Coimbatore District was one of the
districts of the erstwhile
Madras Presidency of
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
. It covered the areas of the present-day districts of
Coimbatore,
Erode
Erode () is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Erode is the seventh largest urban agglomeration in the state, after Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirapalli, Tiruppur and Salem. It is also the administrative headquarters of the ...
and
Tirupur
Tiruppur or Tirupur ( ) is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Tiruppur is the administrative headquarters of Tiruppur district and the fifth largest city as well as an urban agglomeration in Tamil Nadu. Located on the banks of Noyyal ...
and the
Kollegal
Kollegal is one of the major taluks in the Chamarajanagara District of Karnataka State in the south of India. It is also the largest taluk in Karnataka, Kollegal is well known for its silk industry which attracts traders from all over the stat ...
taluk of present-day
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
. It covered a total area of and was sub-divided into 10 taluks. The administrative headquarters was
Coimbatore city. Most of Coimbatore's inhabitants were Tamil-speaking but there were also large numbers of Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada speaking people.
History
Coimbatore was a part of the ancient
Chera kingdom during the
Sangam Age
The Sangam period or age (, ), particularly referring to the third Sangam period, is the period of the history of ancient Tamil Nadu, Kerala and parts of Sri Lanka (then known as Tamilakam) spanning from c. 6th century BCE to c. 3rd century CE. ...
. After the Chera kingdom fell, the region was ruled by the
Western Gangas
Western Ganga was an important ruling dynasty of ancient Karnataka in India which lasted from about 350 to 1000 CE. They are known as "Western Gangas" to distinguish them from the Eastern Gangas who in later centuries ruled over Kalinga (mo ...
and the
Hoysalas
The Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur, but was later moved ...
. Coimbatore came under Muslim rule in the 13th century AD and was a province of the
Vijayanagar Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana and ...
. After the fall of the Vijayanagar Empire, Coimbatore was ruled by the
Madurai Nayaks till 17th century. A series of wars between the Kingdoms of
Kingdom of Mysore of
Madurai Nayak dynasty resulted in the region coming under the control of
Mysore
Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...
kings till the defeat of Tipu Sultan in the
Third Mysore War
The Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790–1792) was a conflict in South India between the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company, the Kingdom of Travancore, the Maratha Empire, and the Nizam of Hyderabad. It was the third of four Anglo- ...
in 1792, Coimbatore became a part of British India.
The district was founded in 1805. In 1868
Nilgiri District was segregated. The
Avinashi taluk
Avinashi taluk is a taluk of Tirupur district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest ...
was formed when
Karur
Karur () is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Karur is the administrative headquarters of Karur district. It is located on the banks of Amaravathi River, River Amaravathi, Kaveri and Noyyal.
Karur is well known for the export of Home Te ...
was separated from the district and merged with
Trichinopoly District. In 1927 and 1929 other readjustments were made. In 1956 the
Kollegal taluk was transferred to
Mysore State
Mysore State, colloquially Old Mysore, was a state within the Dominion of India and the later India, Republic of India from 1947 until 1956. The state was formed by renaming the Kingdom of Mysore, and Bangalore replaced Mysore as the state's c ...
. In 1975 and 1979 some subtaluks were promoted to taluks, including
Satyamangalam
Sathyamangalam (also known as Sathy) is a town and municipality in Erode district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. 8 th century Town. It lies on the banks of the River Bhavani, a tributary of the River Cauvery in the foothills of the West ...
,
Perundurai
Perundurai is a Special Grade Town Panchayat in Erode district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Perundurai is the only special grade town panchayat among 42 in the district. Perundurai has developed as the industrial center with SIPCOT Indus ...
and
Mettupalayam, so that Coimbatore district ended up with 12 taluks, but before the end of 1979 the six taluks of
Bhavani
Bhavānī (also known as Bhāvya, Tulajā, Turajā, Tvarita, Aṃbā, Jagadambā and Aṃbē) is manifestation of Adi Shakti (Durga). Bhavani translates to "giver of life", meaning the power of nature or the source of creative energy. She is co ...
,
Gopichettipalaiyam,
Satyamangalam
Sathyamangalam (also known as Sathy) is a town and municipality in Erode district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. 8 th century Town. It lies on the banks of the River Bhavani, a tributary of the River Cauvery in the foothills of the West ...
,
Erode
Erode () is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Erode is the seventh largest urban agglomeration in the state, after Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirapalli, Tiruppur and Salem. It is also the administrative headquarters of the ...
,
Perundurai
Perundurai is a Special Grade Town Panchayat in Erode district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Perundurai is the only special grade town panchayat among 42 in the district. Perundurai has developed as the industrial center with SIPCOT Indus ...
and
Dharapuram
Dharapuram (;) is a town situated along the banks of Amaravati River in Tiruppur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Dharapuram is one of the oldest towns in South India and was the capital of Kongu Nadu under the Cheras, Western ...
, were segregated to form
Erode district. The remaining six taluks became nine after two new ones were established and a further one was bifurcated.
Taluks
Coimbatore district was sub-divided into 10 taluks:
* Bhavani (Area: ; Headquarters: Bhavani)
* Coimbatore (Area: ; Headquarters: Coimbatore)
* Dharapuram (Area: ; Headquarters: Dharapuram)
* Erode (Area: ; Headquarters: Erode)
* Karur (Area: ; Headquarters: Karur)
* Kollegal (Area: ; Headquarters: Kollegal)
* Palladam (Area: ; Headquarters: Palladam)
* Pollachi (Area: ; Headquarters: Pollachi)
* Satyamangalam (Area: ; Headquarters: Gobichettipalayam)
* Udamalpet (Area: ; Headquarters: Udamalpet)
Administration
Coimbatore district was divided into 4 sub-divisions:
* Coimbatore sub-division: Coimbatore and Sathyamangalam taluks
* Erode sub-division: Bhavani, Dharapuram, Erode and Karur taluks
* Kollegal sub-division: Kollegal taluk
* Pollachi sub-division: Pollachi, Palladam and Udumalpet
See also
*
History of Coimbatore
References
{{coord, 11, 15, N, 77, 19, E, region:IN_type:landmark_source:kolossus-svwiki, display=title
Districts of the Madras Presidency
Coimbatore district
1805 establishments in British India