Places to visit in and around Coimbatore
Being the second largest city in Tamil Nadu and serving as a major hub of Manufacturing, education and Healthcare in Tamil Nadu, there are quite a lot of industrial activities happening in and around Coimbatore. However, unlike other heavily industrialized cities, Coimbatore still preserves its tradition and the green cover, at least up to some extent because of which there are quite a lot of tourist attractions around it. Let us see a few such notable places not to be missed!
- Dhyanalinga & Adiyogi Shiva
It is a unique temple dedicated to Lord Shiva but it is beyond any particular faith and believes in the spiritual essence of living. There aren’t any special kind of prayers or rituals. If you believe in meditation, the place provides you everything in a serene and spiritual ambiance in the midst of dense forest which is essentially at the foothills of Velliangiri hills. It is also famous housing the World’s largest mercury-based Lingam.
Adiyogi means ‘The first Yogi’, as Shiva is perceived as the originator of Yoga. The South facing Adiyogi is called Dakshinamurthy and Adhi Guru (the first guru). Best time to visit the place is either early in the morning or evening. If you are planning for a trip over to Adiyogi, it would be better to execute it for the night of Shivarathri, as the place would be dazzling throughout the night!
2. Monkey falls
Monkey falls is situated in the Valparai — Pollachi road, a few kilometres from the Aliyar dam. Monkey Falls is a great place for Nature lovers. If you don’t mind shelling out a mere 30 rupees at the ticket counter, you can thoroughly enjoy the serene beauty of Monkey falls and of course, the monkeys too! Nevertheless, make sure you stay away from the monkeys as they will snatch anything from your hands and they won’t get scared when we shoo them away!
3. Kovai kondattam
It is a private amusement park located at Perur, Coimbatore. It remains open from 10.30 am to 6.30 pm. Apart from adventurous attractions such as rock climbing, one can enjoy numerous water games such as water dance, wave pool and dashing car. Entry tickets cost five hundred and fifty rupees for children and six hundred rupees for adults. The park also has facilities to celebrate birthdays, weddings and anniversaries. It even has an amphitheatre to host live performances!
4. Siruvani waterfalls
Siruvani’s drinking water is claimed to be the second tastiest water in the world. However, this claim is just a myth since there are no official lab results to support it. But this doesn’t have to mean that Siruvani water isn’t the sweetest you have drunk yet. This sweetness has been attributed to vegetation and rocks through which water flows in the Attapady area. The Sadivayal checkpost, where an entry fee of 20 rupees is charged, is the gateway to the waterfalls. It opens between 10 am and 5 pm on all working days of the week. However, there is no assurance that the falls will be open anytime during the rainy season.
5. Nilgiris hills
Nilgiris is India’s first biosphere reserve. It also features in the list of the 14 biological hot spots of the world. Here, you can find all aspects of nature interspersed with each other. Waterfalls, tea plantations, rolling grasslands and spectacular viewpoints define the beauty of Nilgiris hills. Nilgris is an excellent place to stay away from the commitments of the society and spend some quality time with family, colleagues and friends.
6. Brooke fields mall
The mall has a total retail floor area of 4,50,000 sq ft and houses about hundred and twenty stores and services. The mall is very spacious and has official stores of almost every brand under every category. It has almost all categories of shops from textiles to books and electronics. It also houses a very good food court catering all varieties of foods. For every Coimbatore resident, Brooke fields is the go-to shopping mall to go on shopping sprees.
7. GD Naidu Museum
The GD Museum features an eclectic range of automobiles which were once launched with an emphasis on design and innovation. It is generally open between 9 am and 9 pm. The museum is an amazing place to visit for science-history lovers and the best time to visit the place would be on weekends. The museum showcases a huge collection of vintage cars with details of the owner, designer and company. The Entry fee is nominal and is a must visit for petrol-heads.
8. Marudhamalai
Marudhamalai is a popular hill temple built in the 12th Century by Tamil kings. Thai poosam and other Murugan fetivals are the occasions which are being celebrated here vividly. This Murugan temple is special, since it is in the East facing slope of the hill compared to the other Murugan temples on hills. Marudhamalai is regarded as the seventh Padai veedu of Lord Murugan, an extension of the Aarupadai veedu, which are special places of worship dedicated to Lord Murugan. If you are a believer Marudhamalai is an excellent place to experience peace of mind by the grace of Lord Murugan.
Meanwhile, as much as we take pride in the serenity of these places, it is our duty to preserve and maintain them. Many of the ecotourism attractions around the city have been damaged by tourists and anti-social elements, which is clearly not the way to go. Therefore, remember the following phrase every time you visit these places,
“Leave Only Footprints,
Take only Photographs!”
-Dharani T,
Second year, IT.
(Note: The views expressed in this article are solely the author’s opinion and does not reflect SJC’s political stance nor opinion.)
