Places to Visit in Coimbatore

Coimbatore is a well-known city located in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is in fact the second largest city in the state. It is located on the banks of Noyyal River. The city is one of the biggest exporters of jewelry, poultry, wet grinders and auto components. This tier 2 city is a major textile hub of the country. There are several textile research institutes that are located here such as South India Textile Research Institute, Central Institute for Cotton Research, etc. There are several tourist attractions located in Coimbatore such as The Gass Forest Museum, V. O. Chidambaranar Park and Zoo, Eachanari Temple, etc.

Gass Forest Museum, Coimbatore

Gass Forest Museum is a natural history museum located at Cowley Brown Road, RS Puram West, in Coimbatore. It is run by the government and is located within Forest College Campus. It was established in the year 1902. This museum is a must-visit for all nature lovers. It has a huge collection of forestry artifacts and other timber products. There is a 3D diorama that depicts wildlife in its natural habitat that has been made a part of the museum.

VOC Park and Zoo, Coimbatore

V O Chidambaranar Park and Zoo is an amusement park and zoological garden that houses approximately 890 different species of animals. This includes 335 birds, 54 reptiles, and 106 mammals. It is spread over an area of around 4.5 acres. It takes around 2 to 3 hours to see the whole park. The place is popular among nature lovers, adventure seekers, and photography enthusiasts. The place has a park and children’s play area located inside. The park encompasses a toy train, aquarium, and Jurassic Park. You will find around 200 species of trees inside the park.

Ukkadam Valankulam Lake, Coimbatore

Ukkadam Valankulum Lake is a popular lake located in Coimbatore situated between Sungam bypass road and Trichy Road. A railway track passes over this lake. A wide variety of birds such as purple moorhen, little grebes, etc are a regular visitor here. The lake is spread across an area of 1.295 square kilometers. It is a popular spot for nature and bird lovers. The canals from the Noyaal River feed this lake. In fact, the lake also gets water from the Selvachinthamani Lake that is located at the northern extremity. This place takes you on a magical journey to a land of beauty.

TNAU Botanical Gardens, Coimbatore

TNAU Botanical Gardens contain some rare varieties of herbs, trees, and shrubs. It is spread across an area of nearly 300 acres. People who are keen to explore and study the Mother Nature are regular visitors to this garden. The garden is extremely well maintained and contains a wide variety of flowers such as carnations, marigold, roses, lilies, chrysanthemums, etc. The entry fee to the garden is INR 10. The best time to visit TNAU Botanical Gardens is when the flowers are blooming and the garden is very colorful. In fact, an annual flower show is held here in the month of January. The gardens are maintained by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.

GeDee Car Museum, Coimbatore

GeDee Car Museum encompasses a wide variety of automobiles with an emphasis on innovation and design. The prime motive of the museum is to create awareness among students as well as the general public about different technologies that have been used in cars. The museum has unique cars on display such as Japanese cars, French cars, American cars, Spanish cars, etc. Founded by notable industrialist and philanthropist GD Naidu, this Museum has been dedicated to several innovative personalities who in spite of lack of education or money were still able to give a lot to the growth of the automobile sector. Mr. GD Gopal is the Managing Trustee of the museum.

Perur Pateeswarar Temple, Coimbatore

Perur Pateeswarar Temple is dedicated to Hindu God, Shiva, and his consort Parvati also known as Pachainayaki. It is located in the western part of Coimbatore at a distance of 7 km from Noyyal River. It was built in the 2nd century by Karikala Chola. The temple has been patronized by poets such as Kachiappa Munivar and Arunagirinathar. The pillars of this temple demonstrate the architectural skill of Tamil sculptors. This is the oldest temple in the state. Every year a classical dance week is celebrated here. The most notable dance schools located in this city and in other cities of the country take part in this dance week.

Kasthuri Sreenivasan Art Gallery, Coimbatore

Kasthuri Sreenivasan Art Gallery culture center was built and conceptualized by Mr. Kasthuri Sreenivasan, who was one of the most renowned textile stalwarts of the country. The collection of textiles, statues, paintings, and other forms of art, that you see here are simply fantastic. They are in fact a feast to the eyes. A lot of students come here for an educational visit. The art gallery also has an air-conditioned auditorium with a capacity of 220 seats. This auditorium is available for seminars, meetings, workshops, and other cultural activities. The art gallery exhibits works of both upcoming and established artists from South India in the Culture Centre.

Infant Jesus Church, Coimbatore

Infant Jesus Church is supposedly a miraculous church located in the city of Coimbatore. Here the Catholics celebrate the image of the infant Jesus of Prague. Both parish and the shrine have been established in the 1960s. It draws huge crowds for its nine Thursday novena Masses to the Infant Jesus and seven Sunday Masses. This church primarily serves the Tamil speaking community of Coimbatore. The mass also takes place in five other languages. The motto of this shrine is. “The more you honor me, the more I will bless you”. It lays emphasis on prayer as the main way of reaching out to the Lord.

Kovai Kondattam, Coimbatore

Kovai Kondattam is a lovely theme park that is located at a distance of 2 km from Perur Temple. There are several rides here such as water slides where you and your family can have a fun-filled time. Both water rides and dry rides are available in this eco-friendly theme park. Tamil actor Vijay built this theme park. It serves as a wonderful venue for parties, conferences, and corporate events. So if you are in a mood for a thrilling adventure head straight to Kovai Kondattam with your friends and family.

Eachanari Vinayagar Temple, Coimbatore

Eachanari Vinayagar temple is dedicated to Hindu God Vinayagar. It is located in Eachanari village which is at a distance of 12 km from the city of Coimbatore. The temple showcases the Dravidian style of architecture. The idol of Vinayaga located here is 6 feet in height and 3 feet in diameter. It is believed that when the idol was transported in a cart from Madurai for installation, the axle of the cart got broken and where this happened, the temple was built. Devotees from all across the state and even from abroad come here to pay their respect to the presiding deity.

Marudhamalai Temple, Coimbatore

Marudhamalai Temple is a well-known 12th-century hill temple. It was built during the Sangam period by the Tamil kings. It is regarded as the 7th House of Lord Murugan. The presiding deity of the temple is Marudhamalai. Around this temple there are several water bodies such as Snake Charmer’s spring, Maruda Theertham, these are known to possess some medicinal properties. At the southern end of the temple, there is a staircase that takes you to Pambatti Siddhar cave. A connecting tunnel that takes one from Lord Murugan's sanctum sanctorum to Siddhar's cave was built by Siddhar. It is believed that this place was used to worship the Lord.