COIMBETOOR, a small province in the south of Hindustan, situated between the 10th and 12th degrees of north latitude. It is bounded on the south by Dindigul, on the east by Salem and Kistnagerry, on the north by Mysore, and on the west by the province of Malabar. This district is divided into North and South Coimbetoor. The former is a highly cultivated and productive country, where wells and reservoirs abound, and are rendered subservient to the purposes of agriculture. Rice is the grain chiefly cultivated; and the country also produces sugar, cotton, tobacco, &c. To the east, the Ghauts rise to the height of 1500 or 2000 feet above the level of the upper country, which is better cultivated than in Mysore. The soil in many places is very good; and the remains of many hedges, and traces of cultivation, show not only that the whole country was once cultivated, but that it was cultivated in a manner much superior to that which is now practised; but it has been greatly injured by the devastations of war. When it was invaded by General Meadows, cultivation came to a stand for two years; and all the grain in the country was indiscriminately swept away by the defending and invading armies. The inhabitants were driven to the hills, where they subsisted on grain produced in
places inaccessible to the military; but numbers died from misery and hunger, and great part of the lower country was in a state of desolation.
Near to the town of Coimbetoor the soil is in general good, and tolerably clear of rocks and stones. The waste fields do not appear to amount to more than a half of those that are arable. There are few hedges, and still fewer trees; but there is a good deal of rice ground watered by reservoirs. All kinds of soil are also cultivated for gardens; and the value of the ground and the rent which it pays are regulated by the depth of water which stands upon it. The gardens produce betel and cocoa nut palms, also tobacco; but throughout the whole province of Coimbetoor the wet cultivation is little more than three per cent. of the total cultivation. In South Coimbetoor the rice grounds along the banks of the Amaravati are extensive, and fully cultivated. Some earths are found in this province impregnated with muriatic salts, and others with nitrates. Much of the well water has also a saline taste.
The rains are usually considered as more regular and greater in quantity above the Ghauts than below; Dr Buchanan, however, thinks that this is doubtful. The westerly winds bring the heaviest rains, but the country below the Ghauts enjoys a considerable portion of the rain from the other monsoon, which prevents it from ever being parched up by drought. From April till about the middle of June the winds are moderate, with a short interval of ten or fifteen days, when violent squalls come from the westward, with thunder and lightning, heavy showers, and hail. In the succeeding two months, for about ten days there are heavy showers, with fogs on the hills, and in the interval the heat is moderate, with cloudy weather. From about the middle of August till December there are occasional heavy rains, and more temperate weather in the summer than is usual in Hindustan; and in winter there are sometimes showers, with heavy dews, a very cold air, and south-easterly winds. The spring is generally dry, with light breezes from the south, and moderate dews. Fevers and fluxes are epidemic among the inhabitants from about the middle of October.
Many sheep are bred in the country, of which there are two kinds: the one short bodied, with a short small tail; the other of a thinner make, with long ears and scanty wool. Though small, they are of good quality, fattening readily, and making most delicious meat. The pasture, though it looks bare, seems to be more nutritious than that on the banks of the Ganges. Here is also a breed of goats; but they are very inferior to those which are reared above the Ghauts. A good sheep costs only from 2s. 11d. to 2s. 6d. The wild animals are nearly the same as in other parts of India. In the hills there are many black bears, which are harmless, living chiefly on white ants, wild fruit, and the palmyra tree. They are dangerous when disturbed, and in this case often kill the intruder, though they never devour him. They are very strong, and not afraid to encounter the tiger.
The inhabitants of Coimbetoor have made little progress in the arts of civil life, and are as far inferior to the people of Mysore in intelligence and in mechanical knowledge as these are to the natives of Madras and Calcutta. The only manufacture is that of weaving.
The principal towns are Coimbetoor Errood, and Caroor. At a place called Perura is a celebrated Hindu temple, which is said to be 3000 years old. It is highly ornamented with numerous figures, some of which are very indecent. This temple, which is called Mail Chittumbra, was excepted by Tippoo, with two other places, when he issued an order for the destruction of the Brahmin temples. Coimbetoor was first annexed to Mysore about the year 1746. It was taken possession of by the British in
Coimbe-
toor
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Coin. 1788, but was restored to Tippoo at the conclusion of the war. It was again conquered by the British in 1790, and was taken final possession of by them in 1799. Since this period it has been governed by a European judge and collector under the presidency of Madras.
Buchanan's Journey through Mysore, Canara, and Malabar; Fifth Report of the Select Committee on Indian Affairs; Rennell's Memoir of a Map of Hindustan, &c.