Kongu Nadu

Kongu Nadu Kongu Mandalam
Geographical region
Country	India
State(s)	Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka[a]
District(s)	Coimbatore, Dharmapuri, Erode, Karur, Krishnagiri, Namakkal, Nilgiris, Tiruppur, Salem Parts of Dindigul, Tiruchirappalli, Palakkad and Chamarajanagar[a]
Largest city	Coimbatore
Area [3]
• Total	60,895 km2 (23,512 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[3]
• Total	27,443,069
Languages
• Major	Tamil (Kongu Tamil)
• Others	Badaga, English, Irula, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Toda
Time zone	Indian Standard Time

Kongu Nadu, also known as Kongu Mandalam, refers to the geographical region comprising the western and north-western part of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in some instances, parts of southeastern Karnataka and eastern Kerala.^[a] The region covers an area of roughly 60,895 km² (23,512 sq mi) with a population of over 27.4 million.

The geography of the region is diverse, with the Western and Eastern Ghats traversing along the Deccan plateau. The Kaveri, Bhavani, Amaravati and Noyyal rivers are the important non-perennial sources of water. Coimbatore, Tiruppur and Salem are the largest urban areas in the region. The majority of the people in the region speak Kongu Tamil, a variant of Tamil language. While the region is a significant contributor to the economy of the state, disparity remains within various districts in the region.

In the ancient Tamilakam, it was the seat of the Cheras, bound by Tondai Nadu in the east, Chola Nadu in the south-east and Pandya Nadu in the south. The region finds mention in Patiṟṟuppattu literature from the first century CE as a thriving industrial and commercial center with other references to the people in the second century Tamil epic Silappathikaram and other Sangam literature. The region served as the eastern entrance to the Palakkad Gap, on the principal trade route that extended from Muziris in the west coast to Arikamedu in the east. The Pandyas and Western Gangas ruled over the region later.

The medieval Cholas conquered the region in the tenth century CE. It came under the rule of the Vijayanagara Empire by the 15th century after which the Madurai Nayaks, who were the military governors of the Vijayanagara established their independent kingdom. In the latter part of the 18th century, the region came under the Kingdom of Mysore. After the defeat of Tipu Sultan in the Anglo-Mysore Wars and the Polygar Wars, the British East India Company annexed the region to the Madras Presidency in the early nineteenth century. The region played a significant role in the Indian independence movement. It became part of Madras state post Indian Independence from the British Raj with majority of the region, forming a part of Tamil Nadu later.

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