Coimbatore is a city which is best popularized due to its prominence in industries such as engineering, textiles, education and health care centres. Within the state, it is also very well known that Coimbatore enjoys great weather coupled with an extremely friendly culture and hospitality values. Due to the presence of North and Western Indian origin, there is an almost cosmopolitan feels and aura amongst the city. Coimbatore also known as Kovai to the locals is one of the most prominent cities in the state of Tamil Nadu. After the capital of the state, Chennai, Coimbatore is the second biggest city in the state and 16th biggest city out of the whole of India with a population of over two million residents. Due to its stature of being an important industrial city, it is one of the quickest growing cities in India. Because of the city's vast textile and cotton production, Coimbatore is often referred to as the 'Manchester' of India due to the budding industry. Within India, it is also often known as 'Pump City' due to the fact that it produces and supplies over two-thirds of the countries vehicle motors and pumps. As well as being a big manufacturing city, it is also one of the main exporters of jewelry, poultry and vehicle components. The river flowing through the city is the Noyyal River whilst it is also encircled by the Western Ghats. Coimbatore's history includes it being the old capital city of the Kongu Nadu which was seen over and ruled by the Cheras. The reason it was named as the capital city of the empire was due to its location of being an entrance to the east of Palakkad Gap, which just so happened to be the main trade line between the west and the state of Tamil Nadu. In the Roman era, the city was also the middle of the trade route which went from Muzuris to South India. During the 15th century, the city was ruled over by the Vijayanagara Empire and then closely followed by the Nayaks rule, who whilst in power created and brought in a Palayakkarar system which meant that the Kongu Nadu region was to be separated into 24 different Palayams. Further history of the city includes the rule by the Kingdom of Mysore in the late 18th century and then following the Anglo-Mysore wars, the city was taken over by the British East India Company, who in 1799 annexed the city to the Madras Presidency. Two years later during the Poligar War, Coimbatore was a major player due to it being an area of operations for the Dheeran Chinnamalai. Only since the 19th century did Coimbatore started to shine due to the expansion and rapid rise of its textile industry that has attributed to the city seeing incredible growth all thanks to industrialisation. To further demonstrate just how far Coimbatore has come and the power it holds within the country today, in 2014, the city was voted as the best emerging city in India. Coimbatore was also voted in fourth place among best cities to invest. Best Season to visit Coimbatore Nestled in the southern region of India, Coimbatore is an incredible city that enjoys a very moderate climate throughout the year. The best time to visit Coimbatore is from September to March. Getting There The city has an international airport roughly four miles from the city, with connections from domestic and international locations. From the airport, there are prepaid taxi's which will take you to your accommodation. For visitors arriving by train, the city is very well connected to all major cities. There are also frequent buses going from and to the city to most places across the state. Tourist Attractions Anjaneyar Kovil - Anjaneyar Kovil, also know as Sri Ashtamsa Varadha Anjaneyar Temple to locals is a beautifully constructed Hindu temple that was built and dedicated to Hanuman. The idol of the deity situated in the temple is made purely from Salagrama stone. A legend from the inside of the temple suggests that Lakshmi, the Hindu Goddess touches the devoted people from the right palm of Hanuman which is situated facing north in the direction of the God of Wealth, Kubera. The prominent deity of the temple is situated facing to the west side, and its image is depicted as posing to Abhaya Mudra with his right hand whilst embracing a club in the left. During the spiritual celebration that is Tamil New Year, over 10,000 fruits are offered and made to the deity. During the Tamil months of Purattasi, Vadai Malai, Muthangi Sevai, Swarnamayam, Swaya Roopam and Chenduram are offered to God each Saturday. The Dhyanalinga – The Dhyanalinga is a temple of a Yogic nature which bears close association with Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, who was a notable yogi and mystic. The temple is used primarily for meditation and makes for the perfect place due to absolute required within the temple at all times. The people who constructed and own the temple maintain that the temple is unique due to a powerful energy which generated a filtered essence of sciences of a yogic nature and was a pioneer is that it was the first to be built of its kind in over 200 centuries. For visitors who are interested in the powers of meditation, then the temple has a meditation space that allows for all faiths and beliefs. Athar Jamad Masjid - The Athar Jamad Masjid Is the cities central mosque and is also known as the Big Mosque to the locals because of its stature. Throughout the whole city the Big Mosque is one of the oldest and well-preserved mosques and is modern day testament to the history of Coimbatore. The mosque takes its name from Athar, who by trade was a perfume merchant, and a migrant from Tirunelveli and is the pioneer for constructing such an impressive building. From the very first day of work to its final completion, it was finally completed in 1904, after 44 long years of hard work. The mosque is made up from a mixture of materials including limestone and mortar whilst it got its glow from old egg white. Inside of the mosque lies a covered ablution pond in one corner and a library in the other. The mosque also has kitchen facilities for the preparation of rice soup for visitors. Eachanari Vinayagar Temple - The Eachanari Vinayagar Temple is a temple that was constructed and then dedicated to Vinayagar, who was a Hindu God. The temple isn't actually located in the city itself, but it is only a small distance of 7 miles away. Legend states that when Vinayaga was traveling from Madurai in a cart which was due to be used for installation at nearby Perur Pateeswarar temple, the cart broke and it became seated in the place which is where the Eachanari Vinayagar Temple is today. Subramaniyaswami Temple - The Subramaniyaswami Temple, which to locals is also know as Marudhamalai is one of the main hill temples in the city and is a temple which was built and dedicated to Murugan, who is a Hindu God. The temple was built on hillrock and lies roughly seven miles away from the city. Situated close by is also a temple for Pillayar whilst there is also a deep cave which is known as Paambaatti Sitthar Kugai which is dedicated to Sitthar, who was a former resident to the cave. Must Do Activities Whilst visiting the city, one of the must do activities is to check out the water parks. There are three parks situated close to the city and all will assure you of having a great and fun time. Entrance fee's to the park are extremely cheap with a whole host of pools and slides to exploit. As you would expect from such a leading industrial town, shopping can be rather enjoyable in the city with many fantastic and unique items available, all out remarkably cheap prices. The main shopping areas of Coimbatore are in the Town Hall area of the city and also at Cross-Cut Street where tourists will be able to find a whole host of goods such as sarees, Benares and Kanchivaram. When people visit India, they instantly believe that the water from the tap is contaminated and proceed to buy bottled water for the duration of their stay. However, in Coimbatore, one of the great features of the city is the siruvani water which is widely believe to be the tastiest water in the world. So make the most of this natural water and don't waste money buying bottled water. Accommodation There are many hotels throughout the city which can accommodate to travellers of all budgets. There are many budget hotels with basic facilities and also prime ones for those who wish to indulge. Recommended hotels are as follows; Hotel City Tower Dunag Springs Service Apartments Kanimani lodge Hotel Prince Gardens Famed for being one of the most important and vital cities throughout India due to its budding industries, Coimbatore is a city on the up and it's rise to prominence is of no surprise. Not merely just an industrial town, Coimbatore offers a whole array culture and tradition as well as impeccable and ancient architecture. With an extremely interesting history and some of the finest natural water on the earth, it is no wonder tourists are flocking to the city more and more each year.
