COIMBATORE(Manchester of SouthIndia)-Kovai-History and Etymology

Coimbatore, one of a major metropolitan city, located on the banks of the Noyyal River and surrounded by the Western Ghats.

The Manchester of South India as it is a hub of textile industry in South India.

The World Classical Tamil Conference 2010 was held in Coimbatore.

Coimbatore Day is celebrated every year on NOVEMBER 24.

ETYMOLOGY:

According to one theory, "Coimbatore" is a derivation of Kovanputhur (literally 'new town of Kovan'), after chieftain Kovan or Koyan, evolved into Koyampuththoor and later anglicised as Coimbatore. Koyamma, the goddess worshipped by Koyan evolved into Koniamma and later Kovaiamma. Another theory states that the name could have been derived from Kovaiamma.

HISTORY:

Coimbatore was part of Kongu Nadu during the Sangam period and was ruled by the Cheras.
The region was ruled by Vijayanagara Empire in the 15th century followed by the Nayaks who introduced the Palayakkarar system under which Kongu Nadu region was divided into 24 Palayams. Podanur Junction is the oldest Railway station in Coimbatore City. 

THE MANCHESTER CITY:

The decline of the cotton industry in Mumbai fuelled an economic boom in Coimbatore in the 1920s and 1930s.The Manchester of South India as it is a hub of textile industry in South India.
The city is one of the largest exporters of jewellery, wet grinders, poultry and auto components. 
The "Coimbatore Wet Grinder" and the "Kovai Cora Cotton" are recognised as Geographical Indications by the Government of India. 

THE WORLD HERITAGE SITE:

Because of its location in the biodiversity hotspot of the Western Ghats, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city is rich in fauna and flora. The Coimbatore urban wetlands harbours around 116 species of birds, of which 66 are resident, 17 are migratory and 33 are local migrants.

The northern part of the city has a rich tropical evergreen forest with commercially significant trees such as teak, sandalwood, rosewood and bamboo. 
There are several amusement parks around the city: 
Singanallur Lake is a popular tourist place and bird watcher destination.

FOOD CULTURE:

Coimbatore has an active street food culture and various cuisine options for dining.
Arisi paruppu sadam made from a mixture of dal and rice, is a recipe that existed from the fourth century AD that is unique to the area. Ariseemparuppu or arisi paruppu satham (literally translated as Rice and dal) originated from Coimbatore and the people of the city celebrate January 8 as national Aruseemparuppu day, after given light by a popular influencer and food consultant.

Kaalaan is a popular dish prepared by simmering deep-fried mushrooms (usually chopped) in a spicy broth until it reaches a porridge-like consistency; the dish is served sprinkled with chopped onions and coriander leaves.Chaats made from potatoes and a mix of other vegetables and spices are also popular.

SPORT HUB OF INDIA:

Coimbatore is often referred to as "India's Motorsports Hub" and the "Backyard of Indian Motorsports".
Narain Karthikeyan, India's first Formula One driver hails from the city.

The city hosts its own annual marathon called Coimbatore Marathon as an event to raise cancer awareness.
Retired tennis player Nirupama Vaidyanathan, who became the first Indian woman in the modern era to feature and win a round at a main draw Grand Slam in 1998 Australian Open hails from Coimbatore.

Coimbatore District Chess Association (CDCA), established in 1940, is the oldest chess association in the country.

THIRUMALAI NAYAK PALACE, Madurai

Thirumalai Nayak Palace is a 17th-century palace erected in 1636 AD by King Tirumala Nayaka. 

In its heyday, it is considered to be one of the Wonders of the South India.

                           

Thirumalai Nayak was one of the greatest kings notable for various buildings in and around Madurai. 
Over 400 years later many parts of these buildings were suffered much by the destructive effects of war.

King Thirumalai Nayak’s grandson had demolished much of the fine structure and removed most of the jewels and woodcarvings in order to build his own palace in Tiruchirapalli. 

However Lord Napier, the Governor of Madras, had partially restored the palace in 1866-72, and the subsequent restoration works carried out several years ago, today, we get to see the Entrance Gate, The Main Hall and the Dance Hall.

The original complex was four times bigger than the present structure. The palace was divided into two major parts:

• SWARGA VILASAM
• RANGA VILASAM

This Palace is a classic fusion of Italian and Rajput styles. The architecture is a blend of Indigenous and Islamic forms.
The audience chamber of the Svarga Vilasam is a vast hall with arcades about 12 m high. Thirumalai nayakar mahal is famous for its giant pillars. Pillar's height is 82 feet and width is 19 feet.
The courtyard is surrounded by massive circular pillars. Now it has a circular garden.

FORT St GEORGE

Fort St George ( White Town) ,the first English fortress in India, founded in 1639 at the coastal city of Madras.

It gave birth to a new settlement area called George Town (Black Town).
The fort currently houses the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly and other official buildings.

The fort is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India, with the administrative support of Indian Army.

History:

The East India company ,to secure its trade lines and commercial interests purchased a piece of coastal land, originally called Channapatnam. The Company began the construction of a harbour and a fort. The fort was completed on 23 April 1644 at a cost of £3,000 .It also helped to establish English influence over the Carnatic and as well as the French forces, at bay. 

In 2010 the legislature and the secretariat moved to a new location and the old assembly complex was converted into a library for the Central Institute of Classical Tamil. Following the 2011 assembly elections and the return of J Jayalalithaa as the Chief Minister of the State, the Tamil Nadu Assembly and the Secretariat have been restored to Fort St George.

Etymology:

Since the completion of the construction of the fort coincided with            "St George's Day", celebrated in honour of the patron saint of England. The fort, hence christened Fort St George, faced the sea and some fishing villages, and it soon became the hub of merchant activity. 

Construction:

The Fort is a stronghold with 6 metres (20 ft) high walls that withstood a number of assaults in the 18th century.
the fort complex includes,

• The Mueseum

• The Church

• Wellesley house

• Namakkal Kavignar Maaligai

THE MUESEUM:

 The Fort Museum contains many relics of the Raj era, including portraits of many of the Governors of Madras. The objects on display in the museum are the weapons, coins, medals, uniforms and other artefacts from England, Scotland, France and India dating back to the colonial period. Original letters written by Clive and Cornwallis make fascinating reading. However, the piece de resistance is a large statue of Lord Cornwallis. The first ever flag flown after the independence is stored in the third floor of the museum.

THE CHURCH:

St Mary's Church is the oldest Anglican church in India. It was built between 1678 and 1680 on the orders of the then Agent of Madras Streynsham Master. The tombstones in its graveyard are the oldest English or British tombstones in India.

WELLESLEY HOUSE:

It takes its name from Richard Wellesley, Governor General of India, and brother of the Duke of Wellington. The first floor of the building includes the Banqueting Hall, which holds paintings of the Governor of the Fort and other high officials of the Regime. The canons of Tipu Sultan decorate the ramparts of the museum. 

THE FLAG STAFF:

The flag staff at the fort is one of the tallest in the country. It is made of teakwood andit is 150 feet (46 m) high.

                                      

NAMAKKAL KAVIGNAR MAALIGAI:

Namakkal Kavingyar Maaligai is a 10-storeyed building at the campus and is the power centre of state secretariat. It houses offices of the secretaries and departments. 

                                   

CHITHIRAI THIRUVIZHA-Meenakshi kalyanam, the HISTORY of combination of two celebrations

The Meenakshi Tirukalyanam festival, also called Chittirai festival, is celebrated during April–May every yearv for 10 days.

Two different versions of stories exist as the history behind the celebration,

1.THE STORY BELIEVED BY THE NATIVES

It is believed that the Lord Vishnu, as Alagar, the brother of Meenakshi rode on a golden horse from Alagar hills to Madurai to attend the celestial wedding of Meenakshi (Parvati) and Sundareswarar (Shiva).
Before Alagar reaches the wedding, the marriage will be completed and he does not cross the vaigai river. 
This delay was purposely caused by Lord Shiva, and he himself took form of Lord Alagar and performed the "Kanyathanam" of Devi Meenakshi. This was enacted by Lord Shiva to show the World that Vishnu (Alagar) and Shiva are one and the same.
Alagar decided to give all the gifts that he carried to Meenakshi and Sundarishvar in a Mandapam in the middle of the Vaigai river, and returned to Alagar Hill without entering Madurai.

2.THE ACTUAL HISTORY

Meenakshi Kalyanam and Alagar festival were rwo different festivals celebrated during different months.

Meenakshi Kalyanam was orginally a SHAIVAITE celebration while the Alagar festival was celebrated by the VAISHNAVAITE.During the rule of king THIRUMALAI NAYKAR, both the festivals were merged to unite the people of both the categories. Since then they have been celebrated as one grand festival during the tamil month CHITHIRAI.

MEENAKSHI KALYANAM

The Pandya king Malayadhwaja Pandian and queen Kanchana Malai,wasn't bessed with a child for a long time, so they performed special poojas and offered his prayers to God, to get a child who was the avatar of Devi Shakthi. The baby girl was named MEENAKSHI. She was born with the blessing that lord Shiva himself would come to marry her at the right age. Meenakshi was crowned as the Queen of the Pandya kingdom .When Meenakshi confronted Shiva in the battlefield at Kailash, she realized that she was an avatar of Shakti. As promised, Lord Shiva, along with all the devas and rishis, came to Madurai in the name of SUNDARESHWARAR. Lord Shiva married Lady Meenakshi and ruled the Pandya kingdom under the name Sundara Pandyan.

ALAGAR THIRUVIZHA

Once a rishi named Mandooka was bathing in the holy waters of Alagar hills. Rishi did not notice the arrival of Maharishi DURVASA. Rishi Durvasa took it as an insult and cursed Mandooka to become a Frog and live in the river VAIGAI. When Mandooka pleaded for mercy, Durvasa advised him to go to vaigai and pray to LORD ALAGAR(Vishnu) to be released from the curse. Lord Alagar was pleased by the prayers of rishi Mandooka and he himself came to the river to lift the curse off Mandooka. Later as Rishi Mandooka wished to witness his ten avatars, lord appeared in ten Avatars in front of him and blessed him. The Alagar festival is celebrated to remember this event.

MADURAI, The temple town, Cultural capital of TamilNadu -"THOONGA NAGARAM" history and etymology

Madurai, the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu is located on the banks of River Vaigai, Madurai has been a major settlement for two millennia. It is often referred to as "Thoonga Nagaram", meaning "the city which never sleeps".

ETYMOLOGY:

The word Madurai may be derived from the word Madhu(sweetness) arising out of the divine nectar showered on the city by the Lord Siva from his matted hair.

According to Iravatham Mahadevan, a 2nd-century BCE Tamil-Brahmi inscription refers to the city as MATIRAY, an Old Tamil word meaning a "walled city".

Another theory is that Madurai is the derivative of the word Marutham, which refers to the type of landscape of the Sangam age.

Madurai is one of the many temple towns in the state which is named after the forests (KADAMBA)which is believed to cover the city. Hence it is also called as KADAMBAVANAM.

The city is referred by various names including 

• "Madurai", 
• "Koodal", 
• "Malligai Maanagar", 
• "Naanmadakoodal" and 
• "Thirualavai". 

HISTORY:

🔸The recorded history of the city goes back to the 3rd century BCE, being mentioned by 'Megasthenes', to the Mauryan empire and the minister 'Chandragupta Maurya'. 

🔸The third Tamil Sangam, a major congregation of Tamil scholars said to have been held in the city. 

🔸The city is believed to be of significant antiquity.

FESTIVE:

The Meenakshi Tirukalyanam festival, also called Chithirai Thiruvizha, is celebrated during April–May every yearv for 10 days.

two different verions oh story exists regarding the history of the chithirai thiruvizha.

the detailed history will be explained in our following post.

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