Coimbatore district is one of the 38 districts in the state of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

in India. Coimbatore is the administrative headquarters of the district. It is one of the most industrialized districts and a major textile, industrial, commercial, educational, information technology, healthcare and manufacturing hub of Tamil Nadu. The region is bounded by Tiruppur district in the east, Nilgiris district in the north, Erode district in the north-east,

Palakkad district Palakkad District () is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. It was carved out from the southeastern region of the former Malabar District on 1 January 1957. It is located at the centre of Kerala. It is the largest district i ...

, Idukki district and small parts of Thrissur district and

Ernakulam district Ernakulam, ; ISO: ''Eṟaṇākuḷaṁ'', in Malayalam: എറണാകുളം), is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala, that takes its name from the eponymous city division in Kochi. It is situated in the central part ...

of neighboring state of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South Ca ...

in the west and south respectively. As of 2011, Coimbatore district had a population of 3,458,045 with a sex-ratio of 1,000 and literacy rate of 84%. Coimbatore district was part of the

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

Kongu Nadu Kongu Nadu, also known by various names as Kongu Mandalam and Kongu belt, is a geographical region comprising present day parts of western Tamil Nadu, southeastern Karnataka and eastern Kerala. In the ancient Tamilakam, it was the seat of th ...

and was ruled by the Cheras as it served as the eastern entrance to the Palakkad Gap, the principal trade route between the west coast and

. Coimbatore was in the middle of the Roman trade route that extended from

Muziris Muziris ( grc, Μουζιρίς, Old Malayalam: ''Muciri'' or ''Muciripattanam'' possibly identical with the medieval ''Muyirikode'') was an ancient harbour and an urban centre on the Malabar Coast. Muziris found mention in the ''Periplus of ...

to Arikamedu in South India. The

medieval Cholas Medieval Cholas rose to prominence during the middle of the 9th century CE and established one of the greatest empires of South India. They successfully united South India under their rule and through their naval strength extended their influe ...

conquered the Kongu Nadu in the 10th century CE. The region was ruled by

Vijayanagara Empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana and Mahar ...

in the 15th century followed by the Nayaks who 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 The Kingdom of Mysore was a realm in South India, southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. From 1799 until 1950, it was a princely state, until 1947 in a subsidiary allia ...

and following the defeat of

Tipu Sultan Tipu Sultan (born Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu, 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery.Dalrymple, p. 243 He i ...

in the

Anglo-Mysore Wars The Anglo-Mysore Wars were a series of four wars fought during the last three decades of the 18th century between the Sultanate of Mysore on the one hand, and the British East India Company (represented chiefly by the neighbouring Madras Pres ...

, the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

annexed Coimbatore to the

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency, or the Presidency of Fort St. George, also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, the presidency included most of southern India, including the ...

in 1799. The Coimbatore region played a prominent role in the Second Poligar War (1801) when it was the area of operations of Dheeran Chinnamalai. In 1804, Coimbatore was established as the capital of the newly formed Coimbatore district. The district experienced a textile boom in the early 19th century due to the decline of the cotton industry in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

. Post independence, the district has seen rapid growth due to

industrialisation Industrialisation ( alternatively spelled industrialization) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive re-organisation of an econo ...

. According to the 2011 Census Coimbatore district is the second most urbanized district of Tamil Nadu after

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

. The district has 71.37% urban population and 29.63% rural population. The urbanized areas of Coimbatore district include the city of Coimbatore,

Karamadai Karamadai is located near Mettupalayam, a Neighborhood of Mettupalayam, Coimbatore in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on Coimbatore - Ooty NH 67. Nearby places are Teachers colony, Press Colony, Jodhipuram and Periyanaickenpalaya ...

, Podanur, Madhukkarai, Ettimadai, Thondamuthur,

Mettupalayam Mettupalayam may refer to: * Mettupalayam, Coimbatore Mettupalayam is a municipality town and taluk of the Coimbatore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the second largest town in the Coimbatore District. It's located to the North ...

Annur Annur is a town Panchayat and Taluk headquarters of Annur Taluk of coimbatore district. It is a suburb of Coimbatore city located north-east about from the center of the city. Nearest airport is Coimbatore International Airport, which is ab ...

, and a few other regions. Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya founded by Mahatama Gandhi 1934. Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu (India)

History

The region around Coimbatore was ruled by the Sangam Cheras dynasty and it served as the eastern entrance to the Palakkad Gap, the principal trade route between the west coast and

. The Kosar people mentioned in the second century CE Tamil epic ''

Silappathikaram ''Cilappatikāram'' ( ta, சிலப்பதிகாரம் ml, ചിലപ്പതികാരം,IPA: ʧiləppət̪ikɑːrəm, ''lit.'' "the Tale of an Anklet"), also referred to as ''Silappathikaram'' or ''Silappatikaram'', is the e ...

'' and other poems in

Sangam literature The Sangam literature (Tamil: சங்க இலக்கியம், ''caṅka ilakkiyam'';) historically known as 'the poetry of the noble ones' (Tamil: சான்றோர் செய்யுள், ''Cāṉṟōr ceyyuḷ'') connotes ...

is associated with the area in and around the present-day Coimbatore district. The region was in the middle of a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

trade route that extended from

to Arikamedu. The

conquered the

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

by the 15th century. In the 1550s, Madurai Nayaks who were the military governors of the Vijaynagara Empire took control of the region. After the Vijayanagara Empire fell in the 17th century, the Madurai Nayaks established their state as an independent kingdom. 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 region came under the

, following a series of wars with the Madurai Nayak Dynasty. After the defeat of

in the

, the

annexed Coimbatore to the

in 1799. The Coimbatore region played a prominent role in the Second Poligar War (1801) when it was the area of operations of Dheeran Chinnamalai.

District formation

In 1804, Coimbatore district was newly carved out and Coimbatore was established as the capital of the newly formed district. The district court was initially at Dharapuram, which was later moved to Coimbatore. The district comprised present-day districts of Erode, Tiruppur, Niligirs and parts of Karur,

Palakkad Palakkad (), formerly known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. Palakkad is most densely populated munici ...

Chamarajanagar Chamarajanagar or Chamarajanagara is a town in the southern part of Karnataka, India. Named after Chamaraja Wodeyar IX, the erstwhile king of Mysore, previously known as 'Arikottara'. Chamarajanagara is the headquarters of Chamarajanagar dist ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...

. Nilgiris district was segregated in 1868. The region was hard hit during the Great Famine of 1876–78 resulting in nearly 200,000 famine related fatalities. The city experienced an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 on the

Richter scale The Richter scale —also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale—is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Francis Richter and presented in his landmark 1935 ...

on 8 February 1900. The first three decades of the 20th century saw nearly 20,000 plague-related deaths and an acute water shortage. The district experienced an economic boom in the 1920s and 1930s due to the decline of the cotton industry in

. The region played a significant role in the

Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged from Bengal ...

. Post independence, the district has seen rapid growth due to

. In 1927, Karur taluk was separated from the district and merged with Tiruchirapalli district. In 1956, Kollegal taluk was transferred to Mysore State. In 1979, Periyar district ( Erode district) was formed after bifurcation of six taluks of Bhavani, Gobichettipalayam, Sathyamangalam, Erode, Perundurai, Kangeyam and Dharapuram. Further, Tiruppur district was formed in 2012 comprising parts of Erode district and Coimbatore district. With its strategic location in

Southern India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territ ...

, Coimbatore has a notable presence of defence forces, with units of the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

and para-military forces like the Central Reserve Police Force and

Border Security Force The Border Security Force (BSF) is India's border guarding organisation on its border with Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) of India, and was raised in the wake of the 1965 war on 1 December 1 ...

stationed in the district.

Geography and climate

Coimbatore district is in the western part of Tamil Nadu, bordering the state of

. 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 old city limits. The city sits amidst Noyyal's basin area and has an extensive tank system fed by the

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...

and

rain Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...

water. The eight major tanks/

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (Anoxic waters, anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in t ...

areas of Coimbatore are

Singanallur Singanallur is a major residential locality of the city of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, India. It is located on the banks of Noyyal river, which runs to the southern boundary of the locality. It is situated in the eastern part of the city, and is ...

, Kallimadai, Valankulam,

Ukkadam Ukkadam is a part of Townhall locality in the core part of the city of Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India. Ukkadam Bus Terminal, which is one of the seven major bus stands in the city, is located in this neighborhood. Ukkadam is famous for its Fish M ...

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 Anaimalai is a taluk in Coimbatore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Agricultural day work is the main occupation. Paddy, banana, sugarcane and other crops are grown in the area. Anaimalai is a pilgrimage spot, due to the worship o ...

and Munnar ranges. A western pass to Kerala, popularly referred to as the Palghat Gap provides its boundary. Because of its proximity to the Western Ghats, the district is rich in

fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is '' flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. ...

. 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 The ibises () (collective plural ibis; classical plurals ibides and ibes) are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, that inhabit wetlands, forests and plains. "Ibis" derives from the Latin and Ancient Greek word ...

, 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 Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantida ...

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species i ...

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus '' Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia, ...

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living Felidae, cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily pr ...

bison Bison are large bovines in the genus ''Bison'' (Greek: "wild ox" (bison)) within the tribe Bovini. Two extant and numerous extinct species are recognised. Of the two surviving species, the American bison, ''B. bison'', found only in North A ...

, species of

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...

, Nilgiri tahr,

sloth bear The sloth bear (''Melursus ursinus'') is a myrmecophagous bear species native to the Indian subcontinent. It feeds on fruits, ants and termites. It is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, mainly because of habitat loss and degradation ...

and

black-headed oriole The black-headed oriole (''Oriolus larvatus'') is a species of bird in the family Oriolidae. It is found in Africa and has a very striking appearance with a bright yellow body, contrasting black head and flesh-coloured beak. Taxonomy and sy ...

can be found. The

Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary Anaimalai Tiger Reserve, earlier known as Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park and as Anaimalai Wildlife Sanctuary, is a protected area in the Anaimalai Hills of Pollachi and Valparai taluks of Coimbatore District and Udumalaipett ...

in the Western Ghats at an altitude of 1,400 meters covers an area of 958 km². 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 (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters ( pan ...

sandalwood Sandalwood is a class of 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. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for ...

, rosewood and

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...

. The Nilgiris slope of the

range is rich in sandalwood trees and

. They vary from rich tropical

evergreen forest An evergreen forest is a forest made up of evergreen trees. They occur across a wide range of climatic zones, and include trees such as conifers and holly in cold climates, eucalyptus, Live oak, acacias, magnolia, and banksia in more temperate zon ...

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 district borders

in the west, Nilgiris district in the north, Erode district in the northeast and east, Idukki district of Kerala in the south and Dindigul district in the southeast. The district has an area of 7,649 square kilometers. The southwestern and northern parts are hilly, part of the Western Ghats, and enjoys pleasant climate all throughout the year. To the west is the Palghat Gap, the only major pass in the long stretch of the ghats abutting

and

. The Palghat Gap, connecting Coimbatore city and

city, serves as an important transit link for both the states. The rest of the district lies in the rain shadow region of the Western Ghats and experiences salubrious climate most parts of the year. The mean maximum and minimum temperatures for Coimbatore city during summer and winter vary between 35 °C to 18 °C. The average annual rainfall in the plains is around 700 mm with the northeast and the southwest monsoons contributing to 47% and 28% respectively to the total rainfall. The major rivers flowing through the district are Bhavani,

Noyyal The Noyyal River is a small river in Western Tamil Nadu, and a tributary of Kaveri River. It rises from the Vellingiri hills in the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu, very close to Kerala border, and flows through many villages and the cities of C ...

Amaravathi Amaravati () is the capital of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located on the banks of the river Krishna in Guntur district. The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone at a ceremonial event in Uddandar ...

, Kousika River and Aliyar. The Siruvani dam is the main source of drinking water for Coimbatore city and is known for its tasty water. Waterfalls in Coimbatore District include Chinnakallar Falls,

Monkey Falls Monkey Falls are natural waterfalls located near the uphill ghat road Valparai on the Pollachi-Valparai road in the Anaimalai Hills range, in Coimbatore district.

, Sengupathi Falls,

Siruvani Waterfalls Siruvani Waterfalls and the dam named after them have located west of Coimbatore in the Western Ghats. The reservoir at Siruvani was built for Tamil Nadu by the Kerala government with funds collected by the Tamil Nadu government to meet the ...

, Thirumoorthy Falls and Vaideki Falls.

Demographics

According to 2011 census, Coimbatore district had a population of 3,458,045 with a sex-ratio of 1,000 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929. A total of 319,332 were under the age of six, constituting 163,230 males and 156,102 females.

Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...

accounted for 15.5% and 0.82% of the population respectively. The average literacy of the district was 83.98%. The district had a total of 958,035 households. There were a total of 1,567,950 workers: 75,411 cultivators, 201,351 main agricultural laborers, 44,582 in house hold industries, 1,121,908 other workers, 124,698 marginal workers, 4,806 marginal cultivators, 28,675 marginal agricultural laborers, 5,503 marginal workers in household industries and 85,714 other marginal workers.

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, na ...

is the principal official language and

Kongu Tamil Kongu Tamil or Kovai Tamil is the dialect of Tamil language that is spoken by the people in Kongu Nadu, which is the western region of Tamil Nadu. It is originally known as "Kangee"` or "Kongalam" or "Kongappechu or Kongu bashai or Coimbatore Ta ...

, a dialect of Tamil is widely spoken with a small proportion speaking

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode ...

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

and English.

Hindus Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

formed the majority of the population at 90.08% followed by

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

at 5.33%,

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ� ...

at 4.35% and others at 0.24%.

Administrative divisions

Coimbatore district is divided into three revenue blocks, namely, Coimbatore North, Coimbatore South and Pollachi and eleven taluks, viz.,

, Coimbatore North taluk, Coimbatore South taluk, Kinathukkadavu,

Madukkarai Madukkarai is a suburb of Coimbatore city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the gateway to Coimbatore city from Kerala State and is located around 12 km from the Kerala border. The Coimbatore International Airport is about 27&nbs ...

, Perur, Pollachi, Sulur and

Valparai Valparai (originally known as Poonachimalai) is a Taluk and hill station in the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu, India. It consists of Anamalai Tiger Reserve (earlier known as Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park (IGWLS&NP) and ...

. The district is administered by the

District collector A District Collector-cum-District Magistrate (also known as Deputy Commissioner in some states) is an All India Service officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) cadre who is responsible for ''land revenue collection'', ''canal revenu ...

. The Coimbatore Rural District police is headquartered at Coimbatore headed by

Superintendent of police (India) Police ranks of India Superintendent of police (SP) is a senior rank in the Indian Police Service The Indian Police Service ( IPS) is a civil service under the All India Services. It replaced the Indian Imperial Police in 1948, a ye ...

. The Coimbatore City Police is headed by a Commissioner of Police in the rank of Inspector General Of Police and is independent of the district police. The district central prison is located in Coimbatore. The district consists of 3 parliamentary constituencies, namely, Coimbatore, Pollachi and Nilgiris. The assembly segments included in the district are, namely, Coimbatore North, Coimbatore South, Kaundampalayam,

, Sulur, Thondamuthur,

Kinathukadavu Kinathukadavu (also spelt as Kinathukkadavu), meaning ''Pass of the Well'', is a town panchayat suburb of Coimbatore city and taluk in Coimbatore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is along the National Highway 209 and is from G ...

, Pollachi,

, and Mettuppalayam.

Politics

Transport

Air

The district is served by the Coimbatore International Airport at Coimbatore. The Coimbatore International Airport caters to domestic flights to major Indian cities like

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern Indi ...

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per ...

and international flights to

Sharjah Sharjah (; ar, ٱلشَّارقَة ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi, forming part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area. Sharjah is the capital ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

and

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

. Its runway is in length and is capable of handling wide-bodied and "fat-bellied" aircraft used for international flights. Sulur Air Force Station, located at Kangayampalayam near the periphery of the city, is an air base of the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct ...

Rail

Train service in Coimbatore district started in 1863, upon construction of the Podanur –

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

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 Metre-gauge railways are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre. The metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by European colonial powers, such as the French, British and German Empires. In Europe, ...

line existed between Podanur and Dindigul got closed in May 2009 and is under gauge conversion. Coimbatore Junction is well connected to all the major Indian cities and the district comes under the Jurisdiction of the Salem Division. Coimbatore North, Podanur, Pollachi and

are other important railway stations in the district. The other stations include Peelamedu,

, Irugur, Perianaikanpalayam,

, Somanur, Kinathukadavu and Sulur Road.

Road

Coimbatore district is well connected by roads and highways. There are seven regional transport offices namely: Coimbatore South ( Peelamedu), Coimbatore Central ( Gandhipuram),Coimbatore North ( Thudiyalur), Coimbatore West ( Kovaipudur),

, Pollachi and Sulur. There are five National Highways that connects the district to other parts of the states: Town buses serve most parts of intra-city routes as well as other towns and villages in the district. Buses also connect the district with all major towns in

, Puducherry and

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

. The number of inter-city routes operated by Coimbatore division is 119 with a fleet of more than 500 buses. It also operates town buses on 257 intra-city routes.

Flora and fauna

Coimbatore district is home to the Anaimalai Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park. The park and sanctuary are the core of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and is under consideration by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

as part of the Western Ghats

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

. The park is home to a wide variety of

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring ( indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. ...

and

typical of the South Western Ghats. There are over 2000 species plants of which about 400 species are of prime medicinal value. The animals in the park include

Indian giant flying squirrel The Indian giant flying squirrel (''Petaurista philippensis''), also called the large brown flying squirrel or the common giant flying squirrel, is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is capable of gliding flight using a skin membrane ...

. The birds endemic to the Western Ghats residing here include Nilgiri wood pigeon, Nilgiri pipit, Nilgiri flycatcher, Malabar grey hornbill, spot-billed pelican etc. The

Amaravathi reservoir The Amaravathi Dam is a dam constructed across the Amaravathi River. It is located at Amaravathinagar, south of Udumalpet on SH 17 in the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary, Tirupur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The associated ...

and the

Amaravathi river The Amaravati River is the longest tributary of Kaveri River in the fertile districts of Udumalpet, Dharapuram and Karur Tamil Nadu state, South India. Notes The long Amaravati River begins at the Kerala/Tamil Nadu border at the bottom of ...

are breeding grounds for the

mugger crocodile The mugger crocodile (''Crocodylus palustris'') is a medium-sized broad-snouted crocodile, also known as mugger and marsh crocodile. It is native to freshwater habitats from southern Iran to the Indian subcontinent, where it inhabits marshe ...

Economy

Coimbatore district houses more than 25,000 small, medium and large industries with primary industries being

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

and

textile Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, different #Fabric, fabric types, etc. At f ...

s. Coimbatore is called the "

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

of South India" due to its extensive textile industry, fed by the surrounding

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

fields. The city has two special economic zones (SEZ), the Coimbatore Hi-Tech Infrastructure (CHIL) SEZ at

Saravanampatti Saravanampatti is a neighborhood of the Coimbatore city. It lies on the north-eastern part of the city. Saravanampatti is one of the fast-growing neighbourhoods of Coimbatore, because of the proliferation of IT companies in areas such as Sara ...

and the TIDEL Park near Peelamedu, and at least five more SEZs are in the pipeline. As of 2006–07, before the bifurcation of Tirupur 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) Indian cities. Coimbatore region 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 center. Coimbatore has trade associations such as CODISSIA, COINDIA, SITRA and COJEWEL representing industries in the city. Coimbatore also has a trade fair ground, built in 1999. It was named COINTEC due to its hosting of INTEC (Small Industries Exhibition). 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). It is also the country's largest pillar-free hall, according to the Limca Book of Records. Coimbatore houses a large number of medium and large textile mills. It also has central textile research institutes like the Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR) and 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 The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

, namely Meditech, a medical textile research centre based at SITRA, and InduTech based in PSG College of Engineering and Technology. The neighbouring city of Tirupur is home to some of Asia's largest garment manufacturing companies, exporting hosiery clothes worth more than 50,000 million. Coimbatore is the second largest

software Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. At the lowest programming level, executable code consist ...

producer in

, next only to

. 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. 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 annually. Coimbatore is one of major manufacturers of automotive components in India with car manufacturers Maruti Udyog and Tata Motors sourcing up to 30% of their automotive components from the city. India's first indigenously developed diesel engines for cars was manufactured in Coimbatore in 1972. The district also has a number of tier-I, II and III suppliers

catering Catering is the business of providing food service at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, hospital, pub, aircraft, cruise ship, park, festival, filming location or film studio. History of catering The earliest account of major servi ...

to the needs of the entire

gamut In color reproduction, including computer graphics and photography, the gamut, or color gamut , is a certain ''complete subset'' of colors. The most common usage refers to the subset of colors which can be accurately represented in a given circ ...

of the automobile industry, ranging from two-wheelers and four-wheelers to commercial vehicles and tractors. Coimbatore district has more than 700

wet grinder A wet grinder can refer either to a tool for abrasive cutting of hard materials or to a food preparation appliance used especially in Indian cuisine for grinding food grains to produce a paste or batter. A wet grinder for abrasive cutting uses ...

manufacturers with a monthly output 75,000 units as of March, 2005 and the term "

Coimbatore Wet Grinder Coimbatore Wet Grinder refers to wet grinders manufactured in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. It has been recognized as a Geographical indication by the Government of India in 2005-06. , Coimbatore has more than 700 wet grinder manufacturers with a m ...

" has been given a

Geographical indication A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town, region, or country). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, ...

. Coimbatore is also referred to as "the Pump City" as it supplies two thirds of India's requirements of motors and pumps. The Major Pump Industries Flowserve Pumps, Lakshmi Pumps, Suguna pumps, Sharp Industries, CRI Pumps, Texmo Industries, Deccan Pumps and KSB Pumps are renowned worldwide. The district is one of the largest exporters of

jewellery Jewellery ( UK) or jewelry ( U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a w ...

renowned for making cast jewellery and machine made jewellery . It is also a major diamond cutting center in South India. The city is home to about 3000 jewellery manufacturing companies and to over 40,000 goldsmiths. Coimbatore district has a large number of poultry farms and is one of the major producers of chicken eggs and processed meat amounting to nearly 95% of the chicken meat exports from the country. It 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. In the recent years, the city has seen growth in the hospitality industry with more upscale hotels being set up. Coimbatore is the largest non-metro city for e-commerce in South India.

Media and communication

Four major English newspapers ''The Hindu'',''The Times of India'', ''Deccan Chronicle'' and ''The New Indian Express'' bring out editions from Coimbatore. ''Business Line'', a business newspaper also brings out a Coimbatore edition. Tamil newspapers include ''Dina Malar'', ''Dina Thanthi'', ''Dina Mani'', ''Dinakaran'' (all morning newspapers) and ''Tamil Murasu'' and ''Malai Malar'' (both evening newspapers). Two

newspapers – ''Malayala Manorama'' and ''Mathrubhumi'' also have considerable circulation. A Medium wave radio station is operated by All India Radio, with most programs in Tamil language, Tamil, English language, 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 (Indian radio station), Radio City, and Hello FM. All these private radio stations air exclusively Tamil language, Tamil based programs, including film music. Television relay started in 1985 from Delhi Doordarshan. In 1986, after inception of a repeater tower at Kodaikanal, telecast from Madras Doordarshan commenced. Currently television reception is through Direct To Home, DTH or by cable, while Doordarshan reception is still available using an external antenna. In 2005, Doordarshan opened its studio in Coimbatore. The district has a well connected communications infrastructure. Till the 1990s the state owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) was the only telecommunication service provider. 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 access, Dial up internet connections were first introduced (by HCL and BPL) in 1996 and Broadband Internet, 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; Mobile TeleSystems, MTS offers mobile broadband alone. Mobile telephony, Cellular telephony was first introduced in 1997. Coimbatore is the headquarters of the Tamil Nadu circle of cellular service providers. 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. Samikannu Vincent, 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. Perur Pateeswarar Temple

Culture

Coimbatore and its people have a reputation for entrepreneurship. Though it is generally considered a traditional, Coimbatore is one of the diverse and Cosmopolitanism, cosmopolitan cities in Tamil Nadu. Art, dance and music concerts are held annually during the months of September and December (Tamil calendar month – Margazhi). The World Classical Tamil Conference 2010 was held in Coimbatore. The heavy industrialisation has also resulted in the growth of trade unions.

Religion

The district's population is predominantly Hindu with minor Muslim population.

, Sikhs and Jains are also present in small numbers. There are numerous Hindu temples in the district including the Perur Temple, Perur Patteeswarar Temple, Sri Venkatesa Perumal Temple (Melathiruppathi) – Mondipalayam, Venkatesa Perumal Temple, Naga Sai Mandir, Konniamman temple, Thandu Mariamman temple, Masani Amman, Masani Amman temple, Then Tirupati, Vana Bathrakali Amman temple,

Ranganathar temple, Sulakkal Mariamman temple, Vazhai Thottathu Ayyan temple, ISKCON temple, Eachanari Vinayagar Temple, Marudamalai, Marudamalai Murugan temple, Loga Nayaga Shani Eswaran shrine, Ashtamsa Varadha Anjaneyar Temple, Panchamuga Anjaneya temple, Anuvavi Subramaniar temple and Dhyanalinga Yogic temple. The Mariamman festivals are major events in summer. The mosques on Oppanakara Street and Big Bazaar Street in Coimbatore date back to the period of Hyder Ali. Christian missions date back to 1647 when permission was granted by the Nayak dynasty, Nayak rulers to set up a small church in Karumathampatti . Sikh Gurudwaras and Jain Temples are also present in Coimbatore.

Cuisine

Coimbatore cuisine is predominantly south Indian with rice as its base. Most locals still retain their rural flavour, with many restaurants serving food over a banana leaf. Indian cuisine, North Indian, Chinese cuisine, Chinese and Continental breakfast, continental cuisines are also available. Mysore pak (a sweet made from lentil flour and ghee), idly, Dosa (food), dosa, Halwa (a sweet made of different ingredients like milk, wheat, rice). Biryani is also popular among the locals. Apart from this Coimbatore has a very active street food culture, thanks to the migratory North Indian population that settled down here a few generation ago. Ariseemparuppu or arisi paruppu satham (literally translated as Rice and dal) originated from Coimbatore and the people of the city celebrate January 8 as national Aruseemparuppu day, after given light by a popular influencer and food consultant. Kaalaan is a dish that originated in Coimbatore and is prepared by simmering deep fried mushrooms (usually chopped mushroom) in a spicy broth, until it reaches a porridge like consistency and served sprinkled with chopped onions and coriander leaves.

Education

Coimbatore is an educational hub of south India. As of 2010, the Coimbatore district is home to 7 universities, 78 engineering colleges, 5 medical colleges, 2 dental colleges, 35 Polytechnic college, polytechnics, 150 arts and science colleges and schools. The city has reputed universities like Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (est. 1971), Bharathiar University (1982), Anna University Coimbatore (2007) and Avinashilingam university (1987). Coimbatore also houses research institutes like Central Institute for Cotton Research, Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB), Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education and Tamil Nadu Institute of Urban Studies. There are also plans to establish a world class university in the region. District is also home to renowned multi-campus, multi-disciplinary private Deemed university, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. The first college opened in the district was the Government Arts College, Coimbatore, 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 Gopalswamy Doraiswamy Naidu, 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

personnel. Coimbatore Institute of Technology (CIT) was started in the 1950s. Coimbatore Medical College was opened in 1966 and the Government Law College, Coimbatore, 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. Few famous arts and science colleges are PSG College of Arts and Science, Dr G R Damodaran College of Science, Sri Krishna Arts and Science College. In 1867, the first group of students appeared for the Tamil Nadu Board of Secondary Education, SSLC Examinations from Coimbatore district. The Coimbatore and Pollachi education districts are the units of administration for education in the district. The literacy rate is 84%.

Places of interest

* Valparai is about 65 km from Pollachi and is situated at an altitude of 3500 feet above the sea level. Valparai is famous for it tea plantations. * Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park, Anaimalai Wildlife Sanctuary is about 90 km from Coimbatore and is situated at an altitude of 1,400 meters in the Western Ghats near Pollachi. The area of the sanctuary is 958 km². * Top Slip is a point located at an altitude of about 800 feet in the Anaimalai mountain range. * Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary is located in a valley between the Anaimalai Hills range of Tamil Nadu and the Nelliampathi Hills range of Kerala. The areas hilly and rocky, drained by several rivers, including the Parambikulam, the Sholayar and the Thekkady. Thickly forested with stands of bamboo, sandalwood, rosewood and teak, the sanctuary has some marshy land and scattered patches of grassland. * Parambikulam - Aliyar dam project consists of a series of dams interconnected by tunnels and canals at various elevations to harness the Parambikulam, Aliyar, Nirar, Sholiyar, Thunkadavu, Thenkkadi and Palar rivers, laid for irrigation and power generation. It is located in the Anaimalai Hills range. Seven streams-five flowing westward and two towards the east- have been dammed and their reservoirs interlinked by tunnels. The water is ultimately delivered to the drought-prone areas in the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu and the Chittur area of Kerala. * Government of Tamil Nadu promotes eco Tourism in Karamadai forest range. The spot is located at an easy destination reachable for people from Coimbatore. It is located near Pillur in Baralikkadu of Karamadai range in Coimbatore district. The way is a hilly terrain enriched with green vegetation with a pleasant climate providing many view points to have awe for these scenes.

Notable people

*M Kamalathal, social worker *List of people from Coimbatore *Coimbatore metropolitan area

Villages

*Madurai *Perur *Ramanamudalipudur *Tiruppur *Periyakombai

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coimbatore District Coimbatore district, Districts of Tamil Nadu