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Coimbatore
 

Coimbatore (Tamil: கோயம்புத்தூர்), also known as Kovai, is one of the major industrial cities in South India. It is the third largest city in Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Coimbatore District. Coimbatore is well known for its textile industry and its engineering colleges. Coimbatore is also known as Koneyammanputhhur, which means birth-place of the goddess (koni amman).

Overview

Coimbatore is known for its industrial hub,is also known as the 'Manchester of South India'. It is also well known for educational institutions, health care facilities, pleasant weather, friendly culture and hospitality. There is also a significant minority of people of North and West Indian origin in Coimbatore. People here are highly enterprising and industrious, which is one of the reasons cited for its phenomenal industrial growth. The nearest major cities are Chennai, Bangalore, Cochin, Salem which are 500 km, 335 km, 210km and 160 km from Coimbatore, respectively. Coimbatore city is well connected by rail, road and air.

Languages spoken in Coimbatore include: Tamil, English, Hindi, Malayalam, Gujarati, Kannada, Telugu.

Pollachi, a vibrant and expanding town, 40km from Coimbatore, was known to the Romans of Caesar's day for its spices, as is evidenced by numerous Roman coins from that epoch unearthed in Coimbatore district. During Alexander the Great's stay in India, he ordered diamonds from Coimbatore.

Coimbatore has experienced 6.0 Richter Scale earthquake in the past (It is classified as Class III/IV Zone) which brought black soil up thus making the region fertile.

Coimbatore district exports Rs.15,000 Crores outside India. A PriceWaterHouseCoopers - CII (Confederate of Indian Industry) study puts its revenue potential from IT/ITES sector at $1.5 billion

Industry

Sir Robert Stanes,P.S.G & Sons Charities, G. D. Naidu, Dr.R.Krishnaswamy Gounder, G. Kuppuswamy Naidu, Dr.G.K.Devarajulu and Dharmaveera K Govindaswamy Naidu are some of the leaders responsible for the industrial revolution in Coimbatore. Coimbatore is known as Manchester of South India and is a leading producer of Textile Yarn and Machinery. Coimbatore is also the Motor Sport capital of India.

Coimbatore is a busy city with a good business infrastructure, (telecom, power, roads, airport, rail, highly skilled manpower and less pollution).A lot of foundries are present in and outskits of the city.Many engineering companies are present in and out of the city. Coimbatore is a major city on the road, rail and air routes connecting three states - Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Kerala. Coimbatore is now developing into a major poultry hub in India. Major poultry industries are concentrated around Palladam, Pongalur and Udumalpet.

The city also has number of speciality hospitals and is developing into a healthcare centre. Major industries of Coimbatore include the following:

The motor pump revolution in Coimbatore was started by the noteworthy Sharp group. The Sharp group introduced the first ever mini-monobloc pumps in India. This type of pump became so famous that the market even named all the mini-monobloc pumps as "Sharp" type pumps. Though there are many Sharp type clone pumps in India now, the group is undoubtedly the market leader and still sets the trend in domestic pumps. Sharp group is now manufacturing pumps under the brand names of "Ventura", "Trendy", "Point" and "Fisher".

  • Hosiery: Tirupur in Coimbatore district is famous for its hosiery products. Tiruppur has gained universal recognition as the leading source of hosiery, knitted garments, casual wear and sports wear. Tiruppur is an important trade center of India and is a major source of foreign exchange because of its exports. The city accounts for major portion of India's cotton knitwear export, worth an estimated INR 5,000 cr. Tiruppur is a traditional centre for cotton ginning.

  • Information Technology: Tamil Nadu government has declared Coimbatore as the number two city for IT industry in the state of Tamil Nadu. As early as 1998, Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) setup the first satellite earth station at KG Campus and major IT and BPO company KGiSL is situated in KGCampus. IT major, Cognizant Technology solutions has setup operations in the STPI park located in Kumaraguru College of Technology. India's largest IT firm TCS has also setup operations in Coimbatore. German major Robert-Bosch has selected Coimbatore for its second development centre after Bangalore. Many enterprising companies continue the innovation and entrepreneurship in cutting edge technologies. Mobax Networks * is the first Indian company to design and manufacture machine vision cameras. Global venture capital has discovered Coimbatore as a birthplace for new ideas too. Baring BPEP invested in Texworld eCommerce in 1999 and Intel, GE invested in Amoeba Telecom in 2000.

People and culture

The people of Coimbatore are cultured, known for their hospitality and are well educated and polite. The city is a multicultural society with a large Telegu speaking community. A large number of Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, Telgu speaking people are also present. Also Rajasthanis and Gujaratis are found in large numbers.

Coimbatore has been a major center for higher education from the early 1900s. Coimbatore has an Agricultural University, several Government and private engineering colleges, two medical colleges and a number of science and arts colleges. The most famous is the PSG College of Technology whose annual Design Data Book is the engineering industry's bible.

The major food is rice based south Indian dishes (often spicy) like Boiled Rice, Idly, Dosa, Pongal etc. North Indian foods like Chappathi, Roti, Biriyani, Naan are also available in most restaurants and eateries. Coimbatore also has several Chinese restaurants, continental food restaurants and fast food restaurants.

Cinema, shopping and go-carting are popular recreational activities. There is a golf club on the Pollachi Highway at Chettipalayam. The Kari Motor Speedway** is a racing heaven for autosport enthusiasts. There are three go-carting centers,at Kari Motor Speedway, at Chinniyampalayam, Avanashi Road and another at Thudiyalur. The Kasturi Srinivasan Cultural Center exhibits rare arts and also has a Textile Museum. The G.D.Naidu Industrial exhibition at Avinashi Road is of interest.

Religion

The culture of the region has been centered mostly around religion, with only a few non-religious festivals taking place each year. Coimbatore, like most other places in South India, has a number of old and historically important temples. Hinduism is the dominant religion, but Islam, Christianity, Jainism and Sikhism are also prominent in Coimbatore.

Even though Coimbatore is not a pilgrimage center or a place of religious significance, there are still a number of noteworthy Temples. Some of the more important Temples include the Lord Shiva (Patteswarar) temple at Perur, The Sri Murugan Temple at Marthumalai, the Thandumariamman Temple, the Arulmigu Eachanari Vinayagar Temple at Eachanari Arulmigu Koniamman Temple, the Sivan Temple at Poondi. Some modern Temples include the Dhyanalinga Multireligious Temple and the local ISKCON [http://www.iskcon-coimbatore.org Temple, situated near the Airport.

1998 Coimbatore bombings was the worst terrorist attack seen by the city.

Universities and colleges

Coimbatore is city known for its technical education and colleges. Some of the particularly notable colleges are:

There are numerous other colleges. Coimbatore is particularly famous for its engineering colleges. Students from all over Tamil Nadu and kerla come to Coimbatore to pursue their higher education. There is also a growing number of students from neighbouring states, as well as foreign students.

Flora and fauna

The Nilgiri's biosphere reserve is an hour's drive from Coimbatore. The Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary * is situated at an altitude of 1,400 metres in the Western Ghats near Pollachi, about 90 km from Coimbatore. The Anamalai wildlife sanctuary covers an area of 958 km². Animals like the tiger, elephant, Nilgiri Tahr, sloth bear, black headed oriole can be seen here. Coimbatore also enjoys close proximity with the Mudumalai Wildlife sanctuary (renowned for its elephant rides) and the famed Silent Valley National Park, which is a birdwatchers' paradise.

Tourist spots

The major tourist sites are

  • Perur Temple *
  • Then Tirumalai Sri Venkateswara Swamy Vari Alayam *
  • Kari Motor Speedway
  • Marudhamalai Murugan Temple
  • Top Slip (wildlife sanctuary)
  • Coonor (hill station)
  • Anaimalai Wildlife Sanctuary and
  • Ooty (hill resort)
  • Eachanari Vinayaka Temple
  • Kovai Kutralam water falls at Siruvani, 37 km from Coimbatore city.
  • Vaithehi Falls near semmedu.
  • Sivan Temple at Poondi
  • Kovai Kondattam Water Theme Park at Perur
  • Black Thunder Water Theme Park at Mettupalayam
  • Thirumoorthi Hills near Udumalpet
  • Botanical Gardens, TNAU
  • Forest College Museum
  • Vellingiri temple at Poondi (called the Kailasha of the south, opens only during a particular season every year)
  • Anubavi Subramaniar temple near Thadagam.
  • Vinayaka Temple, Puliya Kulam Second largest monostone idol in the World
  • Silver Palace in Sri Lakshmi Complex
The city is really a place for tourists although it connects tourists to ooty through road. The city does have much to offer except to temple enthusiasts and pilgrimage tourists.

External links

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Cities and towns in Tamil Nadu

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