Gobichettipalayam

Gobichettipalayam (Tamil: [koːbitɕtɕeʈʈippaːɭaɪjam]) is the Selection grade municipality in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Gobichettipalayam taluk. It is situated at the center of the South Indian Peninsula, 35 kilometres (22 mi) from the district headquarters Erode, 44 kilometres (27 mi) from Tiruppur and 80 kilometres (50 mi) from Coimbatore. Agriculture and textile industries contribute majorly to the economy of the town and the town is situated at 213 metres (699 ft) above sea level, surrounded by Western Ghats. The town is a part of Gobichettipalayam constituency and the Tirupur constituency that elects its member of parliament. The town is administered by a municipality established in 1949 and has a population of 65,238 as of 2011. It is known as "Mini Kollywood" because of the film shooting that takes place here and many films in Tamil and other languages have been shot.

Gobichettipalayam entrance arch

Gobichettipalayam
Gobi
Town
Clockwise from top: Bhavani River with Western Ghats, Pariyur Kondathu Kaliamman Temple, paddy fields, Kodiveri Dam, Cutchery Medu and Maha Muniappan
Clockwise from top: Bhavani River with Western Ghats, Pariyur Kondathu Kaliamman Temple, paddy fields, Kodiveri Dam, Cutchery Medu and Maha Muniappan
Nickname(s): 
Chinna Kodambakkam (Mini Kollywood)[1] and The Green City
Gobichettipalayam is located in Tamil Nadu
Gobichettipalayam
Gobichettipalayam
Gobichettipalayam, Tamil Nadu
Coordinates: 11°27′17.6″N 77°26′11.4″E
CountryIndia
StateTamil Nadu
RegionKongu Nadu
DistrictErode District
Founded as Municipality1949
Government
  BodyGMC
  Chairmanvacant
  Member of the Legislative AssemblyK. A. Sengottaiyan
  Member of ParliamentK.Subbarayan
Elevation
241 m (791 ft)
Population
 (2011)
  Total65,238
Languages
  OfficialTamil
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
638452, 638476
Telephone code91(04285)
Vehicle registrationTN 36
Literacy74%
Lok Sabha constituencyTiruppur
Vidhan Sabha constituencyGobichettipalayam
Planning agencyGMC
ClimateTropical climate (Köppen)
Avg. annual temperature28 °C (82 °F)
Avg. summer temperature34.3 °C (93.7 °F)
Avg. winter temperature24 °C (75 °F)
WebsiteGobi Municipality

History

A major part of present Gobichettipalayam was previously known as "Veerapandi Gramam", and documents and records still use that name.[2] 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).[3] Pariyur, a temple town near Gobichettipalayam was named after him. The land 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]

Demographics

According to 2011 census, Gobichettipalayam had a population of 65,238 with a sex-ratio of 1,062 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929.[6] A total of 4,669 were under the age of six, constituting 2,364 males and 2,305 females. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 10.74% and 0.08% of the population respectively. The average literacy of the city was 78.52%, compared to the national average of 72.99%.[6] The city had a total of 17064 households. There were a total of 25,225 workers, comprising 512 cultivators, 2,035 main agricultural labourers, 637 in house hold industries, 21,070 other workers, 971 marginal workers, 15 marginal cultivators, 308 marginal agricultural labourers, 57 marginal workers in household industries and 591 other marginal workers.[7]

The population is dominated by the Kongu Vellalar community.[3][8] There are a significant number of Senguntha Mudaliars, Vanniyars, Dalits, Nadars and Vettuva Gounders.[1][9] As per the religious census of 2011, Gobichettipalayam had 90.3% Hindus, 7.1% Muslims, 2.5% Christians and 0.1% others.[10]

Administration

The town is administered by the Gobichettipalayam Municipality. The muincipal 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.

Politics

The town elects a Member to the legislative assembly. It is currently represented by education minister K. A. Sengottaiyan of AIADMK.[11] Gobichettipalayam was a parliamentary constituency until 2009 and was replaced by the newly formed Tirupur constituency during delimitation by Election Commission of India. After the delimination, Gobichettipalayam assembly constituency is part of the Tirupur constituency.[12]

Transport

The municipality of Gobichettipalayam has 67.604 kilometres (42.007 mi) of roads of which 6.6 kilometres (4.1 mi) is owned by the State Highways Department.[13] 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 38 kilometres (24 mi) 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.[14][15] The nearest airport is Coimbatore International Airport, located 74 kilometres (46 mi) from the town. The airport has regular flights from/to major domestic destinations and international destinations like Sharjah, Colombo and Singapore.[16]

Geography and climate

Western Ghats as seen from the outskirts of Gobichettipalayam

Gobichettipalayam is located in Kongu Nadu, the northwestern part of Tamil Nadu about 400 kilometres (250 mi) south west of Chennai. Western Ghats forms the border of the region resulting several hill locks and Bhavani River traverses across the region. The temperature is moderately warm in Gobichettipalayam, except during the summer months when it is very hot.[13] Rainfall is moderate to high, unpredictable and unevenly distributed. The average annual Rainfall of Gobichettipalayam is 92cms.[13] The soil mainly consists of black loam, red loam and red sand.[17] In general, the soil in and around the city is fertile and good for agriculture purposes and the surrounding water logged rice fields contribute to the high humidity levels.[13]

Climate data for Gobichettipalayam
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 30
(86)
32
(90)
35
(95)
35
(95)
34
(93)
31
(88)
30
(86)
31
(88)
32
(90)
31
(88)
29
(84)
29
(84)
32
(90)
Average low °C (°F) 18
(64)
19
(66)
21
(70)
23
(73)
23
(73)
22
(72)
22
(72)
22
(72)
22
(72)
22
(72)
21
(70)
19
(66)
22
(72)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 14
(0.6)
12
(0.5)
19
(0.7)
53
(2.1)
76
(3.0)
38
(1.5)
57
(2.2)
42
(1.7)
56
(2.2)
153
(6.0)
123
(4.8)
50
(2.0)
693
(27.3)
Source: Erode district collectorate

Education

Gobichettipalayam has a good educational infrastructure. Notable schools are Diamond Jubilee Higher Secondary School, established over 100 years ago and visited by Mahatma Gandhi and Shree Vidyalaya, which has a full-time dyslexic center.[18][19] The town is home to Gobi Arts and Science College, one of the oldest arts colleges in the state.[20] The city itself has only a few engineering colleges, but its proximity to Coimbatore and Erode makes it an ideal educational hub.

Economy

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.[13] 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.[21] The economy of Gobichettipalayam centers on agriculture, with paddy, sugarcane, plantain, tobacco and turmeric being the principal crops.[2] The taluk is known for its lush green paddy fields which attracts cine industry. Gobichettipalayam is well known for its plantain cultivation and the production of coconuts. There are regulated market places run by the Government of India for the trade of agricultural products mainly turmeric, copra and bananas.[1]

Gobichettipalayam is one of the leading producers of silk cocoon in the country.[21] 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.[22] India's second automated silk reeling unit was established in here in 2008.[23] 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.[24] Other industries include cotton textiles, motors, pumps, automobile spares, textile machinery manufacturing, castings and machined parts.

Karuppu Sami, regional Tamil deity

Culture

Kongu Tamil, a dialect of Tamil is the language spoken by majority of the people. English is used as an official language along with Tamil. Other languages spoken include Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu. Gobichettipalayam 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.

Places of interest

Notable people

See also

References

  1. Kumaran, Senthil (13 May 2016). "Gobichettipalayam likely to go for tried and tested AIADMK again". Times of India. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  2. "District Profile". Gobichettipalayam.com. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  3. India. Office of the Registrar General (1968). Census of India, 1961: Madras. Manager of Publications. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  4. Baliga, B. S. (1967). Madras District Gazetteers: Salem. by Ramaswami, A. Madras State, Printed by the Superintendent, Govt. Press. p. 64. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  5. Rana, Mahendra Singh (1 January 2006). Indian great votes: Local Sabha & Mane Sabha elections 2001-2005. Sarup & Sons. p. 399. ISBN 978-81-7625-647-6. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  6. Census Info 2011 Final population totals (Report). Office of The Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  7. Census Info 2011 Final population totals - Gobichettipalayam (Report). Office of The Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  8. Journal of Indian history. University of Michigan. 1955. p. 6.
  9. Zvelebil, Kamil Veit (1982). The Irula language. Harrassowitz. p. 46. ISBN 978-3-447-02247-7.
  10. Population By Religious Community - Tamil Nadu (XLS) (Report). Office of The Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2011. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  11. "List of MLAs from Tamil Nadu" (PDF). Chief Electoral Officer, Tamil Nadu. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  12. "List of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies" (PDF). Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 October 2008. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
  13. "About the Municipality". Government of Tamil Nadu. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  14. "Sathyamangalam Chamrajnagar railway line only after clearance". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 10 March 2008. Archived from the original on 13 March 2008. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  15. "Locals protest rail line through forest, suggest alternative route". The Times of India. 28 February 2013. Archived from the original on 27 March 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  16. "Coimbatore Airport". airportsindia.org. Archived from the original on 4 August 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  17. Manickam, V (2001). Kongu Nadu, a History Up to A.D. 1400. University of Michigan. p. 40.
  18. "Aided schools come under RTI Act, rules Madras High Court". The Hindu. Chennai. 18 April 2007. Archived from the original on 2 December 2007. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  19. Government Examinations (PDF). Government of Tamil Nadu (Report). Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  20. "Gobi Arts and Science College Profile". Dinamalar. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  21. Productivity. National Productivity Council. 1999. pp. 139–40. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  22. "Sericulture - Brief Note on Sericulture". Tnsericulture.gov.in. 31 March 2012. Archived from the original on 27 May 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  23. "Tamil Nadu's first automatic silk reeling unit opened". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 24 August 2008. Archived from the original on 26 August 2008. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  24. Hariharan, Sindhu (12 March 2015). "Incubators rev up new-age firms". Times of India. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  25. "Remembering a great man". The Hindu. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  26. "Article of Association of Bannari Amman Sugars" (PDF). bannari.com.com. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  27. "Tamil Nadu Election Results" (PDF). Election Commission of India. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  28. Holmstrom, Lakshmi (1996). Maṇimēkalai. Orient Blackswan. p. 182. ISBN 9788125010135. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  29. "K.A. Sengottaiyan (AIADMK), Gobichettipalayam, Erode District". Government of Tamil Nadu. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  30. "G. V. Loganathan, profile". acolumbinesite.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.