Mettupalayam, Coimbatore

This article is about a town in Coimbatore district. For other uses, see Mettupalayam.

Mettupalayam
—  suburban district  —
Mettupalayam Location of Mettupalayam in Tamil Nadu and India
Coordinates	11°18′00″N 76°57′00″E
Country	India
State	Tamil Nadu
District(s)	town
Population	66,313 (2001)
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	• 326 metres (1,070 ft)
Codes • Pincode • 641 301 • Telephone • +91-422 • Vehicle • TN 40

Mettupalayam (Tamil: மேட்டுப்பாளையம்)is a taluk of Coimbatore Rural district, located to the north of the city of Coimbatore on the way to Ooty. It is located in the foot hills of Nilgiri hills about 38 km north of downtown Coimbatore, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Mettupalayam is one of the fast developing suburbs on the northern side of Coimbatore.

Geography

Mettupalayam is located at 11.3000°N 76.9500°E / 11.3000; 76.9500. It has an average elevation of 314 metres (1033 feet). Mettupalayam is situated on the bank of Bhavani River at the foot of the Nilgiri mountains.

Demographics

Metupalayam town seen from Ooty Hills

As of 2001 India census, Mettupalayam had a population of 66,313. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Mettupalayam has an average literacy rate of 73%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 79%, and female literacy is 68%. In Mettupalayam, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age. In addition to Tamil, Kannada is spoken by large number of people of the town. But the Kannada spoken here is much different from the one spoken in Karnataka due to mixture of Tamil words. The vast majority of population living here belongs to Vokkaliga (Gowda) community whose mother tongue is Kannada.

Transport Infrastructure

Mettupalayam is the railway junction for the Nilagiri passenger (NMR), and provides the interchange for passengers of this subline to the broad gauge railway. The Nilgiri Express (Blue Mountain Express) connects Mettupalayam to the state capital Chennai via Coimbatore.it is famous for its Ooty train "Nilgiri Passenger", the only rack and pinion railway in Asia.

Nilgiri Mountain Railway

Mettupalayam is the starting point for two of the Ghat Roads into the Nilgiri Hills. Subsequently it has established itself for the trade of fresh fruits & vegetables coming down from the hills and also for produce that grows on the plains and is destined for the hills. Fresh produce from here is supplied to most parts of Coimbatore.

Coimbatore (Manchester of South India) is 38 km by road from Mettupupalayam. The nearest airport is Coimbatore International Airport which has regular ( Air timings) flights from New Delhi, Kolkatta, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calicut, Chennai, Cochin, Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Jammu, Pune, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Bahrain, Kuwait, Muscat, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Colombo, Dubai,, Doha, Singapore, etc.

Places of interest

The Kotagiri road is a fabulous walking spot for Mettupalayam locals, where one can see spotted deer and elephants. The Forest College is also situated on the Kotagiri road.

Vana Bathrakali Amman Kovil, Idugampalayam Aanjineyar temple, Subramaniya swamy temple,Kurunthamalai Bala Thandayudapani Murugan Kovil, Kumaran Kundru Murugan Kovil,Shri Madheswara Temple in Annadasampalayam,Karamadai Ranganadhar Kovil are all famous temples located near Mettupalayam. Karamadai Ranganathar temple is famous for its car festival every year, where thousands of people flock to see the holy car of RANGANATHAR and get his blessings. This car festival is also famous for its "THER MITTAI" which is available in different shapes and sizes. Matheswarar Temple Located at Kuttaiyur (on the way from Mettupalyam to Karamadai), is a very famous Temple for Lord Shiva.

Shri Madheswara Temple in Annadasampalayam( 10 km from Mettupalayam ) is an pure Lord Shiva Temple. Situated on a Hillock it gives u an clear glimpse of Nilgiri Mountain & Surrounding villages with an easy breeze which touches you. Annadasampalayam is mere 2 km from Sirumugai & 10 km from Mettupalayam. Special poojas are arranged on each pournami, Ammavasai & Pradosam of all months. Annadhanam are served on these occasions.Its Purely owned by Trust established by people of Annadasampalayam.

Agriculture is the occupation of most of the people. Mettupalayam is surrounded by lot of villages,fertile enough for agriculture.

Black Thunder is a water theme park located 3 km from the town, that attracts many tourists.It has attractive rides such as The Lazy River, Wave Pool, Thrillarium, Surf Hill, Cannon Ball, Aqua Bowl, Side Winder etc.

For a magnificent view of the hillside covered with forests, a train journey from Mettupalyam to Ooty is recommended. This narrow gauge mountain train winds through 46 km of forests, tea plantations, 16 tunnels and crosses more than 250 bridges, starting from Mettupalayam on the plains. Moving at a pace that is just a little faster than walking, the journey takes four and half to five hours, but is more than compensated by stunning views of the hills and the plains. The train journey to Mettupalayam is one of the most fascinating experiences for tourists. This steam train was built during the British period.

Transportation business is also famous in Mettupalayam.

Potatoes for the world market are supplied from Mettupalayam market. Recently the famous vegetable wholesale market was shifted from Mettupalayam town to Jadayampalayam Pudur which is located on the Annur road.

In Jadayampalayam Village there is a famous temple called Then Thirupathy - also important place to see.

Bypass Project

An Eastern bypass road project from Sulur to Mettupalayam connecting NH-67 with NH-67, again bypassing with Coimbatore city is likely to begin on 2011(mid-June). The streach from Sulur would be from Kangeyampalayam, Neelambur, Mayilampatty. Vehicles from Karur, Trichy, Madurai, Avinashi and also other southern districts, of Tamil Nadu could proceed to Mettupalayam and Ooty without having to enter Coimbatore city. Three rail-overbridges would come up at Sulur, Narashimanaickenpalayam & Karamadai.The entire stretch of Mettupalayam bypass road from Coimbatore would be 53.95 km.

Politics

Mettupalayam assembly constituency is part of Nilgiris (Lok Sabha constituency). Mettupalayam ADMK 60% Mettupalayam DMK 20% Mettupalayam MDMK 10% Mettupalayam Others 10% MDMK Secured 2nd place alone in Mettupalayam Township Election during 2001 Local Body Election

See also

• Mountain Train in Ooty

References

Information on Resorts & Hotels in Mettupalayam - Cooonor & Ooty