Coimbatore
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| Classification | City |
| Nickname | Manchester of South India |
| Country | India |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| District | Coimbatore District |
| Language | Tamil |
| Time zone | GMT+5:30 |
| Importance | City with many technical colleges |
| Population - Total |
9,77,900 (2004)[1] (http://www.world-gazetteer.com/c/c_in.htm#pl_2842) |
| Literacy Rate - Total |
87.51 % |
| Area | 105.5 km2 [3] (http://www.coimbatore-corporation.com/) |
| Latitude Longitude |
11.01°N 76.96°E |
| Altitude | 411.2 metres |
| Temperature - Summer |
39.4°C to 23.3°C |
| PIN | 641 xxx, 642 xxx [4] (http://www.tamilnadupost.org/pincode.htm) |
Coimbatore (Tamil-Koyamutthur or Kovai) is a major industrial town in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India. It is the administrative headquarters of Coimbatore District. The Nilgiri's biosphere reserve is at an hour's distance from this "cotton city". The nearest metros/cities are Chennai, Bangalore and Kochi. Coimbatore city is well connected by rail, road and air.
| Contents |
Overview
Coimbatore [5] (http://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/tamilnadu/coimbatore.htm) is known for its industrial hub, educational institutions, health care facilities, pleasant weather, friendly culture and hospitality (Coimbatore is called City of Hospitality). There is a significant minority of people of North and West Indian origin in Coimbatore which gives it a cosmopolitan outlook.
Languages spoken: Tamil, English, Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam. Tamil spoken here is called Kongu Tamil.
- M.P. Periasamy Thooran[6] (http://www.geocities.com/pthooran/), a great tamil poet lived here. Periasamy Thooran had made ever lasting contributions to Tamil literature,Tamil Encyclopaedia and Carnatic music.
- Well known tamil cinema actor Sivakumar (who is also a great artist) is from Coimbatore.
- Industrialist Dr. BK Krishnaraj Vanavarayar is from Coimbatore
- Industrialist/philosopher Dr.N.Mahalingam is from Coimbatore
- Tennis player Nirupama Vaidyanathan [7] (http://www.its.uci.edu/~jaykay/nirupama.html) is from Coimbatore
- Narain Karthikeyan, the first Indian on the Formula 1 circuit and the motor sport pioneer of India Mr.Karivardhan are from Coimbatore.
- The famous Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) is in Coimbatore[8] (http://www.tnau.ac.in/)
- Coimbatore has a university [9] (http://www.b-u.ac.in/) named after the great tamil poet Bharathiar [10] (http://www.pondy.com/bharathiar/)
- Adam Sinclair who was a member of the Indian Hockey team in the 2004 Olympics is a resident of Coimbatore.
The following are some of the great people responsible for the industrial revolution in Coimbatore:
1. Sir Robert Stanes[11] (http://krishnamoorthy.tripod.com/Stanes/founder.html) who was instrumental in starting textile industries (the seed to bring Coimbatore as Manchester of South India)
2. G. D. Naidu who is called the "Thomas Alva Edison of India. Contributed in electronics, mechanical, agricultural and automobile engineering.
3. Nachimuthu Goundar and family who started transportation and agriculture based industries.
Industry
Coimbatore is a busy city with a good business infrastructure (telecom, power, roads, airport, rail, skilled manpower and less pollution). Ideally located in the hub of the three states Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Kerala, Coimbatore is rich with telecom, mobile and Internet connectivity and has a high tele-density. Leading Indian banks have branches in Coimbatore. The city is rated as one among the top 10 places to do business in India by Business Today. Coimbatore is now developing into a major poultry hub in india. Major Poultry Players are concentrated around palladam, pongalur and udumalpet.
Major industries
- Textiles and textile machinery
- Wet grinders
- Auto ancillary
- Motor pumps
- Knitwear
- Jewelry
- Poultry.
People and culture
Tamilnadu Agriculture University, C O I M B A T O R E
Coimbatore people are educated, polite and have good entrepreneurial skills.
It has been a hub for higher education from the early 1900s - with the agricultural university, both government and private engineering colleges, two medical colleges and a variety of science and art colleges.
The major food is rice based south Indian dishes (often spicy) like Boiled Rice, Idly, Dosai, Pongal etc. Many north Indian food items like Chappathi, Roti, Biriyani, Naan are available everywhere. Chinese restaurants, continental food joints and fast food joints are located in the city.
The major religion is Hinduism. Other religions followed by the Coimbatoreans are Islam, Christianity, Jainism and Sikhism. The headquarters of Isha Foundation ( Founded by Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev ) is situated in the nearby Velliangiri Hill. The meditation center of Lotus Temple fame Swami Satchidhananda is situated in RS Puram. Osho meditation center is functioning at TV Samy Road ( Near Post Office ) RS Puram (time Morning 6.AM to 7.30 AM & 6.30 PM to 7.30 PM).
The popular entertainments are cinema, shopping and gocarting. There is a golf club at Pollachi road. The Kari Motor Highway is a racing heaven for autosport enthusiasts, founded by Mr. Vijayakamar, a friend of the Indian motor sport legend Mr. Karivardhan. There are two gocarting centers, one in Thudiyalur and another in Avanashi Road.
Flora and Fauna
Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary [12] (http://www.webindia123.com/tamilnadu/Tourism/coimba.htm)is situated at an altitude of 1,400 metres in the Western Ghats near Pollachi about 90 km from the Coimbatore. Anamalai wildlife sanctuary covers an area of 958 km². Various kinds of fauna like tiger, elephant sloth bear, black headed oriole, are to be seen here.
Tourist Spots
The major tourist spots are
- Perur Temple[13] (http://www.covai.com/temples/perur.htm),
- Kovai Kutralam
- Top Slip (wildlife sanctuary)
- Coonor (hill station)
- Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary and
- Ooty (hill resort).
Kovai Kutralam is a water falls at Siruvani, 37 km from Coimbatore is scenically enchanting. Siruvani is the source of drinking water supply to Coimbatore.
Travel information
Coimbatore is well connected by rail and road. There is a small international airport which connects the city with Chennai, Bangalore, Kochi and Sharjah. Air India, Jet Airways and Indian Airlines are the major operators. The low cost Air Deccan also operates economy flights through Coimbatore. Silk Air has an office in Coimbatore. Coimbatore Airport is approximately 15 kilometers from the center of the city. Mode of transport from the airport to the city includes taxis and autorickshaws. The railway station is one of the busiest in the south India with trains from every major city in India and has computerized reservation counters.
There are three bus stands: Gandhipuram (North), Ukkadam (South) and Singanallur (East). The major bus stand is Gandhipuram from which many interstate buses and tourist buses operate round the clock. There are many decent lodges/hotels. The tourists can board the Nilgiris Bus from here.
External links
Official
- Coimbatore District Administration (http://www.coimbatore.tn.nic.in/) - Information about Coimbatore District with history (http://www.coimbatore.tn.nic.in/history.html), profile, etc
- Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (http://www.coimbatore-corporation.com/)
- BSNL Coimbatore WebSite (http://www.coimbatore.bsnl.co.in/) - BSNL's website with services like Telephone Directory (http://coimbatore.bsnl.co.in/direnquiry.asp), etc
- Coimbatore - Manchester of South India (http://www.tamilnadutourism.org/kovai.htm) - Tourism related information about Coimbatore from Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation Ltd (TTDC) (http://www.tamilnadutourism.org/)
- http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/governmentlawcollegecoimbatore/ Goverment law college, Coimbatore
Other
- Map of Coimbatore City (http://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/tamilnadu/coimbatore.htm)
- Current Weather at Coimbatore (http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/43321.html)
- Coimbatore Shared Content Site (http://www.coimbatore.sharedcontent.org/)
- Coimbatore website directory at Dmoz (http://dmoz.org/Regional/Asia/India/Tamil_Nadu/Localities/Coimbatore/)
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