Coimbatore

Coimbatore is an industrial city of 2 million people (2020) in Tamil Nadu, often likened to being the Manchester or Detroit of Southern India. It's famous for the manufacture of motor-pump sets and varied engineering goods.

Understand
Coimbatore, also known as Kovai is known for its various industries, engineering goods, textile mills, educational institutions, health care facilities, pleasant weather, friendly culture and hospitality. There is a significant minority of people of North and West Indian origin in Coimbatore, making it cosmopolitan. The Tamil spoken here is called Kongu Tamil. Other languages spoken include English, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada. The citizens are friendly and courteous. It has pleasant, moderate weather throughout the year, with the exception of summer, and so, is similar to a resort town. It is an information-technology hub with new initiatives from the state government. Coimbatore is an orthodox city. It has developed in terms of wealth, however the general populace is still down to earth. People here don't have a flashy lifestyle. Most of all the Coimbatoreans are known for the respect displayed in language towards everyone.

Talk
Tamil is the mothertongue of the majority of the people in Coimbatore though there are people who speak Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada Hindi and Urdu. Unlike other cities in India, few people in Coimbatore can speak Hindi. English is usually understood and spoken.

Get in
The city has six major arterial roads and three National Highways, NH-47 (Kanyakumari-Salem), NH-67 (Nagapattinam-Ooty) and NH-209 (Bangalore-Dindigul) passing through the city. The city has a civil airport at Peelamedu and an Air Force base at Sulur. Broad-gauge trains connect it to all parts of India. A bypass tollway was built to avoid unnecessary traffic into the city.

By train
Coimbatore Junction, the major station in the city is well connected by trains to Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram. Other train stations in the city include Podanur Junction and Coimbatore North Junction.
 * Southern Railway
 * Indian Railway reservations

By bus
There are five major bus stations in Coimbatore from where bus services are available to all major places in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Pondicherry and Andhra Pradesh. All bus stations are inter-connected with local bus services throughout the day.
 * Central Bus station at Gandhipuram (for buses going east and north east to Erode, Gobichettipalayam, Tirupur, Salem, Sathyamangalam and surrounding areas)
 * Singanallur Bus station (for buses to Madurai, Trichy, Karur, Tanjavur and nearby towns)
 * Moffusil Bus Station at Gandhipuram (for express buses to other states and Chennai, Bangalore, Hydrabad, Pondicherry and Tirupati)
 * Ukkadam Bus station (for buses to Palakkad, Trichur, Cochin, Trivandrum, Palani, Pollachi, Udumalpet and other nearby places)
 * MTP Road Bus station (for buses to Mettupalayam, Ooty and Gudalur)

Get around
Getting around Coimbatore is easy. There are public transport buses, auto rickshaws and plenty of taxis available. The minimum charge for cabs is ₹40 and ₹16/₹12 per kilometre for different operators. Public transport is available through buses operated by the state-owned TNSTC and other private operators.

Temples
Temples in and around Coimbatore are:


 * Asia's biggest statue of Lord Ganesha temple in Puliakulam.
 * Perur Pateeswarar Temple (Tamil: அருள்மிகு பட்டீஸ்வரர் திருக்கோயில்) is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva at Perur.
 * Sri Naga Sai Temple in Sai Baba colony Matupaliyam Road (the oldest Sai Baba temple in south India)
 * Sri Ranganathar temple in Karamadai,
 * Then Thiruppathi is near Mettupalayam.
 * Velliengiri hills and temple are famous and historic, which is also known as South Kailash.
 * Perur Pateeswarar Temple (Tamil: அருள்மிகு பட்டீஸ்வரர் திருக்கோயில்) is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva at Perur.
 * Sri Naga Sai Temple in Sai Baba colony Matupaliyam Road (the oldest Sai Baba temple in south India)
 * Sri Ranganathar temple in Karamadai,
 * Then Thiruppathi is near Mettupalayam.
 * Velliengiri hills and temple are famous and historic, which is also known as South Kailash.

Other temples are Ayappan Pooja Sangam in Ramnagar and Ayyappan temple in New Siddhapudur, Sringeri Saradha Koil, Shirdi Sai Baba temple in Saibaba colony, Koniamman temple and Ramar temple in Ramnagar near Gandhipuram bus stand. Isha Yoga Center's Shiva temple - worth visiting -20 km from city.

Do

 * There are three good water theme parks Black Thunder (near Ooty foot hills), Kovai Kondattam (en route to Siruvani Dam), and Maharaja Water Theme Park (near Neelambur, Avinashi Road). The entry fees are ₹300 to 350 for adults, while children get a discount of ₹50-100 per head.

Buy
ATMs are available throughout the city, with most concentrated in the commercial areas like R.S.Puram, Trichy Road and Avanashi Road.

Shopping in Coimbatore is concentrated in the areas of RS Puram, Cross-Cut Road and the Town Hall Area (Oppanakara St, Big Bazaar St, Raja St). Coimbatore, known as the Manchester of South India, is famous for textiles. Shops sell Kanchivaram, Benares and designer sarees at Cross-Cut Road. Coimbatore is also known for its numerous jewellery stores situated along Cross-Cut Road and Town Hall Area. Lee, Arrow, United Colors of Benetton, Levi’s, Reebok, Adidas, Puma, Crocodile, etc. have retail outlets in D.B. Road. There are several huge textile showrooms in the city (RmKV, Pothys, The Chennai Silks, Shree Devi Textiles, Sri Ganapathy silks, Kalyan Sarees, PSR Silks) that sell ethnic wear for the whole family.

Brookefields Mall in Brooke Bond Road is the biggest shopping mall in Coimbatore has branded shops for cloths, apparels, foot wears, eateries (including KFC), cloth showrooms (RmKV), etc. It has a six-screen multiplex cinema.

Nilgiris is South India’s leading chain of retail stores. They have an outlets in R.S. Puram and at Trichy Road. They stock most of the up-market food items like frozen and tinned foods, offering a wide range of grocery, general merchandise and personal-care products. They also offer Gouda, Colby, Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Havarti, Feta, Haloumi and Camembert cheeses made by Acres Wild Cheesemaking Farm, which is in Coonoor.

Sri Krishna Sweets specializes in Indian sweets and is famous for its Mysurpa (a sweet made from lentil flour and ghee).

Eat
When visiting Coimbatore, taste the food and "Siruvani Water". Coimbatore is an ideal stop to rest while on the way to Ooty, Bangalore or Kerala. Sample the best of South Indian Idlis, Dosas, Vada, Chutney and vegetarian rice meal from the Annapoorna Chain of Veg Restaurants, Shree Anandhaas Chain of Veg Restaurants, Aaryaas Veg Restaurant and non-vegetarian food from Kovai Biriyani Hotel, Angannan's, Anjappar, Sampoorna, Rayappas and Thalappas restaurants. Try Krishna Sweets, too, the sweets chain started in this town. Western coffee pubs and fast food outlets Subway, Domino's, Pizza Hut, Baskin Robbins, Marry Brown, Barista, Cafe Coffee Day, and Boomerang are present, too.



Drink
Liquor cannot be found in the department stores or malls. It is regulated by the state government of Tamil Nadu and available through retail outlets controlled by state-owned body TASMAC and in some star hotels and bars. These shops usually close around 22:00, and it is hard to find an overnight party house in the city.

Siruvani water in Coimbatore is considered one of the tastiest natural unprocessed waters on the planet.

Budget
There are many budget hotels near the railway station and bus stand with single rooms between ₹150-350/day.



Splurge


There any many 4- and 5-star hotels in Coimbatore, including:



Stay safe
Coimbatore is safer than other cities in Tamil Nadu. Beware of pickpockets at bus stands. While travelling by bus, keep your valuables safe.

Picnic spots

 * Coimbatore is surrounded by hill ranges and hence several picnic spots for day trips exist. Some of them are: Kovai Kutrallam waterfalls (45 km), Monkey falls (75 km), Athikadavu stream (40 km), Kallar river banks (55 km), Topslip town (90 km), Malampuzha dam (60 km), Thirumurthy waterfalls near Udumalpet(65 km), Dhyanalinga Yogic temple and Isha Yoga centre (35 km), Velliangiri hill temple (37 km), Marudhamalai hill temple (20 km), Vydehi waterfalls (35 km), Bhavani Sagar (55 km), Kodiveri (75 km) and Karunya (32 km). Most of them are not very well known to outsiders and if you go on a working day, the tranquility would be an added advantage. And most of these roads are good, compared to Indian standards.

Other places

 * Mysore, a city of palaces and gardens.
 * Botanical Garden opposite to Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, on the way to Marudhamalai temple.
 * Crocodile Park in Amaravathi is near Udumalpet (65 km). There is also a dam nearby.
 * Hill stations are Ooty (80 km), Valparai near Pollachi has sightseeing and picnic spots, Kodaikanal (180 km).
 * Sanctuaries are Mudumalai Wild Life Sanctuary(150 km), Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary (100 km), Top Slip.
 * Silent Valley national park inside Kerala is one hour's drive from Coimbatore.
 * Tea plantations at Ooty or Munnar.