also have considerable circulation in the city.
A Medium wave radio station is operated by All India Radio
, with most programs in Tamil, English and Hindi. Five FM radio stations operate from Coimbatore - Rainbow FM from All India Radio, Suryan FM
from Sun Network
, Radio Mirchi
, Radio City, and Hello FM
. All these private radio stations air exclusively Tamil
based programs, including film music. The range of these stations cover Coimbatore, Erode
and Nilgiri districts of Tamil Nadu
and Palakkad
and Wayanad districts of Kerala. Television relay started in 1985 from Delhi Doordarshan
. In 1986, after inception of a repeater tower at Kodaikanal
, telecast from Madras Doordarshan commenced. The people of Coimbatore witnessed the 1980 Olympics
and 1983 Cricket World Cup
on a giant screen in VOC Park when the city-based UMS developed a dish antenna for satellite signal reception. Currently television reception is through DTH or by cable, while Doordarshan reception is still available using an external antenna. In 2005, Doordarshan opened its studio in Coimbatore.
Coimbatore has a well connected communications infrastructure. Till the 1990s the state owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
(BSNL) was the only telecommunition service provider in the city. In the 1990s, private telecom companies too started offering their services. Currently besides BSNL, fixed line telephone services are offered by Reliance Communications
and Bharti Airtel
. Dial up internet connections were first introduced (by HCL and BPL) in 1996 and broadband internet (by BSNL) in 2005. As of 2010, BSNL, Reliance Communications, Bharti Airtel, Tata Teleservices all offer broadband service through fixed lines and mobiles;MTS
offers mobile broadband alone. Cellular telephony was first introduced in 1997. Coimbatore is the headquarters of the Tamil Nadu circle of cellular service providers. The telecom company Aircel
is headquartered in the city. Mobile telephone services available in the city include both CDMA and GSM connections.
Coimbatore is home to some of the oldest film studios in South India. Swamikannu Vincent, a film exhibitor, set up the first movie studios in the city. Rangaswamy Naidu established the Central Studios
in 1935 while S. M. Sriramulu Naidu
set up the Pakshiraja Studios
in 1945.
Hospital (CMCH). It is a government run hospital with a bed strength of 1020 and provides free health care. Including the CMCH, corporation maintains 16 dispensaries and 2 maternity homes. The city also has many large multi-facility private hospitals like the PSG Hospitals, Kovai Medical Center and Hospital(KMCH), KG Hospital, Coimbatore Kidney Centre, G. Kuppuswamy Naidu Memorial Hospital, Sri Ramakrishna Hospital, Sheela Hospital, Kongunad Hospital, Gem Hospital, Ganga Hospital, Aravind Eye Hospital, Sankara Netralaya,Lotus Eye Hospital, Ashwin hospital, Vikram ENT hospital, Coimbatore Cancer Foundation, G.P.Hospital, Diabetes Care and Research Centre. The city is also a major centre for medical tourism. The city remains the preferred healthcare destination for people from nearby districts and also from the neighbouring state of Kerala
.
11 km (6.8 mi) from the city and an air-force base at Sulur
23 km (14.3 mi). The Coimbatore International Airport caters to domestic flights to major Indian cities like Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkatta and Mumbai and international flights to Sharjah and Singapore.
The Extended Runway is now ready at Coimbatore Airport. It now runs to 9760 feet (2,974.8 m) and is capable of handling wide-bodied and “fat-bellied” aircraft, such as are used for international flights. With the extended runway, airlines can operate aircraft types such as 747 SP, A 330, 747-300B, 747-300 ER, 747-400 and 747-200.
- Madras line connecting Kerala and the west coast with the rest of India. Broad gauge
trains
connect Coimbatore to all parts of India and Tamil Nadu. Meter gauge line existed between Podanur
and Dindigul
got closed on May 2009 and is under gauge conversion. The Coimbatore Junction
is well connected to major Indian cities like Chennai, Bangalore, New Delhi, Mumbai, Howrah, Trivandrum, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Rajkot, Indore, Ahmedabad, Jammu, Kanpur and Patna. It is second highest revenue yielding station in the Southern Railway division of Indian Railways. The Coimbatore Junction comes under the Jurisdiction of the Salem Division and contributes 43.5% of its divisional income. This is the second largest income generating station in Southern Railway after Chennai Coimbatore North Junction
is another important railway junction in the city apart from Coimbatore Junction
and Podanur Junction. The other stations include Peelamedu
, Singanallur, Irugur
, Perianaikanpalayam, Madukkarai
, Somanur and Sulur
.
There are seven major arterial roads in the city: Avinashi road, Trichy road, Satyamangalam road, Mettupalayam road, Pallakad road, Pollachi and Marudhamalai road. There are three National Highways
passing through the city: NH-47, NH-67 and NH 209.Apart from state and National Highways, the city corporation maintains a 635.32 km long road network. Coimbatore has several major bus stands. The town buses (intra-city) operate from the Town Bus Stand in Gandhipuram to other bus stations across the city. Inter-city buses that connect Coimbatore operate from five different bus stands: Gandhipuram Bus Stand (for buses going to East and North East to Erode
, Gobichettipalayam
, Tirupur
, Karur
, Salem, Sathyamangalam
and surrounding areas), Singanallur Bus Stand (for buses to Madurai
, Trichy and the towns around them), Thiruvalluvar or SETC Bus Stand at Gandhipuram (for Express buses to Other states and also within Tamilnadu), Ukkadam Bus Stand (for buses to Palakkad
, Palani
, Pollachi
and Udumalpet and other nearby places) and Mettupalayam Road Bus stand for buses going toward Mettupalayam and Ooty. Apart from these the Omni Bus Stand in Sathy Road, Gandhipuram caters to private bus operators.
The city has a very high vehicle-to-population ratio. Town buses started operations in 1921. Town bus services serve most parts of the city, as well as other towns and villages in the district. Buses also connect the district with all major towns in Tamil Nadu
, Kerala
, Karnataka
, Pondicherry and Andhra Pradesh
. The number of inter-city routes operated by Coimbatore division is 119 with a fleet of more than 500 buses. A large number of intra-city private buses operate within the city. The number of intra city buses in the city is around 800 in 228 different routes. The city is also served by auto rickshaw
s. The growth of call taxis is also on the rise.
control board took major steps to re-locate the steel foundries out of the city. The textile mills are all equipped with air treatment towers. Coimbatore has no proper underground drainage or sewage system
. There is a sewage treatment plant at Ukkadam
in operation with the capacity to process 70 mld of sewage water of which 20 mld is the current treating level. Garbage is collected by the Corporation and sometimes by systems developed by the local residents. Sewage is pumped into the water tanks and the Noyyal through streams. This along with garbage dumping and encroachments has led to degradation of the water bodies and depletion in the groundwater table. During the 80’s, corporation planned on closing the tanks due to encroachment by filling them with waste. But as a result of outcries from civic associations, the plan was dropped. Currently the tanks are being renovated by the city's environmental groups with their own fund-raising and the corporation. Siruthuli
, an environmental organisation founded by the city's industrial houses, undertakes de-silt
ing of tanks and cleaning of the Noyyal river. The corporation is also taking efforts to clear encroachment of the tanks.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
of South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
".
The Coimbatore region has been ruled by the Cheras
Chera dynasty
Chera Dynasty in South India is one of the most ancient ruling dynasties in India. Together with the Cholas and the Pandyas, they formed the three principle warring Iron Age Tamil kingdoms in southern India...
, the Cholas, the later Pandyas, the Vijayanagar Empire and the Madurai Nayaks and is believed to have been named after a chieftain called Koyan. In the 17th century, the city became a part of the Kingdom of Mysore
Kingdom of Mysore
The Kingdom of Mysore was a kingdom of southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. The kingdom, which was ruled by the Wodeyar family, initially served as a vassal state of the Vijayanagara Empire...
and remained so until its conquest by the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
in 1799. The history of modern Coimbatore, however, dates from the 1930s, when the city grew rapidly capitalizing on a textile boom. Since then, the city has witnessed steady growth fueled by its favourable soil, climate and political and economic conditions.
Coimbatore is administered by the Coimbatore Municipal Corporation
Coimbatore Municipal Corporation
Coimbatore Municipal Corporation . is the civic body that governs the city of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, India.- History :The municipality of Coimbatore was established in 1866 according to the Town Improvements Act of 1865 with Sir Robert Stanes, a renowned industrialist as its first Chairman.The...
which comprises 100 wards grouped into five zones. It is situated on the banks of the Noyyal River
Noyyal River
The Noyyal River rises from the Vellingiri hills in the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu, southeastern India and drains into the Kaveri River. The river's basin is long and wide and covers a total area of . Cultivated land in the basin amounts to while the population density is 120 people per km² ...
in western Tamil Nadu and is surrounded by the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
on all sides. It is well connected by road
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
, rail
Rail
Rail or rails may refer to:Railway transportation* A generic term for railroads, railways, rail transport, and related matters* Rail tracks, or railway lines, the running surface of a railway...
and air with major towns and cities in India.
Coimbatore is an important textile and manufacturing hub of Tamil Nadu. Other important industries include software services, education and healthcare. Coimbatore has been ranked 4th among Indian cities in investment climate by a survey done by the Confederation of Indian Industry
Confederation of Indian Industry
The Confederation of Indian Industry is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry-led and industry-managed organisation, seeking to play a proactive role in India’s development process. The organisation works to create and sustain an environment conducive to the growth of industry in India,...
(CII).
Etymology
One theory for the city's name states that the name is a derivation of Koyanputhur (lit. new town of Koyan), chieftain Kovan or Koyan, who ruled region around the city. Kovanpudur or Koyanputhur evolved and became Koyambuthur or Koyamuthur; it was anglicized as Coimbatore. Another suggested etymology involves the Dravidian root āru 'river' (DED 4233). Yet another theory states that the name could have been derived from Koniamman after the goddess whose temple is situated in the city. Henry Whitehead in his Village Gods of South India (1921) states that the goddess worshiped by Koyan came to be called as Koyanamma which evolved into Kovaiamma and later Koniamma.History
The region around Coimbatore was ruled by SangamSangam
The Tamil Sangams were assemblies of Tamil scholars and poets that, according to traditional Tamil accounts, occurred in the remote past. Three assemblies are described...
Cheras
Chera dynasty
Chera Dynasty in South India is one of the most ancient ruling dynasties in India. Together with the Cholas and the Pandyas, they formed the three principle warring Iron Age Tamil kingdoms in southern India...
and it served as the eastern entrance to the Palakkad Gap
Palakkad Gap
Palakkad Gap is a 30-40 kilometers wide low mountain pass in the Western Ghats, near Palakkad town in the South Indian State of Kerala. It has an elevation of . The hills rise to 1100m to the North of the gap, and 2000m to the South. The average height of the gap is 144m.The gap is the lowest...
, the principal trade route between the west coast and Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
. The Kossar tribe
Kossar
-Origin theories/myths:*Krishnasami Aiyangar explores the Nalur Kosar, as foreigners to Tamil country...
mentioned in the second century CE Tamil epic Silappathikaram and other poems in Sangam literature
Sangam literature
Sangam literature refers to a body of classical Tamil literature created between the years c. 600 BCE to 300 CE. This collection contains 2381 poems composed by 473 poets, some 102 of whom remain anonymous The period during which these poems were composed is commonly referred to as the Sangam...
is associated with the Coimbatore region (Kongu Nadu). Large numbers of Roman coins and other artifacts have been unearthed around Coimbatore, indicating the region's ties with Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
traders. The Coimbatore region is in the middle of the "Roman trail" that extended from Muziris
Muziris
Muziris is an ancient sea-port in Southwestern India on the Periyar River 3.2 km from its mouth. The derivation of the name Muziris is said to be from "Mucciripattanam," "mucciri" means "cleft palate" and "pattanam" means "city". Near Muziris, Periyar River was branched into two like a...
to Arikamedu
Arikamedu
Arikamedu is an archaeological site near Pondicherry, southern India, where Mortimer Wheeler conducted his best-known excavation in the 1940s. According to Wheeler, Arikamedu was a Tamil fishing village which was formerly a major Chola port dedicated to bead making and trading with Roman traders...
. The medieval Cholas
Medieval Cholas
Medieval Cholas rose to prominence during the middle of the 9th century C.E. and established the greatest empire South India had seen. They successfully united the South India under their rule and through their naval strength extended their influence in the Southeast Asian countries such as Srivijaya...
conquered the Kongu Nadu
Kongu Nadu
Kongu Nadu is a region comprising the western part of the Tamil Nadu India. The region is bounded on the west and north-west by the Karnataka state, on the west by the Kerala state, on the east by Tondai Nadu, on the south-east by Chola Nadu and on the south by Madurai regions of...
in the 10th century CE. A Chola highway called "Rajakesari Peruvazhi" ran through the region. Much of Tamil Nadu came under the rule of the Vijayanagara Empire
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...
by the 15th century. The Vijayanagara reign brought new settlers from Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
and Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
. In the 1550s, the military governors (Madurai Nayaks) 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, with other Vijayanagar offshoots forming new kingdoms in Vellore
Vellore
Vellore It is considered one of the oldest cities in South India and lies on the banks of the Palar river on the site of Vellore Fort. The city lies between Chennai and Bangalore and the Temple towns of Thiruvannamalai and Tirupati...
, Tanjore, Gingee
Gingee
Gingee is a panchayat town in Viluppuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The nearest town with a railway station is Tindivanam, 28 km away....
, Chandragiri
Chandragiri
Chandragiri , is a suburb of Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, India. Recently it is included under Municipal Corporation limits of Tirupati...
and Mysore. The Nayaks introduced the Palayakkarar system under which Kongu nadu region was divided into 24 Palayams.
In the later part of the 18th century, the Coimbatore region came under the Kingdom of Mysore
Kingdom of Mysore
The Kingdom of Mysore was a kingdom of southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. The kingdom, which was ruled by the Wodeyar family, initially served as a vassal state of the Vijayanagara Empire...
, controlled by Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born Hyder Naik, he distinguished himself militarily, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore's rulers...
and later Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan , also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the son of Hyder Ali, at that time an officer in the Mysorean army, and his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-Nissa...
. After defeating Tipu Sultan in the Anglo-Mysore Wars
Anglo-Mysore Wars
The Anglo-Mysore Wars were a series of wars fought in India over the last three decades of the 18th century between the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company, represented chiefly by the Madras Presidency...
, the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
annexed Coimbatore to the Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
in 1799. Coimbatore played a prominent role in the Second Poligar War against the British in 1801, as it was the area of operations of Dheeran Chinnamalai
Dheeran Chinnamalai
Dheeran Chinnamalai was a Kongu chieftain and Palayakkarar from Tamil Nadu who rose up in revolt against the British East India Company in the Kongu Nadu, Southern India...
. In 1865, Coimbatore was established as the capital of the newly formed Coimbatore district
Coimbatore District
Coimbatore District is one of the more affluent and industrially advanced districts of the state of Tamil Nadu in India. Coimbatore is known as the Manchester of South India. It one of the most industrialized towns of Tamil Nadu. It has the highest GDP among the districts of Tamil Nadu, even ahead...
and in 1866 it was accorded the municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
status. Sir Robert Stanes
Robert Stanes
Sir Robert Stanes was a British businessman and philanthropist in India who founded United Nilgiri Tea Estates in Coimbatore....
became the first Chairman of the Coimbatore City Council. Industrialization of the region begin in 1888 and continued into the 20th century. The region was hard hit during the Great Famine of 1876–78
Great Famine of 1876–78
The Great Famine of 1876–1878 was a famine in India that began in 1876 and affected south and southwestern India for a period of two years...
resulting in nearly 200,000 famine related fatalities. On February 8, 1900 an earthquake struck Coimbatore damaging many buildings. The first three decades of the 20th century, saw nearly 20,000 plague related deaths and an acute water shortage. The city experienced a textile boom in 1920s and 1930s due to the decline of the Cotton industry in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. The region played a significant role in the Indian independence movement
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
. Post independence, Coimbatore has seen rapid growth due to industrialization. In 1981, Coimbatore was constituted as a corporation.
Geography
Coimbatore is situated in the west of Tamil Nadu, bordering the state of KeralaKerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. It is surrounded by the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
mountain range on the West and North, with reserve forests and the (Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve is an International Biosphere Reserve in the Western Ghats, Nilgiri Hills range of South India. The Western Ghats, Nilgiri Sub-Cluster , conjoining the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, is under consideration by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for selection as a World...
) on the northern side. The Noyyal River
Noyyal River
The Noyyal River rises from the Vellingiri hills in the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu, southeastern India and drains into the Kaveri River. The river's basin is long and wide and covers a total area of . Cultivated land in the basin amounts to while the population density is 120 people per km² ...
runs through Coimbatore and forms the southern boundary of the corporation. The city sits amidst Noyyal's basin area and has an extensive tank system fed by the river and rainwater. The eight major tanks / wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
areas of Coimbatore are - Singanallur
Singanallur Lake
Singanallur lake one of the biggest lakes situated in Coimbatore city. It is located on Coimbatore, Trichy road in a place called Singanallur. This in addition to the Valankulam Lake are the ones located in the heart of the city. A railway track connecting Podanur and Irugur passes through this...
, Valankulam
Valankulam Lake
Valankulam Lake is one of the lakes in Coimbatore. This is situated in the Trichy road near Sungam junction. There is a bypass road that connects Trichy road in Sungam junction with Ukkadam. A railway track connecting Coimbatore Junction and Podanur passes though this lake. Little grebes and Purple...
, Ukkadam Periyakulam, Selvampathy, Narasampathi, Krishnampathi, Selvachinthamani, and Kumaraswami tanks. Sanganur pallam, Kovilmedu pallam, Vilankurichi-Singanallur Pallam, Karperayan Koil pallam, Railway feeder roadside drain, Tiruchy-Singanallur Check drain and Ganapathy pallam are some of the streams that drain the city.
The eastern side of the Coimbatore district, including the city is predominantly dry. The entire western and northern part of the district borders the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
with the Nilgiri biosphere as well as the Anaimalai
Anaimalai
Anaimalai is a panchayat town in Coimbatore district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.-Geography:Anaimalai is located at . It has an average elevation of 258 metres . The nearest village is Vettaikaranpudur....
and Munnar
Munnar
Munnar is one of the most popular hill station in Kerala and in southern India. Munnar is located on the Western Ghats, situated in the Idukki district....
ranges. A western pass to Kerala, popularly referred to as the Palghat Gap provides its boundary. Because of its close proximity to the Western Ghats, the district is rich in fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
. The Coimbatore urban wetlands harbours around 116 species of birds. Of these, 66 are resident, 17 are migratory and 33 are local migrants. Spot-billed Pelican, Painted Stork, Open Billed Stork, Ibis
Ibis
The ibises are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae....
, Spot-billed Duck, Teal
Teal
Teal may mean:* Teal , a medium greenish-blue color* Various ducks:** Baikal Teal, Anas formosa** Black Teal, Aythya novaeseelandiae** Blue-winged Teal, Anas discors** Brown Teal, Anas aucklandica** Campbell Teal Anas nesiotis...
, Black Winged Stilt are some of the migratory birds that visit Coimbatore wetlands regularly.
Apart from the species common to the plains, wild elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
s, wild boars leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
s, tiger
Tiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
s, bison, various species of deer, Nilgiri Tahr
Nilgiri Tahr
The Nilgiri Tahr, Nilgiritragus hylocrius, known locally as the Nilgiri Ibex or simply Ibex, is an ungulate that is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western Ghats in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in southern India. It is the state animal of Tamil Nadu...
, sloth bear
Sloth Bear
The sloth bear , also known as the labiated bear, is a nocturnal insectivorous species of bear found wild within the Indian subcontinent. The sloth bear evolved from ancestral brown bears during the Pleistocene and shares features found in insect-eating mammals through convergent evolution...
and black-headed Oriole
Black-headed Oriole
The Black-headed Oriole is an African passerine.It has a very striking appearance with a bright yellow body, contrasting black head and flesh-coloured beak....
can also be found. The Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary 88 km (54.7 mi) in the Western Ghats at an altitude of 1,400 meters covers an area of 958 km². Among the region’s livestock animals are Kangeyam bull
Kangeyam bull
The Kangeyam bull or Kangayam cattle conform largely to the Zebu Southern Indian Mysore type, though there is evidence of the blood of the gray-white Ongole cattle in their appearance. These genes may have given the breed its larger comparative size. The breed gets its name from Kangayam in the...
s. This breed, which helped the region gain a foothold in the dairy industry, are found only in Coimbatore and neighbouring districts. More than 20% of the district is classified as forest, lying in the west and north. The forests here are abundant in commercially significant trees such as teak
Teak
Teak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products. Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the...
, sandalwood
Sandalwood
Sandalwood is the name of a class of fragrant woods from trees in the genus Santalum. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and unlike many other aromatic woods they retain their fragrance for decades. As well as using the harvested and cut wood in-situ, essential oils are also extracted...
, rosewood
Rosewood
Rosewood refers to any of a number of richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining, but found in many different hues. All rosewoods are strong and heavy, taking an excellent polish, being suitable for guitars, marimbas, turnery , handles, furniture, luxury flooring, etc.In general,...
and bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
. The Nilgiris
Nilgiris (mountains)
The Nilgiri , often referred to as the Nilgiri Hills, are a range of mountains with at least 24 peaks above , in the westernmost part of Tamil Nadu state at the junction of Karnataka and Kerala states in Southern India...
slope of the Mettupalayam range is rich in sandalwood trees and bamboo. They vary from rich tropical evergreen forest
Evergreen forest
An temperate evergreen forest is a forest consisting entirely or mainly of evergreen trees that retain green foliage all year round. Such forests exist in the tropics primarily as broadleaf evergreens, and in temperate and boreal latitudes primarily as coniferous evergreens.-Tropical evergreen...
s of Punachi range to jungles of shrubs in southern ranges. Apart from the high altitude regions of Western Ghats, most of the forest area has come under Lantana
Lantana
Lantana is a genus of about 150 species of perennial flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. They are native to tropical regions of the Americas and Africa but exist as an introduced species in numerous areas, especially in the Australian-Pacific region. The genus includes both...
invasion. The locals refer to it as Siriki Chedi.
Climate
Coimbatore has a pleasant, salubrious climate due to its proximity to thickly forested mountain ranges and the cool breeze blowing through the Palghat gap during the monsoon seasons. Under the Köppen climate classificationKöppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
, the city has a tropical wet and dry climate. It has mild winters and moderate summers. Coimbatore is located at an elevation of about 411 meters. The mean maximum and minimum temperatures during summer and winter varies between 35 °C (95 °F) and 18 °C (64 °F). highest temperature ever recorded is 41 °C (106 °F) and lowest is 12 °C (54 °F).
Due to the presence of the mountain pass, major parts of the district benefit from the south-west monsoon
Climate of India
Analyzed according to the Köppen system, the climate of India resolves into six major climatic subtypes; their influences give rise to desert in the west, alpine tundra and glaciers in the north, humid tropical regions supporting rain forests in the southwest, and Indian Ocean island territories...
in the months from June to August. After a warm, humid September, the regular monsoon starts from October lasting till early November. These monsoons are brought about by the retreating North-eastern monsoon
Climate of India
Analyzed according to the Köppen system, the climate of India resolves into six major climatic subtypes; their influences give rise to desert in the west, alpine tundra and glaciers in the north, humid tropical regions supporting rain forests in the southwest, and Indian Ocean island territories...
. The average annual rainfall is around 700 mm with the North East and the South West monsoons contributing to 47% and 28% respectively to the total rainfall. This rainfall is not enough to sustain the needs of the city for the entire year and the shortage is made up through water supply schemes like Siruvani, Pilloor and Athikadavu.
The soil is predominantly black, which is suitable for cotton cultivation, but it also has some red loamy soil. Coimbatore falls under the Class III/IV Seismic Zone
Earthquake hazard zoning of India
The Indian subcontinent has a history of devastating earthquakes. The major reason for the high frequency and intensity of the earthquakes is that India is driving into Asia at a rate of approximately 47 mm/year. Geographical statistics of India show that almost 54% of the land is vulnerable...
, having experienced a 6.0 Richter scale
Richter magnitude scale
The expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....
earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
in 1900.
Demographics
As per the 2001 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, Coimbatore had a population of 1,250,446 within Municipal Corporation limits. The 2011 census data for post-expansion city limits is not available and only the population of urban agglomeration is available - 2,151,466. In the urban agglomeration, males constitute 50.08% of the population and females 49.92%. Coimbatore has an average literacy rate of 89.23%, higher than the national average of 74.04%. Male literacy is 93.17% and female literacy is 85.3% with 8.9% of the population under 6 years of age. The Sex ratio was 964 females per 1000 males. In 2005, the crime rate in the city was 265.9 per 100,000 people, accounting for 1.2% of all crimes reported in major cities in India. It ranked 21st among 35 major cities in India in the incidence of crimes. In 2011, the population density in the city was 10,052 per km² (26,035 per mi²).
The native language spoken in the Coimbatore city is mainly Kongu Tamil
Kongu Tamil
Kongu Tamil is the dialect of Tamil language that is spoken in Kongu Nadu, which is the western region of Tamil Nadu. It is also known as "Kangee".`...
, a dialect of Tamil language
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
. The city's population is predominantly Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
, along with a sizable Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
population. Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s, Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
s and Jains
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
are also present in small numbers. Coimbatore also has a large number of Malayali
Malayali
Malayali is the term used to refer to the native speakers of Malayalam, originating from the Indian state of Kerala...
s, mainly from Palakkad
Palakkad district
Palakkad District is one of the 14 districts of the Indian state of Kerala. The city of Palakkad is the district headquarters. Palakkad is bordered on the northwest by the Malappuram District, on the southwest by the Thrissur District and on the east by Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu. The...
, Telugus
Telugu people
The Telugu people or Telugu Prajalu are an ethnic group of India. They are the native speakers of the Telugu language, the most commonly spoken language in India after Hindi and Bengali...
and North India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
ns, mainly Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
s, who are engaged in trade and commerce. During the 1970s the city witnessed a population explosion as a result of migration fueled by increased economic growth and job opportunities. Around 33% of the city's population lives in slums.
Administration
/div>
|
Coimbatore is a Municipal corporation
Municipal corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
as well as the headquarters of the Coimbatore District
Coimbatore District
Coimbatore District is one of the more affluent and industrially advanced districts of the state of Tamil Nadu in India. Coimbatore is known as the Manchester of South India. It one of the most industrialized towns of Tamil Nadu. It has the highest GDP among the districts of Tamil Nadu, even ahead...
. 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 councilor who is elected by direct election. Councilors from each zone also elect a Zonal Ward Committee Chairman and most importantly the Deputy Mayor through their numbers . The mayor is elected by the city's voters directly (During 2006- 2011, the Mayor was elected through indirect election). The executive wing of the corporation is headed by a Corporation Commissioner. The corporation runs and maintains basic services like water, sewage and roads. In the last local body elections in 2011, AIADMK won majority of the council seats and AIADMK's S.M.Velusamy became Coimbatore's mayor. The District itself is administered by the District Collector
District collector
The District Collector is the district head of administration of the bureaucracy in a state of India. Though he/she is appointed and is under general supervision of the state government, he/she has to be a member of the elite IAS recruited by the Central Government...
. The District court is the highest court of appeal in Coimbatore. The Police force in the city is headed by a Commissioner
Police commissioner
Commissioner is a senior rank used in many police forces and may be rendered Police Commissioner or Commissioner of Police. In some organizations, the commissioner is a political appointee, and may or may not actually be a professional police officer. In these circumstances, there is often a...
and there are 18 Police stations in the city.
Suburbs of Coimbatore
A large part of the Coimbatore urban agglomeration falls outside the Municipal corporation limits. These suburbs are governed by local bodies called Village Panchayats and Town Panchayats.Besides the Coimbatore Municipal Corporation, the Coimbatore UA comprises the Town Panchayats: Irugur
Irugur
Irugur is a major suburb of Coimbatore city in the state of Tamil Nadu. There is also a railway station here, that connects the station and the airport. Irugur is very close to the airport.-Geography:...
, Sulur
Sulur
Sulur is a town and one of a taluk in Coimbatore district. It is a suburb of Coimbatore, India. This is also a Legislative Constituency and is under the Coimbatore Parliament Constituency.-Demographics:...
, Pallapalayam
Pallapalayam
Pallapalayam is a panchayat town in Erode district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Demographics: India census, Pallapalayam had a population of 6499. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Pallapalayam has an average literacy rate of 51%, lower than the national average of...
, Kannampalayam
Kannampalayam
Kannampalayam is a panchayat town in Coimbatore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Demographics: India census, Kannampalayam has a population of 11,890. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Kannampalayam has an average literacy rate of 77%, higher than the national...
, Veerapandi
Veerapandi
Veerapandi is a panchayat town in Coimbatore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Demographics: India census, Veerapandi had a population of 12,141. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Veerapandi has an average literacy rate of 70%, higher than the national average of...
, Periyanaickenpalayam
Periyanaickenpalayam
Periyanaickenpalayam is a town panchayat in Coimbatore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Demographics: India census, Periyanaickenpalayam had a population of 22,921. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Periyanaickenpalayam has an average literacy rate of 79%, higher...
, Narasimhanaickenpalayam
Narasimhanaickenpalayam
Narasimhanaickenpalayam is a part of Coimbatore city. It is about 14 km from City center in Northern direction. Narasimhanaickenpalayam is located on the streach of Mettupalayam road, one of the arterial roads of Coimbatore.-Demographics:...
, Idikarai
Idikarai
Idikarai is a panchayat town in Coimbatore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Demographics: India census, Idikarai had a population of 6251. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Idikarai has an average literacy rate of 80%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male...
, Vedapatti
Vedapatti
Vedapatti is a panchayat town in Coimbatore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Demographics: India census, Vedapatti had a population of 9545. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Vedapatti has an average literacy rate of 68%, higher than the national average of 59.5%:...
, Perur
Perur
Perur is located on western side of Coimbatore in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.It has famous Siva Temple, Patteeswarar .- Geography :Perur is situated about 7 km from Coimbatore Railway station. The area is mostly agricultural. Predominantly Cash crops like coconut, banana are grown in Perur .-...
, Kuniyamuthur
Kuniyamuthur
Kuniyamuthur is a part of Coimbatore city. It is about 14 km from Coimbatore City center in West Direction. Kuniyamuthur is misspelled as Kuniamuthur, Kunimattoor. It is hardly four kilometer away from Coimbatore city and one of busiest markets in the city. It is located on Pallakad road of NH...
, Vellalur
Vellalur
Vellalur is a panchayat town in Coimbatore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Demographics: India census, Vellalur had a population of 17,294. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Vellalur has an average literacy rate of 64%, higher than the national average of 59.5%;...
, Madukkarai
Madukkarai
Madukkarai is a suburb of Coimbatore city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Madukkarai is the Gateway to Coimbatore city from kerala state. It is located close to Kerala border. The Coimbatore International Airport is about 27 km from here...
, Ettimadai
Ettimadai
Ettimadai is a suburb of Coimbatore in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Ettimadai is located between Coimbatore city and Palakkad on the NH47 at the Tamil Nadu - Kerala border. Ettimadai is one of the fast growing western suburb. It comes under the Coimbatore Corporation...
, Dhaliyur
Dhaliyur
Dhaliyur is a panchayat town in Coimbatore district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.-Demographics: India census, Dhaliyur had a population of 8579. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Dhaliyur has an average literacy rate of 66%, higher than the national average of 59.5%:...
, Thondamuthur
Thondamuthur
Thondamuthur is a suburb of Coimbatore city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It comes under the Coimbatore Corporation, Which is located on Narisipuram road.- Demographics :...
, Thirumalayampalayam
Thirumalayampalayam
Thirumalayampalayam is a panchayat town in Coimbatore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Demographics: India census, Thirumalayampalayam had a population of 11,567. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Thirumalayampalayam has an average literacy rate of 53%, lower than...
, Othakalmandapam
Othakalmandapam
Othakalmandapam is a suburb of Coimbatore city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.Correct Name is Othakkalmandapam. Most of them called as O.K.Mandapam or O.K.M . It is lacated within the city limits, which is recently merged with the Corporation of Coimbatore...
, Chettipalayam
Chettipalayam
Chettipalayam is a suburb of Coimbatore city in Tamil Nadu, India. The place and its vicinity is also home to Kari Motor Speedway and the Coimbatore Golf Club. It is located 17 km away from Coimbatore Junction. There is also a railway station in Podanur nearby...
, Alanthurai
Alanthurai
Alanthurai is a panchayat town in Coimbatore district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.-Demographics: India census, Alanthurai had a population of 7173. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Alanthurai has an average literacy rate of 55%, lower than the national average of...
, Pooluvapatti
Pooluvapatti
Pooluvapatti is a panchayat town in Coimbatore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Demographics: India census, Pooluvapatti had a population of 12,403. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Pooluvapatti has an average literacy rate of 60%, higher than the national average...
, Thenkarai
Thenkarai
Thenkarai is a panchayat town in Coimbatore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Demographics: India census, Thenkarai had a population of 7168. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Thenkarai has an average literacy rate of 53%, lower than the national average of 59.5%:...
, Karumathampatti
Karumathampatti
Karumathampatti is a suburb of Coimbatore city in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is also called as Karumcity which is one of the most developing suburb in Coimbatore about 28 km away from the city center...
, Sarcarsamakulam
Sarcarsamakulam
Sarcarsamakulam also known as Kovilpalayam is a panchayat town in Coimbatore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This town is located located 17 kilometers from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, on the Sathyamangalam road ....
, Mopperipalayam
Mopperipalayam
Mopperipalayam is a panchayat town in Coimbatore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Demographics: India census, Mopperipalayam had a population of 8303. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Mopperipalayam has an average literacy rate of 60%, higher than the national...
and Gudalur
Gudalur
Gudalur may refer to:towns in Tamil Nadu* Gudalur * Gudalur * Gudalur...
; Census Towns : Ashokapuram
Ashokapuram
Ashokapuram is a part of Coimbatore city in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is about 12 km from City center in North Direction. Ashokapuram is located on the streach of Mettupalayam rd, Coimbatore.-Demographics:...
, Kurudampalayam
Kurudampalayam
Kurudampalayam is a census town in Coimbatore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Demographics: India census, Kurudampalayam had a population of 13,129. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Kurudampalayam has an average literacy rate of 76%, higher than the national...
, Malumichampatti, Perur Chettipalayam, Pattanam
Pattanam
Pattanam , presently a land locked rural hamlet located in the Periyar Delta, 2 km north of North Paravur, 9 km south of Kodungallur and 25 km north of Kochi in Ernakulam District in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Pattanam that means coastal town has ancient origins...
, Chinniampalayam, Somayampalayam, Muthugundun Pudur, Arasur, Kaniyur and Neelambur. These local bodies are in turn split into wards each electing a councilor through direct election. The head of the local body – known as President for the Panchayats– is elected by the councilors from among their number.
Politics
Coimbatore elects five members to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and one member to the Indian ParliamentLok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
. The five legislative assembly constituencies in the city are Coimbatore North, Coimbatore South, Kaundampalayam
Kaundampalayam (State Assembly Constituency)
Kaundampalayam or Kavundampalayam is a legislative assembly constituency in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It comprises the municipality of Goundampalayam and its surrounding areas in Coimbatore. It was formed in 2009 and is part of the Coimbatore parliamentary constituency. It was created by the...
, Singanallur
Singanallur (State Assembly Constituency)
Singanallur is a legislative assembly constituency, that includes the city, Singanallur. Singanallur assembly constituency was part of Coimbatore Parliamentray constituency.-Members of the Legislative Assembly:- References :...
and Sulur
Sulur (State Assembly Constituency)
Sulur is a legislative assembly constituency in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It comprises the panchayat town of Sulur and its surrounding areas in Coimbatore. It was formed in 2009 and is part of the Coimbatore parliamentary constituency.-Members:...
. All five are part of the Coimbatore Parliamentary Constituency
Coimbatore (Lok Sabha constituency)
Coimbatore is one of the largest Lok Sabha constituencies in Tamilnadu.-Assembly segments:Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency is composed of the following assembly segments:#Singanallur#Coimbatore West#Coimbatore East#Perur#Palladam...
. Till 2009, there were only four assembly constituencies in Coimbatore - Coimbatore East
Coimbatore East (State Assembly Constituency)
Coimbatore East is a legislative assembly constituency in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It covers parts of Coimbatore. Coimbatore East assembly constituency is a part of the Coimbatore parliamentary constituency. In 2009, it was renamed as Coimbatore North.- Madras State :- Tamil Nadu :- External...
, Coimbatore West
Coimbatore West (State Assembly Constituency)
Coimbatore West is a legislative assembly constituency in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It covers parts of Coimbatore. Coimbatore East assembly constituency is a part of the Coimbatore parliamentary constituency. In 2009, it was renamed as Coimbatore South.- Madras State :- Tamil Nadu :-External...
, Singanallur, and Perur
Perur (State Assembly Constituency)
Perur is a legislative assembly constituency, that includes the city, Perur. Perur was reserved for scheduled caste from 1967-77. Perur assembly constituency was part of Coimbatore Parliamentary constituency.-Members of the Legislative Assembly:...
. Also about 20% of the urban agglomeration came under the Nilgiris
Nilgiris (Lok Sabha constituency)
Nilgiris is a Lok Sabha constituency in Tamil Nadu. The seat is reserved for scheduled castes.-Assembly segments:Nilgiris Lok Sabha constituency is composed of the following assembly segments :#Mettupalayam#Avanashi...
constituency which runs into the northern part of the city and about 10% came under the Pollachi (Lok Sabha constituency)
Pollachi (Lok Sabha constituency)
-Before 2009:#Kinathukkadavu#Pollachi#Valparai #Udumalpet#Pongalur#Dharapuram -2009-present:#Thondamuthur#Kinathukadavu#Pollachi#Valparai #Udumalpet#Madathukulam-Members of Parliament:...
. In the last Lok Sabha election
Indian general election in Tamil Nadu, 2009
The Indian general election, 2009 polls in Tamil Nadu was held for 39 seats in the state. There was a radical change in the alliances in this election compared to the last election, reminiscent of the 1999 election in Tamil Nadu...
held in 2009, Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
The Communist Party of India is a political party in India. It has a strong presence in the states of Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura. As of 2011, CPI is leading the state government in Tripura. It leads the Left Front coalition of leftist parties in various states and the national parliament of...
(CPI-M) candidate won in the Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency. In the last legislative assembly election held in 2011
Tamil Nadu legislative assembly election, 2011
The fourteenth legislative assembly election was held on 13 April 2011 to elect members from 234 constituencies in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Results were released on 13 May 2011...
, the ADMK led front won in all five assembly constituencies.
Economy
With more than 25,000 small, medium and large industries, the city's primary industries are engineeringEngineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
and textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
s. Coimbatore is called the "Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
of South India" due to its extensive textile industry
Textile industry
The textile industry is primarily concerned with the production of yarn, and cloth and the subsequent design or manufacture of clothing and their distribution. The raw material may be natural, or synthetic using products of the chemical industry....
, fed by the surrounding cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
fields. The district also houses the country's largest amount of hosiery
Hosiery
Hosiery, also referred to as legwear, describes garments worn directly on the feet and legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also known generically as hose...
and poultry
Poultry
Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
industries . The city has two special economic zones (SEZ), the Coimbatore Hi-Tech Infrastructure (CHIL) SEZ and the Coimbatore TIDEL park, and at least five more SEZs are in the pipeline. As of 2005, when Tirupur
Tirupur
Tiruppur pronounced as is a textile city located on the banks of Noyyal River. It is also called Dollar city. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tiruppur district. It forms a part of the ancient Kongu Nadu region of South India, where its people were the first to establish territorial...
was a part of Coimbatore district, Coimbatore was the highest revenue earning district in Tamil Nadu. In 2010, Coimbatore ranked 15th in the list of most competitive (by business environment) India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n cities.
An insignificant little town prone to droughts and earthquakes till the early years of the 20th century, Coimbatore experienced a textile boom in the 1920s and 1930s. Though, Robert Stanes
Robert Stanes
Sir Robert Stanes was a British businessman and philanthropist in India who founded United Nilgiri Tea Estates in Coimbatore....
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. Narayanaswamy Naidu's Dhandayuthapani Foundry, D. Balasundaram Naidu's Textool, the Lakshmi Mills Company, the Kalleeswara Mills and the Somasundra Mills are some of the important textile and machine units which emerged during the early 1900s.
Coimbatore also has a 160000 square feet (14,864.5 m²) trade fair ground, built in 1999. It was named COINTEC due to its hosting of INTEC (Small Industries Exhibition)http://www.intecexpo.com/. The Trade Fair complex, one of the country's largest, was built in six months, and is owned by CODISSIA (Coimbatore District Small Industries Association)http://www.intecexpo.com/. It is also the country's largest pillar-free hall, according to the Limca Book of Records.
Coimbatore houses a large number of small and medium texitle mills. It also has central textile research institutes like the Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR)- Southern Regional station and the Sardar Vallabhai Patel International School of Textiles and Management. The South Indian Textiles Research Association (SITRA) is also based in Coimbatore. The city also houses two of the Centers Of Excellences (COE) for technical textiles proposed by Government of India, namely Meditech, a medical textile research centre based at SITRA, and InduTech based in PSG College of Engineering and Technology. The neighbouring town of Tirupur
Tirupur
Tiruppur pronounced as is a textile city located on the banks of Noyyal River. It is also called Dollar city. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tiruppur district. It forms a part of the ancient Kongu Nadu region of South India, where its people were the first to establish territorial...
is home to some of Asia’s largest garment manufacturing companies, exporting hosiery clothes worth more than 50,000 million.
The city is the second largest software producer in Tamil nadu, next only to Chennai. IT
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
and BPO
Business process outsourcing
Business process outsourcing is a subset of outsourcing that involves the contracting of the operations and responsibilities of specific business functions to a third-party service provider. Originally, this was associated with manufacturing firms, such as Coca Cola that outsourced large segments...
industry in the city has grown greatly with the launch of TIDEL park and other planned IT parks in and around the city. It is ranked at 17th among the global outsourcing cities. Companies like Tata Consultancy Services
Tata Consultancy Services
Tata Consultancy Services Limited is a global IT services, business solutions and outsourcing company headquartered in Mumbai, India. It is the largest provider of information technology in Asia and second largest provider of business process outsourcing services in India...
, Cognizant Technology Solutions
Cognizant Technology Solutions
Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. is an American global provider of custom information technology, consulting and business process outsourcing services. Its headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey, United States and is a member of NASDAQ-100, the S&P 500 and Fortune 500...
, IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, Robert Bosch GmbH
Robert Bosch GmbH
Robert Bosch GmbH is a multinational engineering and electronics company headquartered in Gerlingen, near Stuttgart, Germany. It is the world's largest supplier of automotive components...
, Tata Elxsi
Tata elxsi
- Introduction : is a technology-led design services company and part of the $70 billion Tata Group. Headquartered in Bangalore and with a global delivery footprint through offices and centers in India, the US, the UK, Japan and Germany, Tata Elxsi is a company focused on delivering outsourced...
, Dell
Dell
Dell, Inc. is an American multinational information technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest...
, Aditi Technologies, CSS Corp and KGISL having a presence in the city. Coimbatore is already the second largest hub in India for Congizant Technology Solutions as it employs around 5000 people in its Coimbatore centre and is planning to double its capacity here. Software exports stood at 710.66 Crores (7.1 billion) for the financial year 2009-10 up 90% from the previous year.
Coimbatore has a large and a diversified manufacturing sector facilitated by the presence of research institutes like Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, SITRA and large number of engineering colleges producing about 50,000 engineers. Some of the prominent industries in Coimbatore include L&T, BOSCH, PSG, Sakthi group, Lakshmi Machine Works
Lakshmi Machine Works
Lakshmi Machine Works Limited is India's largest textile machinery and CNC manufacturers, based in Coimbatore founded by Cavalier Dr.G.K.Devarajulu...
(LMW), Premier Instruments & Control Limited (PRICOL), Premier Evolvics, Janatics, LGB, Revathi Equipment Ltd, ELGI Equipments, Craftsman Automation Pvt Ltd, Shanthi Gears, Roots Industries. Wind Energy major Suzlon has set up a foundry & machine shop in Coimbatore. Along with it Hansen Transmission, a Belgian Company which manufactures gearboxes for windmills is setting up a plant here with an investment of 940 cr.
Manufacturing of automotive components is also important to Coimbatore's economy. Maruti Udyog
Maruti Udyog
Maruti Suzuki India Limited is a subsidiary company of Japanese automobile and motorcycle manufacturer Suzuki. The company offers a complete range of cars from entry level Maruti 800 and Alto, to hatchback Ritz, A-Star, Swift, Wagon-R, Estillo and sedans DZire, SX4, in the 'C' segment Maruti Eeco ...
and Tata Motors source up to 30% of their automotive components from Coimbatore. Some of the auto component makers in Coimbatore include Robert Bosch GmbH
Robert Bosch GmbH
Robert Bosch GmbH is a multinational engineering and electronics company headquartered in Gerlingen, near Stuttgart, Germany. It is the world's largest supplier of automotive components...
, PRICOL and Roots Industries. Coimbatore has more than 700 wet grinder
Wet grinder
A wet grinder is a grinder used with water. Wet grinders have a wide application in industry, workshops, and commercial and domestic kitchens throughout Africa and Asia...
manufacturers with a monthly output of 75,000 units and is home to a common facility for the manufacturers of wet grinders. Coimbadore's motor and pump manufacturing industry supplies over 40% of India’s requirements.
Coimbatore is one of the major gold jewellery manufacturing hubs in India, renowned for making cast jewellery and machine made jewellery. The city is home to about 3000 jewellery manufacturing companies and to over 40,000 goldsmiths. The jewellery manufacturers have an active association called Coimbatore Jewellery Manufacturers' Association, and have also jointly established Coimbatore Gem and Jewellery Industries Private Limited (Cojewel), which is a common facility with niche goldsmith machinery to be used by the members of the association. Several jewellery retail chains like Kirtilal's are based in Coimbatore or have their manufacturing base in Coimbatore. Owing to the presence of a large number of jewellery manufacturers and the strong engineering base, the city is home to a number of companies manufacturing jewellery making machinery. The city is also a major diamond cutting centre in South India. For example Kirtilal's Jewellers alone have 5 diamond cutting and polishing centres in Coimbatore.
Coimbatore has some of the oldest flour mills in India. The large scale flour mills, which cater to all the southern states, have a combined grinding capacity of more than 50,000 MT per month.The city houses many famous high capacity flour mills like India Roller Flour Mills (which is closed now) and Coimbatore Roller Flour Mills. These flour mills have been around for decades and were in the outskirts of the city at one time. Now they are in the middle of the city owing to increasing urbanization.
In the recent years, the city has seen growth in the hospitality industry. Five star hotels like Taj Surya and Le Meridien, four star hotels like Aloft and several three star hotels like Park Plaza, The Residency, CAG Pride and Mangala International have presence in the city.
Culture
Coimbatore and its people have a reputation for entrepreneurship. Though it is generally considered a traditional city, Coimbatore is more diverse and cosmopolitan than all other cities in Tamil Nadu except for ChennaiChennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
. The heavy industrialisation of the city has also resulted in the growth of trade unions. There are numerous temples in and around the city including the Perur
Perur
Perur is located on western side of Coimbatore in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.It has famous Siva Temple, Patteeswarar .- Geography :Perur is situated about 7 km from Coimbatore Railway station. The area is mostly agricultural. Predominantly Cash crops like coconut, banana are grown in Perur .-...
Patteeswarar Temple, Konniamman temple, Thandu Mariamman temple, Vazhai Thottathu Ayyan temple, Echanaari Ganesh temple, Karamadai
Karamadai
Karamadai is a suburb of the city of Coimbatore in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Geography:Karamadai is located at . It has an average elevation of 353 metres .-Demographics:...
temple, Marudamalai
Marudamalai
Marudamalai is a popular temple of the Hindu god Murugan, situated top a hill of the same name in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. Of all the temples of Murugan it is next only in importance to the Arupadaiveedu temples , for the god's devotees...
Murugan
Murugan
Murugan also called Kartikeya, Skanda and Subrahmanya, is a popular Hindu deity especially among Tamil Hindus, worshipped primarily in areas with Tamil influences, especially South India, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritius and Reunion Island. His six most important shrines in India are the...
temple,Panchamuga Anjaneya Temple(Hanuman with 5 Faces) and the Dhyanalinga
Dhyanalinga
The Dhyanalinga is a Yogic temple located from Coimbatore, India. The temple was consecrated by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, a yogi and mystic. The temple is consecrated using prana prathista and is dedicated for meditation. Silence is maintained inside the temple. Dhyana in the Sanskrit language,...
Yogic Temple. The Mariamman
Mariamman
Māri ,Tulu, also known as Mariamman , both meaning "Mother Mari", spelt also Maariamma , or simply Amman or Aatha is the South Indian Hindu goddess of disease and rain. She is the main South Indian mother goddess, predominant in the rural areas of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and...
festivals, at the city’s numerous Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
temples, are major events in summer. The mosques on Oppanakara Street and Big Bazaar Street date back to the period of Hyder Ali. Christian missions date back to 1647 when permission was granted by the Nayak
Nayak dynasty
Nayak dynasties emerged after the downfall of Vijayanagara Empire. The Nayaks were originally military governors under the supervision of the Vijayanagara Empire. After the battle of Talikota, several of them declared independence...
rulers to set up a small church in Karumathampatti 12 km (7.5 mi). It was destroyed by Tipu Sultan’s army resulting in a new church in 1804. In 1886, Coimbatore was constituted as a diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
after bifurcating with Pondicherry. Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
Gurudwaras and Jain Temples are also present in Coimbatore.
From 1940s to 70s the city was generally peaceful without any communal or caste clashes. Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
's assassination in 1984 was followed by large scale arson and looting targeted at businesses owned by North Indians (particularly Sikhs). During the 1980s crime increased, Hindu – Muslim riots were frequent in the late 80’s and 90's reaching their peak in 1997 when a large scale riot occurred in the Townhall and West Coimbatore area. It was followed by the 1998 bomb blasts
1998 Coimbatore bombings
The 1998 Coimbatore bombings occurred on Saturday, February 14, 1998, in the city of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. 46 persons - 35 men, 10 women and one child - were killed and over 200 injured in 13 bomb attacks in 11 places , all of them within a 12 km radius, 4 bombs were planted at R S...
. After 2000, Crime rate in Coimbatore dropped making it one of the largest cities in India with a low crime rate.
Cuisine
Coimbatore cuisine is predominantly south Indian with riceRice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
as its base. However, the population of Coimbatore is multi-cultural due to the influx of migrant population from various regions of the country and this reflects in the food as well. The flavours are generally fairly mild, with variations to suit the local palette. Most locals still retain their rural flavour, with many restaurants serving food over a banana leaf
Banana leaf
Banana leaf is the leaf of the Banana plant. It is used for various functions, such as for decorative elements, wrappings, plate mat, and employed in cooking method....
. North Indian, Chinese
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
and continental cuisines are also available. Mysorepa
Mysore pak
Mysore pak is a sweet dish of Karnataka, India, usually served as dessert. It is made of generous amounts of ghee , sugar and gram flour....
(a sweet made from lentil
Lentil
The lentil is an edible pulse. It is a bushy annual plant of the legume family, grown for its lens-shaped seeds...
flour and ghee
Ghee
Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian cuisine....
), idly, dosa
Dosa
Dosa or Dhosai is a fermented crepe or pancake made from rice batter and black lentils. It is indigenous to and is a staple dish in the southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, as well as being popular in Sri Lanka...
, Halwa (a sweet made of different ingredients like milk, wheat, rice) and vada-sambar and biryani are popular among the locals. The recent influx of coffee shops and pizza shops has increased and serving as hangout locations for the youth. Some popular restaurant brands such as Annapoorna, Sree Sampoorna, Sri Krishna Sweets
Sri Krishna Sweets
Sri Krishna Sweets is a popular Indian sweet manufacturer and eatery based in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. It is most noted for its Mysorepa. There are about 18 branches in Coimbatore city alone.-History:...
and Hari Bhavanam originated in Coimbatore.
Sports and recreation
Formula racing
Formula racing is a term that refers to various forms of open wheeled single seater motorsport. Its origin lies in the nomenclature that was adopted by the FIA for all of its post-World War II single seater regulations, or formulae. The best known of these formulæ are Formula One, Formula Two, and...
(Cars), Motorcycle racing, Go-Kart
Go-kart
thumb|A [[Kart racing|racing kart]] at the [[Commission Internationale de Karting|CIK-FIA]] European Championship 2008A go-kart is a small four-wheeled vehicle...
racing are held in Kari Motor Speedway
Kari Motor Speedway
Kari Motor Speedway is a purpose built auto racing circuit or race track, located in Orratukuppai, Chettipalayam, Coimbatore, India. The track's length is currently 3.2 km. It was inaugurated in 2003, in memory of Late Shri. S...
. The tyre manufacturer MRF
MRF
MRF is an acronym which may refer to:Organizations* Medical Response Force* Movement for Rights and Freedoms, a Bulgarian political party* Mobile Riverine Force * Morgellons Research Foundation...
assembles and builds F1 cars in Coimbatore. Super Speeds
Super Speeds
Super Speeds is a company in India which designs and constructs open-wheeled Formula Cars for Indian National championship series. For more than three decades this outfit has been the only full-fledged Indian company entirely dedicated to indigenous design and construction of race cars in...
designs and constructs almost all Formula cars. Rallying
Rallying
Rallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...
is another major event with all teams based in Coimbatore. Rallies are conducted in closed roads around Coimbatore districts. Narain Karthikeyan
Narain Karthikeyan
Kumar Ram Narain Karthikeyan , is the first Formula One motor racing driver from India. He has previously competed in A1GP, and the Le Mans Series. He made his Formula One debut in with the Jordan team, and was a WilliamsF1 test driver in and...
is the city's most famous driver, being the first Indian to enter Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
in 2005 with Jordan Grand Prix
Jordan Grand Prix
Jordan Grand Prix was a Formula One constructor that competed from 1991 to 2005. The team is named after Irish businessman and founder Eddie Jordan...
. Also he is the First & only Indian to win A1GP World Championship Race.He is also in the 2011 f1 season as driver for the Hispania f1 team. Other famous motorsport personalities from Coimbatore are former Formula 3 driver J.Anand and seven time national rallying champions N. Leela Krishnan and V. R. Naren Kumar
V. R. Naren Kumar
V. R. Naren Kumar is a seven-time INRC Rally Champion and Two time runner-up and Asia Zone Champion from Coimbatore, India.Kumar started his career as a privateer in 1993 and was quickly picked-up by Team MRF, operated by another Rally driver N. Leelakrishnan...
.
The city is also known for its antique bikes, cars and jeeps. Many prominent industrialists own antique automobiles.Nehru Stadium
Nehru Stadium, Coimbatore
Nehru Stadium is a football stadium and also a multi-purpose stadium in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium holds a capacity 30,000 spectators....
, built originally for football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, can also host athletic meets. Now Synthetic track is constructed and Korean grass in the centre. Apart from the stadium, the city also has several sports clubs. The prominent tennis player Nirupama Vaidyanathan
Nirupama Vaidyanathan
Nirupama Sanjeev is a former Indian female professional tennis player. She was known as Nirupama Vaidyanathan before marriage....
hails from Coimbatore. The Coimbatore Golf Club
Coimbatore Golf Club
The Coimbatore Golf Club is a 18 hole golf course located in a place called Chettipalayam in Coimbatore, located within the city limits in the state of Tamil Nadu in India...
is home to a major 18-hole golf course. The Coimbatore Cosmopolitan Club
Coimbatore Cosmopolitan Club
The Cosmopolitan Club in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India is a club started in 1891 by a group of local citizens. It is located in Race Course Road, in the city of Coimbatore. This was one of the earliest clubs in India started by Indians as against the strict Anglican Clubs run by British in...
, which is more than 100 years old, was founded for Indian members only, in response to the English Coimbatore Club, which did not admit Indians until the 1950s. The Coimbatore Flying Club is located in the Coimbatore airport premises. Current world chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
champion Viswanathan Anand
Viswanathan Anand
V. Anand or Anand Viswanathan, usually referred as Viswanathan Anand, is an Indian chess Grandmaster, the current World Chess Champion, and currently second highest rated player in the world....
became India's first Grandmaster in 1987 by winning Shakti Finance International chess tournament held here in Coimbatore.
Though there are a lot of entertainment centres mushrooming in the city, visiting the cinema still remains the city's most popular recreational activity. Since the 1980s, the city has had about 10 small to medium sized shopping malls like Cheran towers and Lakshmi Complex. Of late few mega malls like Presidium mall and Brookfield Plaza have opened. The city also has a number of parks including VOC park, the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University park Race Course children's park and Bharathi park. Singanallur lake
Singanallur Lake
Singanallur lake one of the biggest lakes situated in Coimbatore city. It is located on Coimbatore, Trichy road in a place called Singanallur. This in addition to the Valankulam Lake are the ones located in the heart of the city. A railway track connecting Podanur and Irugur passes through this...
is also a popular tourist and bird watcher destination.
Education
Coimbatore is an educational hub of the region. As of 2010, the Coimbatore district is home to 7 universities, 54 engineering colleges, 2 medical colleges, 35 polytechnics Colleges. and more than 70 Arts and Science Colleges and a large number of schools. The city has reputed state owned universities like Tamil Nadu Agricultural UniversityTamil Nadu Agricultural University
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University came into being on June 1, 1971. However, it had its genesis from establishment of an agricultural school at Saidapet, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, in 1868 and was later relocated at Marudamalai Road in Coimbatore....
(est. 1971), Bharathiar University
Bharathiar University
Bharathiar University is a postgraduate university in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, South India. Named after Tamil poet Subramania Bharathiar, the university was established in February 1982 and was recognized by the University Grants Commission in 1985....
(1982), Anna University Coimbatore
Anna University Coimbatore
Anna University of Technology, Coimbatore was established on 1 February 2007 as a result of a decision to split Anna University into six universities, namely, Anna University, Chennai, Anna University of Technology, Chennai, Anna University of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, Anna University of...
(2007) and private universities like Avinashilingam University
Avinashilingam University
Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women, sometimes referred to as Avinashilingam University, is a women only Deemed University located at Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.-History:...
(1987), Amrita University (2003), Karunya University
Karunya University
Karunya University is a fully residential Christian private university located in Coimbatore, India. It is known for its strict and mostly orthodox rules, which it implanted on the students. It was founded as a Christian minority institution by the late D. G. S...
(2004) and Karpagam University
Karpagam college of engineering
Karpagam College of Engineering was established in the year 2000 by Karpagam Charitable Trust, under the leadership of Dr. R Vasanthakumar. This Autonomous College has been approved by AICTE, New Delhi and has been affiliated to Anna University of Technology, Coimbatore. The College was started...
(2005). The city also houses research institutes like Central Institute for Cotton Research, Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Institute for Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding, Indian Council for Forestry Research and Education and Tamil Nadu Institute of Urban Studies. There are also plans to establish a "world class" university in the region and to convert the Government Arts College into a unitary type university.
The first college opened in Coimbatore was the Government Arts College
Government Arts College, Coimbatore
Government Arts College Coimbatore is an autonomous college affiliated to Bharathiar University, Coimbatore. It is located in the Arts college road, opposite to Cheran towers. The college can be accessed either by a road in front of Coimbatore railway station or the road adjacent to Coimbatore...
(1875–76). The Forest College and Research Institute was opened in 1916. The first engineering college in the city was started by G.D. Naidu
Gopalswamy Doraiswamy Naidu
G. D. Naidu was an Indian inventor and engineer who is also referred to as the Edison of India. He is credited with the manufacture of the first electric motor in India. His contributions were primarily industrial but also span the fields of electrical, mechanical, agricultural and automobile...
as the Arthur Hope College of Technology in 1945. Later it became the Government College of Technology, Coimbatore
Government College of Technology, Coimbatore
The Government College of Technology, Coimbatore is an autonomous state funded engineering college located in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. It is a constituent college of the Anna University...
. PSG College of Technology
PSG College of Technology
PSG College of Technology is an autonomous, government aided institution, affiliated to Anna University. The college offers a total of 48 full time and part time programs in Science, Engineering and Management at Undergraduate & Postgraduate levels. The College was founded in 1951 by...
was established later in 1951. The Air Force Administrative College was established in 1949 to train Indian Air Force
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
personnel. Coimbatore Institute of Technology
Coimbatore Institute of Technology
The Coimbatore Institute of Technology is one of the DOTE engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu located at Coimbatore, India. It was founded in the year 1956 by V.Rangaswamy Naidu Educational Trust with the aim of disseminating knowledge in the fields of science, engineering and technology.It is a...
(CIT) was started in the 1950s. Coimbatore Medical College
Coimbatore Medical College
Coimbatore Medical College is a state government-run medical college recognized by the Medical Council of India. It is located in the city of Coimbatore, in Tamil Nadu, India.-History:...
was opened in 1966 and the Government law college
Government Law College, Coimbatore
The Government Law College, Coimbatore is one of seven government law colleges in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The colleges are administered by Tamil Nadu's Department of Legal Studies, which was established in 1953 to improve the standards of legal education in the state, and to provide legal...
started functioning from 1978. The agricultural school established in 1868 was converted into a full fledged agricultural university (Tamil Nadu Agricultural University) in 1971 and the Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History
Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History
The Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History is a national centre for information, education and research in ornithology and natural history in India. It was inspired by and named in honor of Salim Ali, the leading pioneer of ornithology in India. It is an autonomous organization...
was opened in 1990. Several private engineering and arts & science colleges were started during the education boom in the 1990s.
In 1867, the first group of students appeared for the SSLC Examinations
Tamil Nadu Board of Secondary Education
Tamil Nadu Board of Secondary Education, established in 1910, is under the purview of the , , India. Up to and ending at the secondary level, the following streams of education are offered: the SSLC stream, the Anglo-Indian stream, the Oriental School Leaving Certificate stream and the...
from Coimbatore. The earliest educational institutions established in the city are C.S.I. Boys High School (1831), St. Michael's Higher Secondary School (1860), Stanes Anglo Indian Higher School (1862), St. Francis Anglo Indian Girls High School (1880), Sarvajana High School (1910) and Suburban Higher Secondary School (1917). Presently there are three types of schools in Coimbatore - 1) government run schools (corporation schools) 2) schools funded by the government but run by private trusts (aided schools) and 3) schools funded and administered by private trusts. They are classified as Tamil Nadu Anglo Indian School Board, Tamil Nadu State Board
Tamil Nadu Board of Secondary Education
Tamil Nadu Board of Secondary Education, established in 1910, is under the purview of the , , India. Up to and ending at the secondary level, the following streams of education are offered: the SSLC stream, the Anglo-Indian stream, the Oriental School Leaving Certificate stream and the...
, Matriculation
Directorate of Matriculation Schools, Tamil Nadu
The Directorate of Matriculation Schools, Tamil Nadu is an accreditation and governing body for secondary schools in Tamil Nadu, India. In a concept unique to Tamil Nadu , until 1971 Universities also governed secondary schools, and such schools were accredited to the Matriculation system...
and CBSE
Central Board of Secondary Education
The Central Board of Secondary Education is a Board of Education for public and private schools, under the Union Government of India.-History:...
schools according to the syllabus taught in them. The Coimbatore Education District (not the same as the revenue district) is the unit of administration for education in the city. In 2010, the number of students who wrote the SSLC (Standard 10) and Higher Secondary (Standard 12) examinations was both around 30,000. The literacy rate in the city is 80%.
Media and communication
Four major English newspapers The HinduThe Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
,The Times of India
The Times of India
The Times of India is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. TOI has the largest circulation among all English-language newspaper in the world, across all formats . It is owned and managed by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd...
, Deccan Chronicle and The New Indian Express
The New Indian Express
The New Indian Express is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as the Indian Express, under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naidu. In 1991, following the death of the then owner Ramnath Goenka, the Goenka...
bring out editions from the city. Business Line
Business line
Business Line or The Hindu Business Line is an Indian business newspaper published by Kasturi & Sons, the publishers of the newspaper The Hindu located in Chennai, India.-History:...
, a business newspaper also brings out a Coimbatore edition. Tamil newspapers which have Coimbatore editions include Dina Malar
Dina Malar
Dinamalar or "Daily Malar" is a daily newspaper in Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Pondicherry, Tirunelveli, Nagercoil, Trichy, Erode, Vellore and Tamil Nadu, India. Dinamalar was founded by T. V. Ramasubbaiyer. T. V...
, Dina Thanthi
Dina Thanthi
Dina Thanthi a.K.a "Daily Thanthi" is a reputed daily Tamil newspaper in Tirunelveli, Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Erode, Dindigul, Trichy, Salem, Nagercoil, Cuddalore, Vellore, Pondicherry and Thanjavur. It is owned by Mr.B. Sivanthi Aditanar. It was founded by S. P...
, Dina Mani
Dina Mani
Dina Mani is daily Tamil newspaper printed and published from Chennai, Coimbatore, Vellore, Trichy, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Dharmapuri, Bangalore, and New Delhi in India. The newspaper was established in 1933 and owned by The New Indian Express Group.The first edition came in 1934 september 11...
, Dinakaran
Dinakaran
Dinakaran is a Tamil daily newspaper distributed in India. , Dinakaran is the largest Tamil daily newspaper in terms of net paid circulation, which was 1,235,220...
(all morning newspapers) and Tamil Murasu
Tamil Murasu
Tamil Murasu is a Singapore based Tamil language newspaper. Launched in 1935 by Thamizhavel G. Sarangapani, Tamil Murasu is Singapore's only Tamil language newspaper...
and Malai Malar
Malai Malar
Malai Malar is daily evening Tamil newspaper in Chennai, Salem and Coimbatore, India. It is owned by Daily Thanti group. It was founded by S. P. Adithanar in 1977 at Coimbatore and the current director is Sivandhi Adithanar....
(both evening newspapers). Two Malayalam newspapers – Malayala Manorama
Malayala Manorama
Malayala Manorama is a daily news paper, in Malayalam language, published in the state of Kerala, India. It was first published as a weekly on 14 March 1890, and currently has a readership of over 16 million . The Malayalam word "manorama" roughly translates to "entertainer"...
and Mathrubhumi
Mathrubhumi
Mathrubhumi is a Malayalam language newspaper that is published from Kerala, India. Mathrubhumi was founded by K. P. Kesava Menon, an active volunteer in the Indian freedom struggle against the British.-History:...
also have considerable circulation in the city.
A Medium wave radio station is operated by All India Radio
All India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
, with most programs in Tamil, English and Hindi. Five FM radio stations operate from Coimbatore - Rainbow FM from All India Radio, Suryan FM
Suryan FM
Suryan FM 93.5Sun Network owns two Radio brands: Suryan FM in Tamil Nadu and for other territories Red FM.The top slot is a result of a carefully planned thoroughly enjoyable, round-the-clock, wholesome entertainment-oriented package and there is a substantial localization of content to retain the...
from Sun Network
Sun Network
Sun TV Network is an Indian media company based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, part of Kal Media Services, Sun Group. It has been named as Asia's most profitable media corporations and the largest TV network. Established on April 14, 1993, it created and owns a variety of television channels and...
, Radio Mirchi
Radio Mirchi
Radio Mirchi is a nationwide network of private FM radio stations in India. It is owned by the Entertainment Network India Ltd , which is one of the subsidiaries of The Times Group....
, Radio City, and Hello FM
Hello FM
Hello FM is one of the private radio stations operating from different locations in Tamil Nadu. It is owned by Malar publications, Chennai. It is licensed to use the FM band frequency 106.4 Mhz. It started in 2006 broadcasting from Chennai...
. All these private radio stations air exclusively Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
based programs, including film music. The range of these stations cover Coimbatore, Erode
Erode District
Erode District is a western district of the state of Tamil Nadu, India, with Erode as its headquarters. Until the year 1996, Erode district was called as Periyar District....
and Nilgiri districts of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
and Palakkad
Palakkad
Palakkad , formerly known as Palghat, is a municipality and a town in the state of Kerala in southern India, spread over an area of 26.60 km2.The city is situated about north of state capital Thiruvananthapuram. It is the administrative headquarters of Palakkad District...
and Wayanad districts of Kerala. Television relay started in 1985 from Delhi Doordarshan
DoorDarshan
Doordarshan is an Indian public service broadcaster, a division of Prasar Bharati. It is one of the largest broadcasting organizations in India in terms of the infrastructure of studios and transmitters. Recently, it has also started Digital Terrestrial Transmitters. On September 15, 2009,...
. In 1986, after inception of a repeater tower at Kodaikanal
Kodaikanal
-Climate:Kodaikanal has a monsoon-influenced subtropical highland climate . The temperatures are cool throughout the year due to the high elevation of the city.-Economy:...
, telecast from Madras Doordarshan commenced. The people of Coimbatore witnessed the 1980 Olympics
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
and 1983 Cricket World Cup
1983 Cricket World Cup
The 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup was the third edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from 9 June to 25 June 1983 in England and was won by India. Eight countries participated in the event. The preliminary matches were played in two groups of four teams each, and each...
on a giant screen in VOC Park when the city-based UMS developed a dish antenna for satellite signal reception. Currently television reception is through DTH or by cable, while Doordarshan reception is still available using an external antenna. In 2005, Doordarshan opened its studio in Coimbatore.
Coimbatore has a well connected communications infrastructure. Till the 1990s the state owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited is a state-owned telecommunications company headquartered in New Delhi, India. It is the largest provider of fixed telephony and fourth largest mobile telephony provider in India, and is also a provider of broadband services...
(BSNL) was the only telecommunition service provider in the city. In the 1990s, private telecom companies too started offering their services. Currently besides BSNL, fixed line telephone services are offered by Reliance Communications
Reliance Communications
Reliance Communications Ltd. is an Indian broadband and telecommunications company headquartered in Navi Mumbai, India. RCOM is the world's 16th largest mobile phone operator with over 144 million subscribers. Established on 2004, a subsidiary of the Reliance Group...
and Bharti Airtel
Bharti Airtel
Bharti Airtel Limited , commonly known as Airtel, is an Indian telecommunications company that operates in 20 countries across South Asia, Africa and the Channel Islands. It operates a GSM network in all countries, providing 2G or 3G services depending upon the country of operation...
. Dial up internet connections were first introduced (by HCL and BPL) in 1996 and broadband internet (by BSNL) in 2005. As of 2010, BSNL, Reliance Communications, Bharti Airtel, Tata Teleservices all offer broadband service through fixed lines and mobiles;MTS
Mobile TeleSystems
MTS is the largest mobile operator in Russia and CIS with over 102,4 million subscribers as of 31 December 2009.Having started in the Moscow license zone in 1994, МТS in 1997 received licenses for further areas and began expansion, later entering other countries of the CIS...
offers mobile broadband alone. Cellular telephony was first introduced in 1997. Coimbatore is the headquarters of the Tamil Nadu circle of cellular service providers. The telecom company Aircel
Aircel
Aircel group is a mobile phone service provider in India. It offers both prepaid and postpaid GSM cellular phone coverage throughout India. The Aircel group is a joint venture between Maxis Communications Berhad of Malaysia and Sindya Securities & Investments Private Limited, whose current...
is headquartered in the city. Mobile telephone services available in the city include both CDMA and GSM connections.
Coimbatore is home to some of the oldest film studios in South India. Swamikannu Vincent, a film exhibitor, set up the first movie studios in the city. Rangaswamy Naidu established the Central Studios
Central Studios
Central Studios was a motion picture movie studio in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, started by B.Rangaswamy Naidu and other prominent industrialists like Swamikannu Vincent of Coimbatore in 1935 to make Tamil and other South Indian language movies.The Studio was a major hub of Tamil Movie...
in 1935 while S. M. Sriramulu Naidu
S. M. Sriramulu Naidu
Subbarayalu Naidu Munuswami Naidu Sriramulu Naidu , also pronounced as Sreeramulu Naidu, was an Indian businessman and movie producer from Coimbatore who founded the Pakshiraja Studios in 1945. He was responsible for the early development of the Tamil film industry in Coimbatore and was called the...
set up the Pakshiraja Studios
Pakshiraja Studios
Pakshiraja Studios was a motion picture movie studio in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, established by S. M. Sriramulu Naidu in 1945.The studio has released movies in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam and Sinhala under the banner Pakshiraja Films...
in 1945.
Healthcare
The size of the Coimbatore health care industry has been estimated as 1500 Crore (150 million) in 2010. There are nearly 750 hospitals in and around Coimbatore with a capacity of 5000 beds. The first health care centre in the city was started in 1909. In 1969, it was upgraded to Coimbatore Medical CollegeCoimbatore Medical College
Coimbatore Medical College is a state government-run medical college recognized by the Medical Council of India. It is located in the city of Coimbatore, in Tamil Nadu, India.-History:...
Hospital (CMCH). It is a government run hospital with a bed strength of 1020 and provides free health care. Including the CMCH, corporation maintains 16 dispensaries and 2 maternity homes. The city also has many large multi-facility private hospitals like the PSG Hospitals, Kovai Medical Center and Hospital(KMCH), KG Hospital, Coimbatore Kidney Centre, G. Kuppuswamy Naidu Memorial Hospital, Sri Ramakrishna Hospital, Sheela Hospital, Kongunad Hospital, Gem Hospital, Ganga Hospital, Aravind Eye Hospital, Sankara Netralaya,Lotus Eye Hospital, Ashwin hospital, Vikram ENT hospital, Coimbatore Cancer Foundation, G.P.Hospital, Diabetes Care and Research Centre. The city is also a major centre for medical tourism. The city remains the preferred healthcare destination for people from nearby districts and also from the neighbouring state of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
.
Air
The city is served by an international airport Coimbatore International Airport at PeelameduPeelamedu
Peelamedu is a part of the city of Coimbatore. It lies on the Avinashi road, is the most important arterial road in Coimbatore, India. It starts near Anna Flyover, and ends at L&T bypass junction at Nillambur...
11 km (6.8 mi) from the city and an air-force base at Sulur
Sulur
Sulur is a town and one of a taluk in Coimbatore district. It is a suburb of Coimbatore, India. This is also a Legislative Constituency and is under the Coimbatore Parliament Constituency.-Demographics:...
23 km (14.3 mi). The Coimbatore International Airport caters to domestic flights to major Indian cities like Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkatta and Mumbai and international flights to Sharjah and Singapore.
The Extended Runway is now ready at Coimbatore Airport. It now runs to 9760 feet (2,974.8 m) and is capable of handling wide-bodied and “fat-bellied” aircraft, such as are used for international flights. With the extended runway, airlines can operate aircraft types such as 747 SP, A 330, 747-300B, 747-300 ER, 747-400 and 747-200.
Rail
Train service in Coimbatore started in 1852, upon construction of the PodanurPodanur
Podanur , is a town 6 km southeast of the city of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, India. Its history goes back to the creation of first and major railway station and colony during British rule. The station has lost its importance after the major railway stations were built at Coimbatore and Palakkad...
- Madras line connecting Kerala and the west coast with the rest of India. Broad gauge
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
trains
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
connect Coimbatore to all parts of India and Tamil Nadu. Meter gauge line existed between Podanur
Podanur
Podanur , is a town 6 km southeast of the city of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, India. Its history goes back to the creation of first and major railway station and colony during British rule. The station has lost its importance after the major railway stations were built at Coimbatore and Palakkad...
and Dindigul
Dindigul
Dindigul is a town and municipality in the Tamil Nadu state of southern India. The name Dindigul comes from the Portmanteau of “Thindu” meaning pillow and “kal” meaning Rock and refers to the bare hill dominating the city’s both land and skyscape...
got closed on May 2009 and is under gauge conversion. The Coimbatore Junction
Coimbatore Junction
Coimbatore Junction erstwhile Kovai junction, is the railway station located in heart of the city Coimbatore. The station code is CBE. It has 6 platforms. It is a Major Railway junction in South India and the second busiest railway station in Tamil Nadu in terms of passenger movement...
is well connected to major Indian cities like Chennai, Bangalore, New Delhi, Mumbai, Howrah, Trivandrum, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Rajkot, Indore, Ahmedabad, Jammu, Kanpur and Patna. It is second highest revenue yielding station in the Southern Railway division of Indian Railways. The Coimbatore Junction comes under the Jurisdiction of the Salem Division and contributes 43.5% of its divisional income. This is the second largest income generating station in Southern Railway after Chennai Coimbatore North Junction
Coimbatore North Junction
Coimbatore North Junction is a railway junction located in city of Coimbatore, in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. The railway line to Mettupalayam and onwards to Ooty branches off from here....
is another important railway junction in the city apart from Coimbatore Junction
Coimbatore Junction
Coimbatore Junction erstwhile Kovai junction, is the railway station located in heart of the city Coimbatore. The station code is CBE. It has 6 platforms. It is a Major Railway junction in South India and the second busiest railway station in Tamil Nadu in terms of passenger movement...
and Podanur Junction. The other stations include Peelamedu
Peelamedu
Peelamedu is a part of the city of Coimbatore. It lies on the Avinashi road, is the most important arterial road in Coimbatore, India. It starts near Anna Flyover, and ends at L&T bypass junction at Nillambur...
, Singanallur, Irugur
Irugur
Irugur is a major suburb of Coimbatore city in the state of Tamil Nadu. There is also a railway station here, that connects the station and the airport. Irugur is very close to the airport.-Geography:...
, Perianaikanpalayam, Madukkarai
Madukkarai
Madukkarai is a suburb of Coimbatore city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Madukkarai is the Gateway to Coimbatore city from kerala state. It is located close to Kerala border. The Coimbatore International Airport is about 27 km from here...
, Somanur and Sulur
Sulur
Sulur is a town and one of a taluk in Coimbatore district. It is a suburb of Coimbatore, India. This is also a Legislative Constituency and is under the Coimbatore Parliament Constituency.-Demographics:...
.
Road
There are seven major arterial roads in the city: Avinashi road, Trichy road, Satyamangalam road, Mettupalayam road, Pallakad road, Pollachi and Marudhamalai road. There are three National Highways
Indian highways
The National Highways Network of India, is a network of highways that is managed and maintained by agencies of the Government of India. These highways measured over as of 2010, including over of limited-access Expressways....
passing through the city: NH-47, NH-67 and NH 209.Apart from state and National Highways, the city corporation maintains a 635.32 km long road network. Coimbatore has several major bus stands. The town buses (intra-city) operate from the Town Bus Stand in Gandhipuram to other bus stations across the city. Inter-city buses that connect Coimbatore operate from five different bus stands: Gandhipuram Bus Stand (for buses going to East and North East to Erode
Erode
Erode is a city, a municipal corporation and the headquarters of Erode district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu.It is situated at the center of the South Indian Peninsula, about southwest from the state capital Chennai and on the banks of the rivers Cauvery and Bhavani, between 11° 19.5"...
, Gobichettipalayam
Gobichettipalayam
Gobi or Gobichettipalayam is a Municipality in Erode District of Tamil Nadu state, India. A major part of present Gobichettipalayam was previously known as Veerapandi Gramam, and documents and records still use that name. Gobichettipalayam is an important city in the North- Western part of Erode...
, Tirupur
Tirupur
Tiruppur pronounced as is a textile city located on the banks of Noyyal River. It is also called Dollar city. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tiruppur district. It forms a part of the ancient Kongu Nadu region of South India, where its people were the first to establish territorial...
, Karur
Karur
Karur is a large town and a municipality in Karur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu situated on the banks of Amaravati. Karur district was formed on 30 September 1995 by trifurcating Tiruchirappalli district. It is the administrative headquarters of Karur District. Karur has a very long...
, Salem, Sathyamangalam
Sathyamangalam
Sathyamangalam or Sathy is a small city and taluk in Erode district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It lies on both banks of the Bhavani River, a tributary of the Kaveri in the foothills of the Western Ghats...
and surrounding areas), Singanallur Bus Stand (for buses to Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
, Trichy and the towns around them), Thiruvalluvar or SETC Bus Stand at Gandhipuram (for Express buses to Other states and also within Tamilnadu), Ukkadam Bus Stand (for buses to Palakkad
Palakkad
Palakkad , formerly known as Palghat, is a municipality and a town in the state of Kerala in southern India, spread over an area of 26.60 km2.The city is situated about north of state capital Thiruvananthapuram. It is the administrative headquarters of Palakkad District...
, Palani
Palani
Palani is a city and a municipality in the Dindigul district of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located about 100 km South of Coimbatore City and 60 km west of Dindigul...
, Pollachi
Pollachi
Pollachi is a taluk of Coimbatore Rural district of the Tamil Nadu state of India. It lies in the southern part of the Coimbatore city around 40 kilometres from downtown Coimbatore. This is the second largest town in the District after Corporation of Coimbatore. Owing to the proximity to the...
and Udumalpet and other nearby places) and Mettupalayam Road Bus stand for buses going toward Mettupalayam and Ooty. Apart from these the Omni Bus Stand in Sathy Road, Gandhipuram caters to private bus operators.
The city has a very high vehicle-to-population ratio. Town buses started operations in 1921. Town bus services serve most parts of the city, as well as other towns and villages in the district. Buses also connect the district with all major towns in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, Pondicherry and Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
. The number of inter-city routes operated by Coimbatore division is 119 with a fleet of more than 500 buses. A large number of intra-city private buses operate within the city. The number of intra city buses in the city is around 800 in 228 different routes. The city is also served by auto rickshaw
Auto rickshaw
An auto rickshaw or three-wheeler is a usually three-wheeled cabin cycle for private use and as a vehicle for hire. It is a motorized version of the traditional pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw...
s. The growth of call taxis is also on the rise.
Environmental issues
Air pollution, lack of proper waste management infrastructure and degradation of water bodies are the major environmental issues in Coimbatore. Steel foundries were established in 1950s and 1960s when there were no residential areas nearby, but growth of the city led to creation of residential areas around them. In 1990s the State Government and pollutionPollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
control board took major steps to re-locate the steel foundries out of the city. The textile mills are all equipped with air treatment towers. Coimbatore has no proper underground drainage or sewage system
Sewage collection and disposal
Sewage collection and disposal systems transport sewage through cities and other inhabited areas to sewage treatment plants to protect public health and prevent disease. Sewage is treated to control water pollution before discharge to surface waters....
. There is a sewage treatment plant at Ukkadam
Ukkadam
Ukkadam is a neighbourhood of the city of Coimbatore in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.- Demographics :Most of the inhabitants are followers of Hinduism. However, there is a considerable presence of Muslims. The Kottaimedu area of Ukkadam has a strong Muslim majority...
in operation with the capacity to process 70 mld of sewage water of which 20 mld is the current treating level. Garbage is collected by the Corporation and sometimes by systems developed by the local residents. Sewage is pumped into the water tanks and the Noyyal through streams. This along with garbage dumping and encroachments has led to degradation of the water bodies and depletion in the groundwater table. During the 80’s, corporation planned on closing the tanks due to encroachment by filling them with waste. But as a result of outcries from civic associations, the plan was dropped. Currently the tanks are being renovated by the city's environmental groups with their own fund-raising and the corporation. Siruthuli
Siruthuli
Siruthuli is an NGO based in Coimbatore India which works to rejuvenate the water sources in the city of Coimbatore.Siruthuli has been very successful in reclaiming most of the urban water bodies in Coimbatore....
, an environmental organisation founded by the city's industrial houses, undertakes de-silt
Silt
Silt is granular material of a size somewhere between sand and clay whose mineral origin is quartz and feldspar. Silt may occur as a soil or as suspended sediment in a surface water body...
ing of tanks and cleaning of the Noyyal river. The corporation is also taking efforts to clear encroachment of the tanks.
Sister cities
Coimbatore has sister city relationships with the following cities of the world.| Country | ity | tate / Region | ince |
|---|---|---|---|
 United States United States |
Toledo Toledo, Ohio Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan... |
 Ohio Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus... |
2010 |
 Germany Germany |
Esslingen | Stuttgart Stuttgart Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million .... |
2009 |