Coimbatore ( ), also commonly known as Kovai ( ), is the second largest city in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of the Coimbatore District and a major Textile and Engineering hub of South India. It forms a part of the ancient Kongu Nadu region of South India, where its people were the first to establish territorial state. Coimbatore city including its sub-urban areas has a population of 24 lakh people. It is referred as Manchester of South India in business circles. The Coimbatore city is known for his Siruvani Waterfalls and his very delicious water which is the primary source of water to the people of the city.

Situated on the banks of the Noyyal River, Coimbatore is known chiefly for its numerous textile mills, factories, engineering firms, automobile parts manufacturers, health care facilities, educational institutions, pleasant weather, hospitable people and for its Kongu Tamil. (also known as Kovai Tamil). . The hill stations of Ooty, Coonnor and Valparai are close to the city making it a good tourist attraction all over the year.

Etymology

The reason for the city's name is that a Kongu Ruler called Kovan ruled this region and hence the name Kovanpudur which evolved and became as Koyambuthur, Koyamuthur and anglicized as Coimbatore. In modern times the name is sometimes abbreviated as CBE based on the Indian Railways' station code. It is also believed that the City is named after the presiding deity of the town "Koniamman" - "Koniamman pudur" turned into Coimbatore.

History

Information about the origins of Coimbatore is scarce. During the early period it was inhabited by only Irulas - forest dwellers. A second Chola empire arose in the mid-9th century, and gained the territory encompassing Coimbatore. They established a planned layout, with the Koniamman temple in the center. It is also found that in early days this area was ruled by tribals, Kosars tribe being the prominent one among them. They had their headquarters at Kosampathur, which probably later became the present Coimbatore. Coimbatore was also the trading zone for the early visitng romans . Vellalore near coimbatore is a trading hub.By the early 14th century, the region was ruled by the Muslim rulers of Madurai under the Delhi Sultanate . The Muslim rule in Madurai was ended in the late 14th century by the newly formed Vijayanagara Empire. The Vijayanagara reign brought new settlers from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. In the 1550s, the military governors (Telugu -speaking Nayakars) of the Vijaynagara Empire took control of Madurai, with Coimbatore belonging to their territory. After the downfall of Vijayanagara Empire, 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 Palayakkarars, who were military governors of their respective regions. By the 1700s, frequent fighting between Madurai and Mysore forces in the Coimbatore region resulted in the region being ruled by Mysore. At this time Coimbatore was still a village of around 3000 people.

In the 1760s, the Mysore throne was usurped in a coup by General Hyder Ali. Ali was hostile to the British, who were gaining a foothold in the area with the help of Arcot Nawab. A series of wars between the British and the Mysore forces continued till Tipu Sultan's death in 1799, when the Mysore throne was handed over to the earlier Mysore rulers. At that time the British annexed the Coimbatore region into the Madras Presidency. When Hyder Ali acquired Coimbatore, the population was around 3000. The village dwindled to 1500 by Tipu's death.

Coimbatore played a prominent role in the Second Poligar War against the British in 1801, when the first attack was done against the British Columns stationed in Coimbatore by the legendary Kongu Chieftain Dheeran Chinnamalai, one of the most famous Palayakkarar of Tamilnadu along with some Malabar and Mysore allied forces.

In 1804 Coimbatore was established as a capital for the newly formed Coimbatore district and in 1848, it was accorded the municipality status. Sir Robert Stanes, a British entrepreneur and philanthropist, became the first Chairman of the Coimbatore City Council and also founded the Stanes School in 1862, a major higher secondary school that is still a prominent educational institute of the district.

In 1981 Coimbatore became a corporation with annexation of the Singanallur municipality.The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University is located in Coimbatore. In 2005, the University celebrated its centenary with the opening of the Research Institute building.

Geography

Coimbatore is situated in the extreme west of Tamil Nadu, near the state of Kerala. It is surrounded by mountains on the west, with reserve forests and the (Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve) on the northern side. The eastern side of the 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.

Many lakes and ponds were constructed near the river in ancient times. The city of Coimbatore has nine lakes (wetlands). In most of the urban ecosystems, these wetlands are the major life-supporting component with high concentrations of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrate species. The Coimbatore Urban wetlands harbours more than 125 species of resident and migratory birds, with August – October being the peak season. 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 elephants, wild boars leopards, tigers, bison, various species of deer, Nilgiri Tahr, sloth bear and black-headed Oriole can also be found. The Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary (88 km) 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 breed bulls (cross-bred by Mandradiar family in 17th century to suit the terrain). 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 forests 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.

Cityscape

Parks

Coimbatore City has a lot of parks.

VOC Park

Named after the famous freedom fighter V.O.Chidambaram, the VOC Park is an interesting place to visit in Coimbatore City, especially if you are accompanied by kids. For the young ones, the main attractions within the park include a roller stakes training ground, mini zoo and a toy train for joyrides.

Agricultural University Park

The Tamil Nadu Agricultural university houses a botanical garden. It is located towards the west of the city centre and is spread over an area of 300 hectares. The garden has a good collection of different species of flowering plants and trees.

Race Course Childrens Park

This is an oval shaped park with lots of tress and flowers.

Lakes

Coimbatore City has many lakes. The prominent among them are:

Singanallur Lake

Kuruchi Lake

Valankulam Lake

Krishnampathy Lake

Climate

Coimbatore has a pleasant, salubrious climate, not reaching the high temperatures of other southern India cities. Situated in the Western part of the state of Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore is located at an elevation of about 398 meters. The mean maximum and minimum temperatures during summer and winter varies between 35°C to 18°C. highest temperature ever recorded is 41 °C and lowest is 12 °C.

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. Although this rainfall is not enough to sustain the needs of the city for the entire year, small rivers like the Siruvani and Atthikadavu fulfil the city's water needs.

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. The Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History is located at Anaikatty in Coimbatore district.

Demographics

As of the 2001 census, Coimbatore had a population of 930,882 in Municipal Corporation limits . More recent estimates peg the population of Coimbatore at some 15 lakhs (1.5 million) people. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Coimbatore has an average literacy rate of 78%, higher than the national average of 59.5%. Male literacy is 81% and female literacy is 74% with 11% of the population under 6 years of age. The language spoken in the Coimbatore city is mainly Kongu Tamil, an ancient dialect and unique flavor of the Tamil language predominantly spoken in the Kongu region.

The city's population is predominantly Hindu, along with sizeable Muslim and Christian populations. Sikhs and Jains are also nowadays present in small numbers. The Kongu Vellalar Gounder are the major population in and around the city. The city has a significant number of Nayakars (Naidus) and Chettiars who migrated and settled during the Vijayanagar Empire. The city also has many Keralites mainly from Palakkad (once part of Kongu Nadu) and North Indians like Jains and Marwaris, who are engaged in trade and commerce. Nowadays people even from the North-Eastern states of India, like Manipur and Nagaland have also moved in for jobs and studies.

Culture

The Coimbatore city is a traditional, multi-cultural inclusive society with its people still retaining their roots to their native surrounding villages and its culture. The people of Coimbatore are known for their well-cultured manners, honesty and hospitality.

There are numerous temples in the city including the Perur Temple, the Konniamman temple and the Dhyanalinga Yogic Temple. The Mariamman festivals, at the city’s numerous Amman temples, are a major event in summer. A replica temple of Tirupathi is located in Valparai and another near Mettupalayam. A famous ISKCON temple is also located 9 km from the city. It is a famous temple dedicated for Lord Krishna. Marudamalai, a well known shrine to Murugan, is close to the city. Coimbatore has also been an abode for many siddhars or rishis, who were also experts in medicine, alchemy and astrology. The most prominent of them was Pambatti Siddhar who is said to have lived in Marudamalai. Many of his findings are recorded as poems.

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). 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. Many locations in the city including Kottaimedu have Muslims and Hindus living together which is also considered very sensitive as these locations become the prime target of crime during communal riots as was witnessed years back in the city. However, Coimbatore nowadays is a much more tolerant city.

Coimbatore Cuisine

Coimbatore cuisine is predominantly south Indian with rice 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 very popular brands such as "Annapoorna", "Sri Krishna Sweets" and "Angannan" originated in Coimbatore. Some famous restaurants are " That's Y Food, Fodder Factory, Anandhas, Annapoorna, Peking, Annalakshmi etc.,"

Administration

The city is a Municipal Corporation as well as the district Headquarters. The city has a Mayor, Deputy Mayor and several councillors elected by people representing administrative wards, as well as a corporation Commissioner to administer the city headed by the District Collector. The District court is the highest court of appeal in Coimbatore. Despite being the largest revenue earning district, insufficient state government funds have resulted in the city's basic infrastructure being underdeveloped.

Indira Gandhi's assassination in 1984 was followed by large scale arson and looting. During the 1980s crime increased,Hindu – Muslim riots were frequent in the late 80’s, reaching their peak in the 90’s when a massive riot occurred in the Townhall and west Coimbatore area. Recently, the crime rate has improved, possibly as a result of increased police vigilance after the 1998 bomb blasts. Post 2000 it has been a very safe city. Unlike other major cities,majority of shops and public transportation do not function after 11pm. Drunken driving and parking punishments are strictly enforced .

Suburbs of Coimbatore

The following are the suburban towns of Coimbatore

• Vellalore
• Kinathukadavu
• Saravanampatti
• Vadavalli
• Thudiyalur
• Kuniyamuthur
• Kurichi
• Kovaipudur
• Podanur
• Perur
• Irugur
• Thondamuthur
• Madukkarai
• Chettipalayam
• Sulur
• Periyanaickenpalayam
• Ettimadai
• Annur

Politics

The city has five Members of Legislative Assembly representing the Coimbatore East, Coimbatore West, Singanallur, Perur,Kaundampalayam constituencies, but about 20% of the city's territory is represented by the Nilgiris constituency which runs into the northern part of the city. Both Coimbatore East and Coimbatore West assembly constituencies are part of Coimbatore . In the last Lok Sabha election held , Socialist party (CPI-M) won the Election . Also about 10 percent of city comes under Pollachi

Transport

Air

The city has an airport (Coimbatore Airport) at Peelamedu (11 km from the city) and an air-force base at Sulur (15 km). The Coimbatore airport caters to domestic flights to all the major Indian cities and international flights to Sharjah and Singapore.The Extended Runway is now ready at Coimbatore airport. It now runs to 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

Trains first began serving Coimbatore in 1872, upon construction of the Podanur (Coimbatore South) -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 and Mumbai, besides the neighbouring State of Kerala. 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 42.17% of its divisional income. The facilities and projects however, have to be improved. Coimbatore North Junction is another important railway junction in the city.

Road

The city has six major arterial roads and three National Highways,

• NH-47 (Kanyakumari–Salem),
• NH-67 (Mysore–Nagappattinam) and
• NH 209 (Bangalore–Dindigul)

A new bypass highway built by Larsen and Toubro completed in 1998 has helped reduce truck traffic in the city.

Coimbatore has 6 major bus stands. They are:

• Gandhipuram Bus Stand (Buses going to Erode, Tirupur, Mettupalayam, Ooty, Salem, Bangalore, Chennai and other distant places)
• Singanallur Bus Stand (Buses going to Madurai, Trichirapalli, Thanjavur, Kumbakonam and nearby towns)
• Town Bus Stand (Local Buses)
• Thiruvalluvar Bus Stand, Gandhipuram (SETC, Karnataka State RTC Buses, Kerala State RTC Buses and Pondicherry State Buses)
• Ukkadam Bus Stand (Buses to Palakkad, Pollachi, Udumalpet, Palani, Dindigul, Kodaikanal and other nearby places)
• Mettupalayam Road Bustand - Under construction (being constructed by Bhuvana Constructions Limited, Coimbatore)

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 towns in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, South and West Karnataka, Pondicherry and Tirupathi (Andhra Pradesh). The number of mofussil routes operated by Coimbatore division is 119 with a fleet of 500 buses.The number of town buses in the city is around 800 in 228 different routes.

The city is also served by auto rickshaws. However, rickshaw drivers have had a reputation for fleecing passengers, resulting in competition from call taxi.

Economy

The city's primary industries are engineering and textiles. The district also houses the country's largest amount of hosiery and poultry industries . Most of the industries are run by entrepreneurs, often indigenous with family based or community financing. The city's industrial growth started in 1920’s and accelerated after independence, without any government assistance or the entry of external industrial houses. The city serves as the homeground for most of the well known industrialists from Tamil Nadu. Of late, information technology companies have started opening offshore development centres in the city.

Early Industrial Developments

When the British occupied Coimbatore, the territory connected the Malabar ports with the rest of India (apart from Konkan coast). The British later expanded their railway network in 1862, passing through Podanur to Cochin for quicker transit of raw materials required in England.

In 1888, Sir Robert Stanes founded the Coimbatore Spinning and Weaving Mills (also known as Stanes Mills) in the northern edge of the town after starting a coffee curing factory in Trichy road thus kick starting the industrial journey of Coimbatore. The Stanes textile mill he started is the forerunner to the huge textile industry of world repute which Coimbatore has today. Sir Robert Stanes would later assist several others in setting up their ventures. He was to be awarded the Kaiser-I-Hind gold medal for services to Coimbatore and to education and was subsequently knighted in 1920 for his high sense of honour.Two more mills (Kalleeswara and Somasundra mills) were established in 1910. Lakshmi Mills Company commenced their operations in 1911 in Papanaickenpalayam.By the 1930s, several textile mills had been established around Coimbatore due to the cheap power offered by the Pykara power station.

In 1900, Swamikannu Vincent, a railway engineer, built the first cinema in South India, the "Variety Hall" (now Delite Theatres). His son Paul Vincent introduced talking motion pictures in South India. In 1922, Narayanaswamy Naidu started a workshop to repair cane crushers and cotton ginning machines. Two years later, he established the Dhandayuthapani Foundry. Around the same time, G.D.Naidu started his unique bus service. He is also credited for manufacturing the first electric motor in India. In 1931, Pollachi Nachimuthu Gounder stated his transport business which grew into a multi-crore industrial and trading house. In the 1940s, a Sheffield University graduate, D. Balasundaram Naidu from Avarampalayam in Coimbatore, started his company Textool to manufacture textile machines of his design. In 1965 another Textile family of VLB Naidu group set up Mopeds India Ltd after a technical collaboration with Motobécane of France to manufacture their legendary Motobécane Mobylette 50 cc moped under the name Suvega, but, only the central office was in Coimbatore while the plant was set up in Tirupathi.

Coimbatore was also a major movie hub in 1930s and 1940s with two fully equipped studios, Central Studios and Pakshiraja Studios. Many latter-day Tamil movie stars started or spent their early career in these studios.

Wet Grinders

Coimbatore has more than 700 wet grinder manufacturers with a monthly output of 75,000 units. The term "Coimbatore Wet Grinder" was given a Geographical indication for wet grinders manufactured in Coimbatore and Erode in 2006. Coimbatore is also home to a common facility for the manufacturers of wet grinders.

Industries Today

Coimbatore is the highest revenue earning district in Tamil Nadu. Coimbatore is called the Manchester of South India due to its extensive textile industry, fed by the surrounding cotton fields. It is also called as the pump city of India. The City houses large number of small scale engineering companies. The motor and pump industry supplies two thirds of India’s requirements, while its wet-grinder industry has a near monopoly. Agriculture is still the major occupation in the district as in any other part of the Country. General trade attracts people from all over the state including the neighbouring Kerala. The neighbouring city of Tirupur is home to Asia’s largest garment manufacturing companies, exporting hosiery clothes worth more than Rs. 50,000 million. Coimbatore is also emerging as an IT and BPO city. Coimbatore is ranked at 17th place among the global outsourcing cities.

Textool offered a prototype of Sten Guns to the Indian Government after independence. They developed the first in-house designed car in the 1960s, which never saw the light of day due to the license raj. They made several prototypes until the 1990s. They successfully manufactured India's first indigenously developed diesel engines in 1972 for cars and their own CNC lathes in 1982. Today their spin-off company, Jayem Automotives, offers R & D services to Mahindra, Tata Motors and Hindustan Motors.

Maruti Udyog and Tata Motors source up to 30% of their automotive components from Coimbatore. The city also houses numerous jewellers engaged in jewellery exports. L&T has opened a plant on Eachanari bypass road. Wind Energy major Suzlon has planned to 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 Rs 940 cr.

Some of the major industries are Larsen and Toubro, Lakshmi Machine Works Ltd (LMW), Premier Instruments & Control Limited (PRICOL), ELGI Equipments, Shanti Gears, Roots Industries.The Major Pump industries Sharp Industries, CRI Pumps, Texmo Industries, Deccan Pumps & KSB Pumps are renowned world wide. Coimbatore is also called as the Pump City. Research and Development Organisations like Tamil Nadu Agricultural University[27592], South India Textile Research Association[www.sitra.org.in], contribute a lot to the city. Other industries like PSG, Sakthi group contribute a lot, and the now closed South India Viscose are one of the major employers 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)[27593]. 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)[27594]. It is also the country's largest pillar-free hall, according to the Limca Book of Records.

The IT industry in Coimbatore is nascent compared to its textile and manufacturing industries, with Tata Consultancy Services, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Robert Bosch GmbH, KGISL and CSS Corp Pvt Ltd to name a few.

Environmental Issues

Air Pollution

Coimbatore's air quality is worsening, due to the city's heavy industrialisation, but it is still better than some other cities in India. In 1990s the State Government and pollution control board took major steps to re-locate the steel foundries out of the city. The foundries were established in 1950s and 1960s when there were no residential areas nearby, but expansion had to give way. The textile mills are all equipped with air treatment towers. The results of such an exercise are yet to be realized.

Waste Management

The city has no proper underground drainage or sewage system. Garbage is collected by the Corporation (sometimes systems developed by the locals). The city's hospitals have no proper bio-waste management scheme. Drainage is pumped into the remaining tanks through streams. During the 80’s, corporation planned on closing the tanks due to encroachment by filling with waste. But as a result of outcries from associations, the tanks are being renovated by the city's environmental groups with their own fund-raising. From mid 90’s, corporation authorities are keeping public encroachments under check.And also the city and road planning is a thing to behighly improved even in the newly developing areas.

The Bio-Medical waste dumped in Podanur Vellalur road has sparked lot of angry demonstrations by the locals in Vellalur village, but the local government is yet to solve this issue.

Tanks Revival

Siruthuli, an environmental organisation founded by the city's industrial houses, has embarked in de-silting of tanks and cleaning of the Noyyal river. Citizen Voice Club is one of the most active clubs in raising civic issues.

Education

Educational institutions played a major role in the city's development. The year 1867 saw the first group of students appearing for the SSLC Examinations. The city today has more than a two dozen engineering colleges, two medical colleges, an air-force administrative college, a forest college, more than 75 arts and science colleges and 6 universities, churning out about 41,000 graduates every year. The earliest educational institutions were, C.S.I. Boys' High School (1831), Stanes High School (1862), St. Francis Anglo Indian Girls High School (1880), Sarvajana High School (1910) in Peelamedu, Suburban Higher Secondary School (1917) , SRNV at LN Palayam ( 1946) and the Vidhya Niketan Higher Secondary School.

The first college was the Government Arts College (1875-76). The first engineering college in the city was started by G.D. Naidu in the name Hope College (named after Sir Arthur Hope, then Governor of Madras Presidency), offering technical education in civil, mechanical, electronics, electrical, and automobile engineering in the year 1945. Later it became the Government College of Technology, Coimbatore. Later PSG College of Technology and CIT Coimbatore saw the light of the day in the 1950s.

Coimbatore Medical College (1966) started functioning on land granted by some industrial families. On 12 August 1973, Kongunadu Arts and Science College was started. Later in 1987 PSG and Sons started PSG Institute of Medical Sciences and Research. Tamil Nadu Agricultural University with seven constituent colleges, thirty two research stations and thirteen Krishi Vigyan Kendras is counted among the best in its league in India. The University is situated in the western part of the city, on Maruthamalai Road. The Government Law College (1978) started functioning in order to fulfil the long felt need for legal education in the district. Coimbatore is well known for its Education institutions and Engineering industries.

Media and communication

The city has two major English dailies, The Hindu [27595] and The New Indian Express [27596]. Tamil language dailies include Dina Malar [27597], Dina Thanthi [27598], Dina Mani [27599] and Dinakaran [27600] with two other dailies Tamil Murasu and Malar [27601] published in the evening. Malayala Manoram and Mathrubhumi are the two malayalam newspapers which have considerable circulation here.A short wave radio station is operated by All India Radio, with most programmes in Tamil, English and Hindi. Five FM radio stations operate from Coimbatore, Rainbow FM by All India Radio and Suryan FM by the Sun Network. Radio Mirchi, Radio City, and Hello FM started their operations recently. All these private radio stations air exclusively Tamil based programmes, including film music. The range of these stations cover Coimbatore, Erode and Ooty districts of Tamil Nadu; 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. 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 good communication infrastructure, with all major service providers involved.It is the headquarters for the Tamil Nadu circle of cellular service providers, with Aircel having its headquarters in Coimbatore. Services available are DOT landline, CDMA and GSM. Fiber optic cables were laid in 2001, improving Internet access which had begun with the establishment of a dial-up connection in 1996.

Temples

The city has several major temples: Marudamalai, Perur, Annur, Sidhapudur Ayyappan Kovvil, Karamadai, Kooniamman Temple, Bathrakali Amman Kovil and Arulmigu Vazhai Thottathu Ayyan Temple.

Marudamalai

The word "Marudhachalapathy" or "Maruthamalai Andavar" means Master of Hills, abounding in Marudha trees. The name has also a legendary origin. A Siddha, overcome by excessive thirst and tiredness, sought shelter under the shade of a Marudha tree and prayed to the mercy of the Lord Muruga for a shower of water, which sprang at once as though by a miracle from beneath the tree. As water gushed out from the roots of the marudha tree, the Siddha leaped in joy, glorifying Muruga as the Lord of "Marudha" and "Jalam" (water) with the passage of time, "Marudhajalapathi" became "Marudhachalapathy".

According to the epic, while sitting under a marudha tree, a saint prayed to God for help quenching his thirst and exhaustion. Soon he noticed water springing from beneath the tree. Overwhelmed, he pronounced Lord Muruga as the Lord of Marudhajalapathi. In due course it became 'Marudamalai'. History has it that Pambatti Siddhar, was originally a snake charmer and was initiated into the world of philosophy by a Siddhar by name Sattai munivar. Pambatti Siddhar is said to have performed several miracles, and written extensively on herbal medicine. His songs are addressed to snakes.

Location of the temple: Sri Subramanyasami temple is located at Marudamalai, 13 km North - West of Coimbatore, Industrial city of Tamil Nadu, India.

Perur

The Garbagraha of this temple was built by Karikala Chola in the early Hindu era. It is a Shiva shrine with a Swayambumoorthy.

The Sthalapuranam (local folklore) states that when the calf of divine cow Kamadhenu was playing in the forest of arasu trees, its' legs plunged into a hard object from which blood gushed out. It was discovered that the object was nothing but a sacred Siva Lingam. This led a temple to be built here. It was built over the Moolasthanam and worshipped by the Saivaites. The place became a Vaipu Sthalam in Saivalore. It is one of the few temples in Kongunadu which figures in the Devaram by Saint Appar and Saint Sundarar. The temple is located in Perur, 6 km from Coimbatore on the Siruvani main road, on the banks of the Noyyal river.

Lord Nataraja and His Natya Sabha is worth seeing here. The statues in this mantapam are very beautiful.The veins of the dancers in the statues can be seen. Nataraja's festival, Arudhra Dharsanam, is one of the important festivals celebrated here. It occurs on the full moon day in the Tamil month of Marghazhi (Dec-Jan).

Sri Santhalinga Mutt, also known as Arulmigu Santhalingar Thirumadam, is one of the ancient Virasaiva mutts established by Sri Santhalinga Swamigal. The mutt now provides quality education, religious services and services to the poor and needy. It has done yeoman service for development of Tamil and use of Tamil in temple worship.

Annur

The Manneswara Temple is located here. This Temple of Shiva was built by a Chera King around 1000 years ago. It is believed that a hunter was digging the roots of a tapiaco tree to pull it down. He was surprised to see blood gushing out of the root. He later found a 'Lingam' beneath the tree. On hearing this, the King built a temple here. The uniqueness of this temple is that it faces was 'Markandeya', a staunch devotee worshipped the 'Linga' enshrined here, it is believed. And this Linga is 'Suyambu Linga' that means natural one.

Karamadai

Dedicated to Lord Ranganatha, this is the second oldest temple in Coimbatore. It was built by the Vijayanagara Kings. The Temple attracts a large concourse of people from throughout the land.The famous Ranganathar temple in karamadai is an easy destination for the people of Coimbatore, Tirupur, Annur, Ooty, Metupalayam etc.

The 'Thottiyars' clan of people lived at Karamadai. A cow of one of the thottiars failed to yield milk all of a sudden. He found out that the cow was shedding milk at a bush. Enraged, he started to cut it and heard an exploding sound and saw blood gushing from inside. On hearing this, the other people in the village came there and found a 'Suyambu Lingam' inside the bush. The same night God appeared in the dream of him and asked him to adorn the 'Lingam' with 'Chandana Kaapu'.and it is very near to periyanayakkan palayam.

Vellalore

Vellalore Has old and big temples such as Theneeswarar temple , Thiru Karavaratharaja perumal temple , Periya vinayagar temple e.t.c.

Bathra Kali Amman Koil (Thekkampatti)

This is one of the oldest temples in Coimbatore. It is on the banks of the Bhavani River. The goddess' name is "Vanabhadra Kaliamman".This temple attracts large crowds and also it is a very good picnic spot.It is very famous in pournami days.thousnds of devotees gathering during the days.

Health Care

The city has numerous hospitals. Apart from the Government hospital, several multi-facility hospitals function in the city. The district's health department is amongst the best in terms of implementing government-initiated health schemes. Also, several rare surgical procedures have taken place here. The polio eradication programme is heavily assisted by the city's Rotary Clubs, who also regularly donate ambulances for smaller hospitals. The city also has numerous homoeopathic clinics run by NGOs.

Fast pace of industrialisation, spiralling population and the increase in the health awareness have led to the growth of the healthcare industry in Coimbatore. Coimbatore stands second to Chennai in Tamil Nadu for highly affordable and quality healthcare deliveries of international standards.

Coimbatore is also the preferred healthcare destination to the floating population from nearby towns and districts and also nearby districts of Kerala. The growth of the hospitals in the city can be attributed to the vision of the industrialists here to bridge the gap between growing health needs and the existing services. Many of the private hospitals in the city are promoted by industrialists as an extension of their business portfolios and their services to the society.

The first healthcare centre started in 1909, later became the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) during 1960s.

Sports and Recreation

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 Formula 3 Category circuit, as well as three Go-Kart circuits. National Champion races for Formula racing (Cars), Motorcycle racing, Go-Kart racing are held in Kari Motor Speedway. 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. 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.

References

There also couple of Shopping Malls coming up in Coimbatore city

External links

• www.thecityvisit.com The best tourism site of Coimbatore, Tamilnadu
• Coimbatore District Administration
• Municipal Corporation
• Coimbatore Map and Direction
• NADU A few Good Places to Visit Near Coimbatore
• .