Modern Coimbatore was made up of a number of revenue villages in the 19th Century. The Municipality Declaration in 1866 gave a fillip to the sleepy town which has grown to become a bustling cosmopolis today. While a number of pioneers took the city forward, it was Rao Bahadur A.T.Theroovengadaswami Mudaliar (1855 - 1923 ) and his family who were the first to do much for its development. They came to be known as the FIRST, First Family of Coimbatore.
ATT was the son of Arcot Thoppayya Mudaliar, a philanthropist who had built choultries in Bengaluru, Maddur and Podanur in mid 19th century. Following in his father’s footsteps, ATT built several businesses and was a leading Abkari contractor those days. He endowed the Head Quarters Hospital with a maternity ward and also founded the Coimbatore Cosmopolitan Club along with S.Kasthuri Ranga Aiyengar ( A Senior Vakil in Coimbatore who moved over to Madras later and acquired The Hindu ) and 13 others. He was the Chairman of the Municipality for about nine years and he received the Delhi Durbar Medal in recognition of his services. He had a distillery and the steam powered sugar factory in Podanur and he used the profits that he made out of his distillery for a number of charitable purposes including the Thuluva Vellala Mudaliar Scholarship Fund. He was a First Class Magistrate, President of the Coimbatore District Association, and the local Bank of Coimbatore was managed under his supervision and guidance. When he passed away, his three sons donated the clock tower near Town Hall in his memory while also contributing a sum of Rs.3,000 for the Billiards Hall and other facilities at the Cosmopolitan Club. His 126 year old House ‘Mahalakshmi’ on Big Bazaar Street near the Koniamman Temple( Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Building) continues to add lustre to the heritage of the city.A grateful Coimbatore has named the Thiruvenkataswamy Road in R.S.Puram and ATT colony after this gentleman. A.T.Lakshmanaswamy Mudaliar, the first son of ATT lived in a large bungalow on Race Course and was the Founder Vice President of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Later his residence was acquired by G.K.Devarajulu in order to house the Masonic Children’s Hospital. This heritage bungalow was conferred the ‘Kongunad Heritage Honours’ by INTACH in 2002.
Rao Bahadur A.T.Krishnaswamy Mudaliar (1890 - 1961 ). ATK spoke fluent English and was always well dressed in his panchagacham, jarigai turban and coat. He was on the Board of the PSG trust, New Indian Bank, Pierce Leslie and a number of other Banks and Textile Mills. He was the Chairman of the Municipality between 1943 and 1947. ATK was an active Rotarian and did much for the society. During the evenings he used to spend time with his friends and was quite keen to lend an ear to the ‘walking radio’ of The Cosmopolitan Club, Advocate A.N.Rama Rao. A.T.Krishnaswamy Mudaliar and his wife lived in their palatial mansion at ATT Colony. Krishnaswamy Road ( Brooke Fields Plaza Road ) connecting the Avanashi Road flyover to Mettupalayam Road is named after him.
A.T.Devaraja Mudaliar (1891 - !958 ) was the youngest son of ATT and his mansion ‘Ratnalaya’ named after his mother still stands in Race Course. He did much for the Scouts & Guide movement in this part of the country. Along with former minister Dr.Gurupatham, he sponsored free consultation and medicines to the nearby villagers and donated the TB Clinic and X-ray Centre which cost Rs.70,000, to the Head Quarters Hospital (GH ). He was married to Sundari Bai the daughter of the Jagirdar of Sivasamudram, Janopakarakartha T.R.Anandaraya Mudaliar. On the 18th of September 1934, he established Lotus Mills on the Kurichi Road and established the model village Sundarapuram named after his wife and endowed it with a housing colony, dispensary, free school and a post office for the labourers who worked for the Mill. ATD was the first in this part of the country to offer tea to the mill employees through the Tea Marketing Board. The Iconic movie Maragatham was shot in his bungalow. ATD street on Race Course was named in his memory.
Rajesh is passionate about his city and is always looking for ways of documenting its history
