A major part of present day Gobichettipalayam was previously known as "Veerapandi Gramam", and documents and records still use that name.[7] 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).[8]Pariyur, a temple town near Gobichettipalayam was named after him.[9] The region was later ruled by the Cheras and Vijayanagara empire with the town deriving its name after Gobi Chetti, a Vijayanagara Polygar.[10] It was captured by Tipu Sultan and after Tipu's defeat, British annexed it to their territory.[11]
Geography and climate
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.[12] Rainfall is moderate to high, unpredictable and unevenly distributed. The average annual Rainfall of Gobichettipalayam is 92cms.[12] The soil mainly consists of black loam, red loam and red sand.[13] 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.[12]
According to 2011 census, Gobichettipalayam had a population of 59,523 of which 28,866 are males while 30,657 are females.[2] The town had a sex ratio of 1,062 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929 and a literacy rate of 85.2% higher than the national average of 72.99 %.[15] A total of 4,669 were under the age of six, constituting 2,364 males and 2,305 females with Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounting for 10.74% and 0.08% of the population respectively. The town had a total of 17,064 households and 25,225 engaged workers.[16]
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.[3] The town was among the first in the country when manual scavenging was abolished by then chairman G. S. Lakshman Iyer in 1952.[19]
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.[12] 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.[21][22] 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.[23]
Agriculture is the major occupation; Pictured Bhavani river along the Western ghats 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.[12] 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.[27] The economy of Gobichettipalayam centers on agriculture, with paddy, sugarcane, plantain, tobacco and turmeric being the principal crops.[7] 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.[27] 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.[28] India's second automated silk reeling unit was established in here in 2008.[29] 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.[30] 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.[31][32]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.[33][34]
^Manickam, V (2001). Kongu Nadu, a History Up to A.D. 1400. University of Michigan. p. 40.
^ abPopulation 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.
^Silva, Severine (1963). Toponomy of Canara. University of Michigan. p. 34. In the southern part of Mysore the Tamil language is at this day named the Kangee, from being best known to them as the language of the people of Kangiam
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