Saturday, September 26, 2015

Gobichettipalayam

Gobichettipalayam
Gobichettipalayam (also known as Gobi) is a town and municipality in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the second largest city and urban agglomeration in Erode district and is the administrative headquarters of Gobichettipalayam taluk, revenue and educational districts. It is situated at the center of the South Indian Peninsula, about 400 kilometers (249 mi) southwest of the state capital Chennai and about 80 kilometers (50 mi) east of Coimbatore. Agriculture and textile industries contribute majorly to the economy of the city. Gobichettipalayam is one of the leading producers of silk cocoonturmericcoconut and plantain in the state.


Gobichettipalayam is a part of Gobichettipalayam constituency and elects its member of legislative assembly every five years, and a part of the Tirupur constituency that elects its member of parliament. The city is administered by a municipality established in 1949. The city is situated at 213 meters above sea level and had a population of 60,279 in 2011. Roadways are the major mode of transport to the city while the nearest rail head and nearest airport are Erode junction and Coimbatore International Airport respectively.

Gobichettipalayam is also known as 'Chinna Kodambakkam' ('Mini Kollywood') because of the film shooting that takes place here. Many films in Tamil and other languages have been shot here.
History
A major part of present Gobichettipalayam was previously known as "Veerapandi Gramam", and documents and records still use that name. The city was named after Gobi Chetti, a Vijayanagara Polygar and named as Gobichettipalayam. The place was a part of the country ruled by the great king Vēl Pāri, who is regarded as one of the Kadai ēzhu vallal (literally meaning, the last 7 of the lines of great patrons). Pariyur, a temple town near Gobichettipalayam was named after him. The land was later ruled by the Cheras and captured by Tipu Sultan. After Tipu's defeat, British annexed it to their territory.


Transport
The municipality of Gobichettipalayam has 67.604 km of roads, 6.6 km of which are owned by the State Highways Department. Gobichettipalayam city is well connected by major roads passing through the center of the city. The following are the arterial roads that connect the city with other major towns: State Highway 81State Highway 15State Highway 15A are some of the state highways that pass via the town. The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) has a depot apart from a large central bus stand in Gobichettipalayam. Originally called as Jeeva
Transport Corporation (JTC), it came into being by bifurcation of the Cheran Transport Corporation (headquartered at Coimbatore). As of 31 March 2005 it was in possession of 1218 buses. Buses ply from the Central Bus Stand to all major towns and cities within Tamil Nadu and other states. A number of Karnataka State Roadways Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses ply to here due to its proximity to the state of Karnataka.
The nearest major railway station is Erode Junction (38 km). 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. The plan failed to take off due to the concerns of railway line passing through the Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary.
The nearest airport is Coimbatore International Airport (74 km) which has regular flights from/to various domestic destinations like AhmadabadBangaloreBhubaneswarChennaiDelhiHyderabadKolkataKozhikodeMumbaiPune and international destinations like Sharjah and Singapore.
Geography and climate
Gobichettipalayam is located in Kongu Nadu, the northwestern part of Tamil Nadu about 390 km south west of Chennai. Ghats forms the border of the region resulting several hill locks. River Bhavani traverses across the region. The temperature is moderately warm in Gobichettipalayam, except during the summer months when it is very hot. Rainfall is moderate to high, unpredictable and unevenly distributed. The city is not windy but the abundance of trees and vegetation surrounding the city makes its climate pleasant. The soil mainly consists of black loam, red loam and red sand. In general, the soil in and around the city is fertile and good for agriculture purposes. The surrounding water logged rice fields contribute to the high humidity levels.






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 MalayalamKannada 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 leafNorth IndianChinese and continental cuisines are also available. Mysorepa (a sweet made from lentil flour) and Halwa (a sweet made of different ingredients such as milk, wheat or rice) are famous. IdlyDosa, Vada-Sambar and Biryani are popular among the locals. Coffee shops and chat centers cater to young people.
Emergency phone numbers
Ø  Police station – Phone number: 04285-22041
Ø  Fire service station – Phone number: 04285-22101
Ø  Ambulance – Phone number: 04285-22053
Ø  Pumping station – Phone number: 04285-22042
Ø  Post office – Phone number: 04285-22028
Ø  Railway station – Phone number: 04285-222111
Ø  Employment office – Phone number: 222479
Ø  Collector office – Phone number: 218351 (Erode)
Ø  Government Hospital – Phone: 04285-222053
Ø  S P Hospitals – Phone: 04285-222892
Ø  Dr. Sengottaiyan Hospital – Phone: 04285-222047, 04285-222407
Ø  Poorani Ravichandran Hospital- Phone: 04285-223412
Ø  Seethalakshmi Hospital - Phone: 04285-222244
Ø  KKS Hospital – Phone: 04285-228297, 04285-228566
Ø  Chakra Hospital  – Phone: 223610
Ø  Muthu Mahal  – Phone: 04285-222921
Ø  Anbu Bhavan -  Phone: 04285-223994
Ø  Town Biriyani – Phone: 04285-222955
Ø  Anbu Biriyani – Phone: 04285-223994
Ø  Amutham mess – Phone: 9842050076
Ø  Dolphin Continental (Emerald house) – Phone: 04285-223737
Ø  Maruthi Educational Institutions – Phone: 04285-347878
Ø  Kamban School – Phone number: 222983
Ø  Amala Matriculation Hr.Sec.School – Phone: 04285-222280, 04285-225373
Ø  Bharathi Vidhyalaya Matriculation Higher Secondary School – Phone number: 04285 224996, 04285 224397
Ø  Shree Vidhyalaya – Phone number:+91 -4285-223229, +91 -4285-232429, Emergency: +91-94892 03272
Ø  Saradha Matriculation Higher Secondary School – Phone number:04285-227061
Ø  Palani Ammal Girls High School – Phone number:91-4285-222181
Ø  Gurukulam School – Phone number: 04285 240997, 241997
Ø  Union Bank of India – Phone number : 04285 – 222271
Ø  Indian Bank - Phone number: (04285) 222078
Ø  Central Bank of India – Phone number:(04285) 221002
Ø  City Union Bank - Phone number:04285 – 226846
Ø  Lakshmi Vilas Bank – Phone number:04285 – 222022
Ø  Canara Bank – Phone number:04285-222218
Ø  State Bank of India – Phone numbers :   04285- 222023,   222211,  222997,   227900
Ø  St.courier service – Phone number:9080527369, 9080365796  (Contact person name Mr.Kathir)
Ø  Professional courier service – Phone numbers are 04285-222886 and 04285-228217
Ø  Blue Dart courier service – Phone:04285-223747,  09344431313
Ø  KPN travels – Phone: 04285221587, 9842785252, 9360788899
Ø  MSS travels – Phone: 04285-226342
Ø  Nagaiya Theatre – Phone: 04285-222770
Ø  Indira Theatre – Phone: 04285-223419
Ø  Srivalli Theatre – Phone: 04285-222668
Ø  Jayamaruthi theatre – Phone: 04285-222689
Travel agencies
1. KPN travels
KPN Travels is based in Salem, Tamil Nadu, and was founded in 1973 by Dr. K.P. Natarajan who was born to an agricultural family in a small village near Salem.
The first service was between the southern town of Thirunelveli and Bangalore, with a strong customer based management the company has grown to serve more than 200 destinations in South India covering almost all major towns
Office Address in Gobichettipalayam: Municipal Vaniga Valagam, Opp Bus Stand, Gobichettipalayam.
Phone numbers: 04285221587, 9842785252, 9360788899
2. MSS travels
Office address,
Royal Xerox, Opp.H.P.bunk, Gobi Bus stand, Gobichettipalayam
Phone number: 04285-226342