Coimbatore district
Coimbatore district is one of the 38 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. Coimbatore is the administrative headquarters of the district. It is one of the most industrialised 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 northeast, Palakkad district, Idukki district and small parts of Thrissur district and Ernakulam district of neighbouring state of Kerala 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 Kongu Nadu 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 Tamil Nadu. Coimbatore was in the middle of the Roman trade route that extended from Muziris to Arikamedu in South India. The medieval Cholas conquered the Kongu Nadu in the 10th century CE. The region was ruled by Vijayanagara Empire 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 and following the defeat of Tipu Sultan in the Anglo-Mysore Wars, the British East India Company annexed Coimbatore to the Madras Presidency in 1799. The Coimbatore region played a prominent role in the Second Poligar War 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.
Post-independence, the district has seen rapid growth due to industrialisation. According to the 2011 Census, Coimbatore district is the second most urbanized district in Tamil Nadu after Chennai. 71.37% of the district's population at the 2011 Census was urban, while 29.63% was rural. The urbanized areas of Coimbatore district include the city of Coimbatore, Karamadai, Podanur, Madhukkarai, Ettimadai, Thondamuthur, Mettupalayam, Annur, and a few other regions. Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya founded by Mahatma Gandhi 1934.
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 Tamil Nadu. The Kosar people mentioned in the second century CE Tamil epic Silappathikaram and other poems in Sangam literature is associated with the area in and around the present-day Coimbatore district. The region was in the middle of a Roman trade route that extended from Muziris to Arikamedu. The medieval Cholas conquered the Kongu Nadu in the 10th century CE. A Chola highway called Rajakesari Peruvazhi ran through the region.Much of Tamil Nadu came under the rule of the Vijayanagara Empire by the 15th century. 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 Kingdom of Mysore, following a series of wars with the Madurai Nayak Dynasty. After the defeat of Tipu Sultan in the Anglo-Mysore Wars, the British East India Company annexed Coimbatore to the Madras Presidency in 1799. The Coimbatore region played a prominent role in the Second Poligar War 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 in Kerala, Chamarajanagar in Karnataka. 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 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 Mumbai. The region played a significant role in the Indian independence movement. Post independence, the district has seen rapid growth due to industrialisation.
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 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, Coimbatore has a notable presence of defence forces, with units of the Army, Navy, Air Force and para-military forces like the Central Reserve Police Force and Border Security Force in this district
Geography and climate
Coimbatore district is in the western part of Tamil Nadu, bordering the state of Kerala. It is surrounded by the Western Ghats mountain range on the west and north, with reserve forests and the 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 and rainwater. The eight major tanks/wetland areas of Coimbatore are Singanallur, Kallimadai, Valankulam, Ukkadam Periyakulam, Selvampathy, Narasampathi, Krishnampathi, Selvachinthamani, and Kumaraswami tanks. Sanganur pallam, Kovilmedu pallam, Vilankurichi-Singanallur Pallam, Karperayan Koil pallam, Railway feeder roadside drain, Tiruchy-Singanallur Check drain and Ganapathy pallam are some of the streams that drain the city.The eastern side of the Coimbatore district, including the city, is predominantly dry. The entire western and northern part of the district borders the Western Ghats with the Nilgiri biosphere as well as the Anaimalai and Munnar ranges. A western pass to Kerala, popularly referred to as the Palghat Gap provides its boundary. Because of its proximity to the Western Ghats, the district is rich in fauna. The Coimbatore urban wetlands harbours around 116 species of birds. Of these, 66 are resident, 17 are migratory and 33 are local migrants. Spot-billed pelican, painted stork, open billed stork, ibis, spot-billed duck, teal, black winged stilt are some of the migratory birds that visit Coimbatore wetlands regularly.
Apart from the species common to the plains, wild elephants, wild boars leopards, tigers, bison, species of deer, Nilgiri tahr, sloth bear and black-headed oriole can be found. The Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary 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, 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.
The district borders Palakkad district of Kerala in the west, Nilgiris district in the north, Erode district in the northeast and east, Idukki district of Kerala in the south and Tiruppur district in the east and 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 Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The Palghat Gap, connecting Coimbatore city and Palakkad, 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, Amaravathi, Kousika River, Bharathapuzha 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, Sengupathi Falls, Siruvani Waterfalls, and Vaideki Falls.
Administrative divisions
Coimbatore district is divided into three revenue blocks, namely, Coimbatore North, Coimbatore South and Pollachi and eleven taluks, viz., Annur, Anaimalai, Coimbatore North taluk, Coimbatore South taluk, Kinathukkadavu, Madukkarai, Mettupalayam, Perur, Pollachi, Sulur and Valparai.The district is administered by the District collector. The Coimbatore Rural District police is headquartered at Coimbatore headed by Superintendent of police. 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.