The strategic location of Coimbatore near the Palghat gap within the Western Ghats has made this region an area of conflict between different southern kingdoms since ancient times. Not much is known about the prehistory of this region. However, during the Vedic age (1500 BC-600 BC) Dravidians are supposed to have inhabited this region, like most other areas of south India.
The region around Coimbatore was amongst the first places in Tamil Nadu, where the local Tamil speaking people set up territorial states. In the ancient period the region around Coimbatore was known as Kongu Nadu (Kongu country) and was ruled by local chiefs, who were of Tamil origin. Kongunadu, the capital of a cluster of villages, was captured by Karikala Cholan, the legendary Chola King, before it passed through the hands of several Hindu dynasties and kingdoms. It includes the Rastrskutas, Chalukyas, Pandyas, Vijayanagar, Madurai and Mysore kings, before finally passing into the hands of the British who gave its present name - Coimbatore.
In course of time Kongu country witnessed a long drawn out struggle between the different kingdoms of south India: the Cholas (who ruled the area of Tanjore), the Pandyas (who ruled in the region of Madurai) and the Cherans or Keralas (who ruled the Kerala coast). The region ruled by these kingdoms was known as the land of the Tamils, as Tamil was the language spoken here. The information we get about these three states is mainly based on Tamil literature also called the 'Sangam literature'.
Sangam literature is a vast collection of ancient Tamil poems. These poems are treasure troves of information, as they vividly describe the life and culture of the common people and the rulers of South India. These poems point out that the Cholas Pandyas and Cheras constantly fought with each other, and the boundaries of their states changed frequently. A large part of Kongu Nadu was ruled by the Cheras while the remaining areas were in possession of the Pandya Kings. Though the region around Coimbatore witnessed a lot of conflict in the ancient period, in reality it never became an important centre for any kingdom and was mainly inhabited by local tribes.
This region became a part of the great Vijayanagar Empire in the medieval period. After the disintegration of the Vijayanagar Empire the local Nayaka rulers of Madurai ruled it. For a short period of time this region came under the rule of the Mughal Empire when Emperor Aurangzeb annexed large areas of Southern India, during his famous Deccan campaign. However, the Mughal Empire could not hold on to its newly acquired territories for long. The decline of the Mughal hold in this region created a political vacuum, which led to a renewal of conflicts between different states. The British finally annexed this region in the 18th century. This small agricultural town has grown into a bustling modern industrial city, because of the farmers of the region, many of whom, generations ago, fleeing from invaders in their native Andhra, came with dreams to settle on this land, which they came to love as their own.
They introduced cotton growing which was ideally suited to the black soil of Kovai. By dint of hard work, they carved a niche for themselves in this otherwise harsh land. With the passage of time came the elaborate irrigation schemes and the harnessing of hydroelectric power which led to the development in this area as one of South India's finest agrarian economies where millets, paddy, cotton, tea, oilseeds, betel nut, turmeric, coffee and tobacco were cultivated. The Gounders, Tamil farmers who made their living by tilling the soil and Kannada speaking agriculturists, the Okkaligas and the Lingayats, who followed Tippu Sultan into the region also played significant roles in the agricultural success of Coimbatore.
Kovai, the entrepreneur's dream, remains a city where age-old customs survive, where family bonds are strong and where fusion of tradition and modernity remain the secret of the city's success.
