Gobichettipalayam

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Gobichettipalayam

[[File:|250x250px|frameless|center]]

Settlement type Town
Country India
State
District
Subdivision

Gobichettipalayam (Template:IPA) is a town and municipality in Erode district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Gobichettipalayam taluk. It is situated close to the centre of the South Indian Peninsula at Template:Cvt above sea level, straddled by the Eastern Ghats. It is located Template:Cvt from the district headquarters Erode, Template:Cvt from Tiruppur and Template:Cvt from Coimbatore. Agriculture and textile industries are major contributors to the economy of the town.

The town is a part of Gobichettipalayam constituency that elects its member to the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly and the Tirupur constituency that elects its member of parliament to the Lok Sabha. The town is administered by Gobichettipalayam Municipality, which was established in 1949. Gobichettipalayam has a population of 59,523 as per the 2011 census. It is known as "Mini Kollywood" because of the film production that takes place here and many films in Tamil and other languages have been shot here.

History

A major part of present day Gobichettipalayam was previously known as "Veerapandi Gramam", and documents and records still use that name.[1] The town was part of the country ruled by king Vēl Pāri, who is regarded as one of the Kadai ēzhu vallal (the last seven great patrons).[2] Pariyur, a temple town near Gobichettipalayam was named after him.[3] The region was later ruled by the Cheras and Vijayanagara Empire with the town deriving its name after Gobi Chetti, a Vijayanagara Polygar.[4] It was captured by Tipu Sultan and after Tipu's defeat, British annexed it to their territory.[5] After Indian Independence, the town became part of Madras State, which was later renamed as Tamil Nadu.

Geography and climate

File:Eastern Ghats Gobi Tamil Nadu Aug25 A7CR 06432.jpg
Eastern Ghats north of the town

Gobichettipalayam is located in Kongu Nadu, the northwestern part of Tamil Nadu about Template:Cvt south west of Chennai.[6] The southern slopes of the Eastern Ghats lie north of the town. The Bhavani River traverses across the region.[7] The temperature is moderately warm except during the summer months when it is very hot.[6] Rainfall is moderate to high, unpredictable and unevenly distributed, and the town gets an average annual rainfall of Template:Cvt.[6] The soil mainly consists of black loam, red loam and red sand.[8] In general, the soil in and around the city is fertile and good for agriculture and the surrounding water logged rice fields contribute to the high humidity levels.[6]

Template:Weather box

Demographics

Template:Bar box

According to 2011 census, Gobichettipalayam had a population of 59,523 of which 28,866 are males while 30,657 are females.[9] The town had a sex ratio of 1,062 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929. It had a literacy rate of 85.2%, higher than the national average of 72.99 %.[10] About 4,669 people were under the age of six including 2,364 males and 2,305 females. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 10.74% and 0.08% of the population respectively. The town had a total of 17,064 households and 25,225 engaged workers.[11]

Kongu Vellalar form a major proportion of the population.[2][12] There are also a significant number of Sengunthar, Vanniyar, Dalit, Nadar and Vettuva Gounder.[13][14] As per the religious census of 2011, the town had 90.3% Hindus, 7.1% Muslims, 2.5% Christians and 0.1% others.[15]

Administration and politics

Administrative officials
Title Name
Chairman N. R. Nagaraj[16]
MLA Vacant
MP K. Subbarayan[17]

The town is administered by the Gobichettipalayam Municipality. The municipal body was constituted on 1 October 1949 and was elevated to Grade II on 10 February 1970. It was later upgraded to first Grade on 1 October 1977 and Selection Grade on 2 December 2008.[18] In 1952, the municipality under then chairman G. S. Lakshman Iyer, was amongst the foremost in the country to have abolished manual scavenging.[19]

The town is part of the Gobichettipalayam assembly constituency that elects a member to the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly.[20] The town was part of the Gobichettipalayam parliamentary constituency until 2009. After a delimination exercise by the Election Commission of India, the Gobichettipalayam assembly constituency became part of the newly formed Tirupur Lok Sabha constituency.[21]

Transport

The municipality has Template:Cvt of roads of which Template:Cvt is owned by the State Highways Department.[6] The town is well connected by roads with the major arterial roads including State Highway 81, State Highway 15, State Highway 15A. The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation operates a depot as a part of the Coimbatore division of TNSTC. Buses ply to all major towns and cities within Tamil Nadu and neighboring state of Karnataka. KSRTC buses also connect to the town due to its proximity to Karnataka.

The nearest major railway station is Erode Junction located Template:Convert from the town. A proposal to construct a railway line connecting Mysore with Erode via Gobichettipalayam was mooted during the British rule in 1915. Four official surveys were made in 1922, 1936, 1942 and as recently as 2008, but the plan failed to take off due to the concerns of railway line passing through the Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary.[22][23] The nearest airport is Coimbatore International Airport, located Template:Cvt from the town. The airport has regular flights from/to major domestic destinations and international destinations like Sharjah, Colombo and Singapore.[24]

Education

Template:Main

Gobichettipalayam has a good educational infrastructure. Notable schools include Diamond Jubilee Higher Secondary School, which was established over 100 years ago and was visited by Mahatma Gandhi, and Shree Vidyalaya, which has a full-time dyslexic center.[25][26] The town is home to Gobi Arts and Science College, one of the oldest arts colleges in the state.[27] The city itself has only a few colleges, but its proximity to Coimbatore and Erode makes it an ideal educational hub.

Economy

File:Westernghats river gobi.jpg
Bhavani River which irrigates most of the lands around the town.

The town has been described by the government as "bi-functional", with 31% of the work force engaged in agriculture, 56% in trading and other activities and 13% in industry.[6] A number of banks have their branches in the town with private banker ICICI Bank establishing its third branch in Tamil Nadu here. The economy is predominantly dependent on agriculture.[28] The economy of Gobichettipalayam centers on agriculture, with paddy, sugarcane, plantain, tobacco and turmeric being the principal crops.[1] There are regulated market places run by the Government of India for the trade of agricultural products mainly turmeric, copra and bananas.[13] The town is known for its greenery which attracts cine industry. It is known as "Mini Kollywood" because of the film production that takes place here and many films in Tamil and other languages have been shot here.[13]

Gobichettipalayam is one of the leading producers of silk cocoon in the country.[28] Mulberry cultivation has increased in the recent years and a silk research extension center was established by the Government of Tamil Nadu in collaboration with the Central Silk Board.[29] India's second automated silk reeling unit was established here in 2008.[30] A large number of spinning mills have come up in to support to the weaving and knitwear to supplement Tirupur. IT and BPO sectors are also developing with a few start up companies based out of the town.[31] Other industries include cotton textiles, motors, pumps, automobile spares, textile machinery manufacturing, castings and machined parts.

Culture

Kongu Tamil, a dialect of Tamil is the language spoken by majority of the people.[32][33] English is used as an official language along with Tamil. Other languages spoken include Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu. The cuisine is predominantly South Indian with rice as its base. Most locals still retain their rural tradition, with many restaurants still serving food on a banana leaf. Idly, dosa, vada-sambar and biryani are popular among the locals.[34][35]

Places of interest

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 District Profile. Gobichettipalayam.com. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Census of India, 1961: Madras{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Manager of Publications(1968)
  3. ↑ About Kondathu Kaliamman Temple. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  4. ↑ Madras District Gazetteers: Salem. by Ramaswami, A{{#if:Baliga|, Baliga}. Madras State, Printed by the Superintendent, Govt. Press(1967)
  5. ↑ Indian great votes: Local Sabha & Mane Sabha elections 2001-2005{{#if:Rana|, Rana}. Sarup & Sons(1 January 2006). ISBN 978-81-7625-647-6
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 About the Municipality. Government of Tamil Nadu. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  7. ↑ Erode district. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  8. ↑ Kongu Nadu, a History Up to A.D. 1400{{#if:Manickam|, Manickam}. University of Michigan(2001)
  9. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Pop
  10. ↑ Gobichettipalayam Town Population Census 2011. Government of India. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  11. ↑ Template:Cite report
  12. ↑ Journal of Indian history{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. University of Michigan(1955)
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Gobichettipalayam likely to go for tried and tested AIADMK again. Times of India(13 May 2016). Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  14. ↑ The Irula language{{#if:Zvelebil|, Zvelebil}. Harrassowitz(1982). ISBN 978-3-447-02247-7
  15. ↑ Template:Cite report
  16. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Chair
  17. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named MP
  18. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named GMC
  19. ↑ TN Guv urges people to lead simple life(29 April 2018). Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  20. ↑ Template:Cite report
  21. ↑ Template:Cite report
  22. ↑ Sathyamangalam Chamrajnagar railway line only after clearance. The Hindu(10 March 2008). Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  23. ↑ Locals protest rail line through forest, suggest alternative route. The Times of India(28 February 2013). Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  24. ↑ Coimbatore Airport. airportsindia.org. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  25. ↑ Aided schools come under RTI Act, rules Madras High Court. The Hindu(18 April 2007). Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  26. ↑ Template:Cite report
  27. ↑ Gobi Arts and Science College Profile. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Productivity{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. National Productivity Council(1999)
  29. ↑ Sericulture - Brief Note on Sericulture. Tnsericulture.gov.in(31 March 2012). Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  30. ↑ Tamil Nadu's first automatic silk reeling unit opened. The Hindu(24 August 2008). Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  31. ↑ Incubators rev up new-age firms. Times of India(12 March 2015). Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  32. ↑ Toponomy of Canara{{#if:Silva|, Silva}. University of Michigan(1963)
  33. ↑ Tamil̲umaiṅakilēcumāyirukakir̲a akarāti{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Oxford University(1809)
  34. ↑ Serving on a banana leaf. ISKCON. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  35. ↑ The Benefits of Eating Food on Banana Leaves(9 March 2015).
  36. ↑ Maṇimēkalai{{#if:Holmstrom|, Holmstrom}. Orient Blackswan(1996). ISBN 9788125010135
  37. ↑ Remembering a great man. The Hindu. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  38. ↑ G. V. Loganathan, profile. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  39. ↑ Casteism is all-pervasive: K Bhagyaraj. Deccan Chronicle(31 January 2020). Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  40. ↑ K.A. Sengottaiyan (AIADMK), Gobichettipalayam, Erode District. Government of Tamil Nadu. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  41. ↑ Article of Association of Bannari Amman Sugars. bannari.com.com. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  42. ↑ Tamil Nadu Election Results. Retrieved 29 December 2015.

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Template:Gobichettipalayam Template:Erode district

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