The decline of the cotton industry in Mumbai fuelled an economic boom in Coimbatore in the 1920s and 1930s . The region played a significant role in the Indian independence movement with Mahatma Gandhi visiting the city three times . Coimbatore was the base of operations for political figures such as S. P. Narasimhalu Naidu , R. K. Shanmukham Chetty , C.S. Rathinasabapathy and C. Subramaniam during the freedom movement . Post independence , Coimbatore has seen rapid growth due to industrialisation and in 1981 , Coimbatore was constituted as a Municipal corporation . On 14 February 1998 , the radical Islamist group Al Ummah bombed 11 places across the city killing 58 people and injuring more than 200
bombed
1998 Coimbatore bombings
Coimbatore