Bharat at 21:42, 13 March 2026

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{{Short description|History of a city in Tamil Nadu, India}}
{{See also|Timeline of Coimbatore history}}
{{use Indian English|date=May 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}
'''[[Coimbatore]]''' is the second largest city in the Indian state of [[Tamil Nadu]].<ref name="CensusPop">{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/towns/tn_towns.pdf |title=Tamil Nādu - City Population - Cities, Towns & Provinces |publisher=censusindia.gov.in |access-date=27 July 2011}}</ref><ref name="citypop">{{cite web|url=http://www.citypopulation.de/India-TamilNadu.html |title=Tamil Nādu - City Population - Cities, Towns & Provinces - Statistics & Map |publisher=Citypopulation.de |access-date=23 September 2009}}</ref><ref name="citylimits">{{cite web |url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/chennai/bill-expand-madurai-kovai-566 |title=Tamil Nādu - Bill to expand madurai and kovai |publisher=Deccan Chronicle.de |access-date=4 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110210204542/http://www.deccanchronicle.com/chennai/bill-expand-madurai-kovai-566 |archive-date=10 February 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> It is a major commercial centre and an industrial hub of Tamil Nadu and is known as the '''Manchester of South India'''.<ref name="theindianexpress_19360627">{{cite news|title=Governor congratulates "Manchester of South India"|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EMA-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=XkwMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6189,9133960&dq=manchester+of+south+india+coimbatore&hl=en|access-date=9 May 2011|newspaper=The Indian Express|date=27 June 1936}}</ref>

== Early and medieval history==
[[File:PERUR_PATTEESHWARAR_TEMPLE.jpg|thumb|The [[Perur Pateeswarar Temple]] was built by [[Karikala Chola]] in the 2nd century CE.{{Citation needed|date=November 2020}}]]
The region was called Kongunadu ruled by semi-independent chieftains who owed nominal allegiance to the [[Chera dynasty|Chera kingdom]] and [[Kongu Nadu|Kongu]] kings. Large quantities of [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] coins and other artifacts discovered in the region attest to the presence of Roman traders. The Coimbatore region is in the middle of the "Roman trail" that extended from [[Muziris]] to [[Arikamedu]].<ref>{{cite news|title= Kovai's Roman connection |url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2009/01/08/stories/2009010850970100.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090125005240/http://hindu.com/mp/2009/01/08/stories/2009010850970100.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=25 January 2009|access-date=9 June 2010|work= [[The Hindu]] |date=8 January 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= On the Roman Trail |url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/01/21/stories/2008012150370500.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110160411/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/01/21/stories/2008012150370500.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 November 2012|access-date=9 June 2010|newspaper= [[The Hindu]] |date=21 January 2008}}</ref> At the end of the Sangam period, the region became a part of the [[Western Ganga Dynasty|Western Ganga kingdom]].<ref name="adigap97">[[#Adiga|Adiga]], p 97</ref><ref name="adigap100">[[#Adiga|Adiga]] p 100</ref><ref name="insc">From the Cakra-Kedara grant, Kodunjeruvu grant (Adiga 2006, p99</ref>

The [[Medieval Cholas]] conquered the region in the 9th century CE. They constructed a highway called "Rajakesari Peruvazhi".<ref>{{cite news|last=Vanavarayar|first=Shankar|title=Scripting history|url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2010/06/21/stories/2010062151120400.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110160431/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2010/06/21/stories/2010062151120400.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 November 2012|access-date=9 May 2011|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=21 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=M|first=Soundariya Preetha|title=Tale of an ancient road|date=30 June 2007}}</ref> During the 9th century CE, Coimbatore was ruled by [[Irulas|Irula]] chief Kovan or Covan during whose reign the city of Coimbatore was constructed, allegedly at the behest of a Chera king who accompanied [[Sundarar]] on a [[pilgrimage]] to the [[Perur Temple|Patteswarar Temple]], Perur.<ref name="thehindu_20050519">{{cite news|title=Know more about Coimbatore|first=M.|last=Allirajan|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2005/05/19/stories/2005051901310300.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060818183230/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2005/05/19/stories/2005051901310300.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 August 2006|access-date=9 June 2010|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=19 May 2005}}</ref> Following the decline of the Cholas, Coimbatore was ruled for brief periods by the [[Pandyas]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Playne|first=Somerset |title=Southern India: its history, people, commerce, and industrial resources|year= 2004|isbn= 978-81-206-1344-7|page= 397|publisher=Asian Educational Services |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8WNEcgMr11kC&pg=PA397}}</ref>


== Anglo-Mysore Wars and Polygar Wars (1768-1802 CE) ==

Coimbatore was coveted by the Mysore sultans as well as British troops during the Anglo-Mysore Wars.<ref name="imperial">{{cite book|title=[[Imperial Gazetteer of India]]|pages=371–372|volume=10|year=1908|publisher=Clarendon Press}}</ref> The city was taken by the forces of the British East India Company in 1768 but were forced to abandon it due to treachery.<ref name="imperial" /> Colonel Fullarton occupied the city in 1783 but later returned to [[Tipu Sultan]] as per the [[Treaty of Mangalore]].<ref name="imperial" /> At the beginning of the [[Third Mysore War]], Coimbatore was, once again, taken by the British.<ref name="imperial" /> Tipu Sultan besieged the city twice and repulsed in the first, he was successful in the second and Coimbatore surrendered in October 1791. The commanders of the garrison, Lieutenant Chalmers and Lieutenant Nash were taken as prisoners to [[Seringapatnam]].<ref name="imperial" /> Coimbatore fell to the British at the end of the [[Third Mysore War]] but was restored to Tipu Sultan at the cessation of hostilities.<ref name="imperial" /> Coimbatore was eventually annexed by the British on the defeat and death of Tipu Sultan in 1799. Coimbatore was taken by the ''Polygars'' in 1800 and was an important stronghold in the [[Polygar Wars]]. It was made capital of [[Coimbatore District (Madras Presidency)|Coimbatore district]] in 1865.<ref name="imperial" />

== British Colonial period (1802-1947 CE) ==
[[File:Page 553 Life in India or Madras, the Neilgherries, and Calcutta.png|thumb|350px|1855 illustration of Bazaar in Coimbatore]]
[[File:Sir Robert Stanes.jpg|thumb|150px|left|Sir Robert Stanes]]
The municipality of Coimbatore was created in 1866 as per the Town Improvements Act 1865 with [[Robert Stanes]] as the first Chairman.<ref name="imperial" /><ref>{{cite news|last=S. Muthiah|author-link=S. Muthiah|title= 'Golden Tips' in the Nilgiris |url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/04/14/stories/2003041400090300.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030701133607/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/04/14/stories/2003041400090300.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 July 2003|access-date=9 June 2010|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=14 April 2003}}</ref> Stanes pioneered the industrialization of Coimbatore, establishing a number of [[textile mills]]. As per the 1871 census, the first in India, Coimbatore had a population of 35,310 and was the tenth largest town in the [[Madras Presidency]].<ref name="imperial" />

Coimbatore was severely affected by the [[Great Famine of 1876–78]] and the [[Famine of 1891-92]]. An earthquake on 8 February 1900 killed nearly 30 inhabitants damaging the Coimbatore jail, a [[Roman Catholic]] chapel and many other buildings.<ref name="thehindu_20050528">{{cite news|title=The perils of the past |url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2005/05/28/stories/2005052802450300.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110161035/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2005/05/28/stories/2005052802450300.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 November 2012|access-date=29 December 2010|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=28 May 2005}}</ref>

Coimbatore experienced a textile boom in the 1920s and 1930s partly abetted by the decline of the textile industry in [[Bombay]]. Growth of the city was also fostered by the construction of the [[Mettur Dam]] in 1934. During this period, road and rail connectivity with Coimbatore was improved considerably facilitating easier transportation of goods. The period 1911-1921 also witnessed the construction of over 15,000 irrigation wells with government loans bringing large chunks of barren land under cultivation.<ref name="frontline_200401">{{cite journal|last=Krishnakumar|first=Asha|date=17–30 January 2004|title=The cotton classic|url=http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2102/stories/20040130004511000.htm|volume=21|issue=2|journal=[[Frontline (magazine)|Frontline]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=July 5, 2010 |title=Coimbatore's rich history |url=https://coimbatorejunction.in/coimbatore-history/ |access-date=2010-07-05 |website=The Coimbatore |language=en}}</ref> Coimbatore was also home to some of the earliest film studios in South India. Rangaswamy Naidu established the [[Central Studios]] in 1935 while [[S. M. Sriramulu Naidu]] set up the [[Pakshiraja Studios]] in 1945.<ref name="reeltime">{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/11/17/stories/2003111700890100.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040414162717/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/11/17/stories/2003111700890100.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 April 2004|title=Reel-time nostalgia|author=M. Allirajan|date=17 November 2003|work=[[The Hindu]]|location=Chennai, India}}</ref>

In 1922, Narayanaswamy Naidu started a workshop to repair cane crushers and cotton ginning machines. Two years later, he established the Dhandayuthapani Foundry to manufacture Agricultural Pumps and Motors.<ref>{{usurped|[https://web.archive.org/web/20081229082917/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2004/02/02/stories/2004020201050100.htm Coimbatore's wealth creators]}}, The Hindu</ref> Around the same time, [[Gopalswamy Doraiswamy Naidu|G. D. Naidu]] started his unique bus service. He is also credited for manufacturing the first electric motor in India. Apart from that, he started a series of Engineering companies and Industrial training institute. In the 1940s, a [[Sheffield University]] graduate, D. Balasundaram Naidu ([[Textool Balasundaram]]) from [[Avarampalayam]] in Coimbatore, started his company Textool to manufacture textile machines of his design. Textool in 50s and 60s was one of the largest companies in South India that designed and manufactures indigenous machines and industrial products. In 1965, another textile family of VLB Naidu group set up [[Mopeds India Ltd]] after a technical collaboration with [[Motobécane]] of France to manufacture their legendary [[Motobécane]] [[Mobylette]] 50 cc [[moped]] under the name [[Suvega]], but, only the central office was in Coimbatore while the plant was set up in [[Tirumala - Tirupati|Tirupathi]].

The Kall Mills and the Somasundra mills were established in 1910. [[Lakshmi Mills|Lakshmi Mills Company]] commenced their operations in 1911 in Papanaickenpalayam. By the 1930s, several textile mills had been established around Coimbatore due to the cheap power offered by the Pykara power station.

[[File:Coimbatore-Junction-1930-Aerial-View.jpg|thumb|right|Railway station, Gopalapuram and Lanka Corner area in 1960s]]

== Post-Independence (1947 CE - present) ==
{{Empty section|date=May 2019}}

==See also==
* [[Timeline of Coimbatore history]]

== Notes ==

{{Reflist|30em}}

== References ==

* {{cite book |last= Adiga|first= Malini|title= The Making of Southern Karnataka: Society, Polity and Culture in the early medieval period, AD 400-1030|orig-year=2006|year= 2006|publisher= Orient Longman|location= Chennai|ref=Adiga}}

{{Coimbatore}}
{{History of India by City}}

[[Category:History of Coimbatore| ]]
[[Category:Coimbatore]]
[[Category:Histories of cities in India]]

History of Coimbatore - Revision history

Bharat at 21:42, 13 March 2026