Coimbatore

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Template:India city infobox | population_density = 105.60 | area_magnitude= | area_total=105.5 | area_telephone=91-(0)422| postal_code= 641001 | vehicle_code_range= TN 37, TN 38 | footnotes = | }}

Coimbatore (Tamil: கோயம்புத்தூர்) also referred to as Kovai is one of the major industrial cities in South India is the Second largest city inTamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Coimbatore District. It is well known for its textile industry and its engineering colleges.

1 Overview
2 Industry
3 People and culture
- 3.1 Religion
4 Universities and colleges
5 Flora and fauna
6 Tourist spots
7 External links
- 7.1 Official
- 7.2 Other

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Overview

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

Languages spoken: Tamil, English, Telugu, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam.

Pollachi, a vibrant and fast expanding town, 40km from Coimbatore, was known to the Romans of Caesar's day for its amazing spices, as is evidenced by numerous Roman coins from that epoch unearthed in Coimbatore district.

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Industry

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

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

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

Textiles
Textile Machinery
Wet grinders
Auto ancillary
Automobile R&D
Motor pumps
Knitwear
Jewelry
Hospitals
Poultry
Motorsports
Engineering and Allied Industries
BPO and IT
Agriculture

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

Information Technology: Tamil Nadu government has declared Coimbatore as the number two city for IT industry in the state of Tamil Nadu. As early as 1998, Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) setup the first satellite earth station at KG Campus and major IT and BPO company KGiSL [www.kgisl.com] is situated in KGCampus. IT major, Cognizant Technology solutions has setup operations in the STPI park located in Kumaraguru College of Technology. India's largest IT firm TCS has also setup operations in Coimbatore. German major Robert-Bosch has selected Coimbatore for it's second development centre after Bangalore.

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People and culture

The people of Coimbatore are known for their hospitality and are well educated and polite. The city is a multicultural society with a lot of Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam speaking people. Also Rajasthanis and Gujrathis are found in large numbers.

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

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

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

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Religion

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

Even though Coimbatore is not a pilgrimage center or a place of religious significance, there are still a number of noteworthy Temples. Some of the more important Temples include the Lord Shiva (Patteswarar) temple at Perur, The Sri Murugan Temple at Marthumalai, the Thandumariamman Temple, the Arulmigu Eachanari Vinayagar Temple at Eachanari [1], Arulmigu Koniamman Temple, the Sivan Temple at Poondi. Some modern Temples include the Dhyanalinga Multireligious Temple and the local ISKCON [2] Temple, situated near the Airport.

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Universities and colleges

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

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

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Flora and fauna

The Nilgiri's biosphere reserve is an hour's drive from Coimbatore. The Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary [6] is situated at an altitude of 1,400 metres in the Western Ghats near Pollachi, about 90 km from Coimbatore. The Anamalai wildlife sanctuary covers an area of 958 km². Animals like the tiger, elephant, Nilgiri Tahr, sloth bear, black headed oriole can be seen here. Coimbatore also enjoys close proximity with the Mudumalai Wildlife sanctuary (renowned for its elephant rides) and the famed Silent Valley National Park, which is a birdwatchers' paradise.

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Tourist spots

The major tourist sites are

Perur Temple [7]
Then Tirumalai Sri Venkateswara Swamy Vari Alayam [8]
Kovai Kutralam
Marudhamalai Murugan Temple
Top Slip (wildlife sanctuary)
Coonor (hill station)
Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary and
Ooty (hill resort)
Eachanari Vinayaka Temple
Kovai Kutralam water falls at Siruvani, 37 km from Coimbatore city.
Vithekey Falls near semmedu.
Sivan Temple at Poondi
Kovai Kondattam Water Theme Park at Perur
Black Thunder Water Theme Park at Mettupalayam
Thirumoorthi Hills
Botanical Gardens, TNAU
Forest College Museum
Veliangiri temple at Poondi (called the Kailasha of the south, opens only during a particular season every year)
Anubavi Subramaniar temple near Thadagam.