Coimbatore

Overview

Coimbatore is a mill and engineering city in western Tamil Nadu, in Coimbatore district, on the Noyyal river. A Coimbatore tour suits travellers who want a base before the Nilgiris or the Anamalai hills, and people interested in temples and yoga centres. The state tourism board lists November to March as the milder part of the year, with the other months warmer.

The city sits at about 427 m, with the Western Ghats close by and the Palghat Gap, the low pass that opens towards Kerala, to its west. It is the second largest city in the state, and its textile mills earned it the nickname Manchester of South India. Engineering, automotive parts and wet grinders add to that industrial side.

The old temples come first. Marudhamalai is a Murugan shrine on a hill about 15 km north-west of the centre, said to be around 1,200 years old. The Perur Pateeswarar Temple, on the Noyyal in the west of the city, is a Shiva temple with Chola additions from the 10th and 11th centuries and a hall called the Kanaka Sabha. At the Isha Yoga Center, at the foot of the Velliangiri hills, stands the Adiyogi Shiva bust, 34 m (112 ft) high, which Guinness World Records lists as the largest bust sculpture. It was inaugurated on 24 February 2017. In the city itself, the Gass Forest Museum, opened in 1902 on the Forest College campus, shows stuffed wildlife and timber specimens.

Beyond the city, the hills take over. Siruvani, with its dam and cascades, lies about 36 km to the west. Pollachi is some 40 km to the south and leads on to Valparai, which lies about 110 km from Coimbatore. Tamil Nadu Tourism puts Ooty about 88 km from Coimbatore Airport, and the Nilgiri Mountain Railway starts its climb from Mettupalayam, north of the city. Many visitors therefore spend one or two nights in Coimbatore on the way in or out.

The airport is at Peelamedu, and it lies 10 to 15 km from the city centre. The junction station and four main bus terminals handle the rest of the arrivals.

Known for

A 34 m bust at the Isha Yoga Center