Polygar in the context of "Coimbatore district"

The Rowther (IPA: [(i)ra(ːʋ)ut̪ːɐr], also known as Irauttar, Rawther, Ravuttar, Ravutta, Ravuthar, Ravuthamar) are a distinct Muslim community living largely in the south Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. They are a native warrior clan population who converted to Islam under the influence of saints like Nathar Shah (Nathar Wali) in 10th–11th centuries. Even after conversion they retained their Ravuttar caste name. they were one of the earliest Muslim communities in India. They were elite cavalrymen of the Chola and Pandya kingdoms. They were traditionally a martial clan like the Maravars, and constitute large part of the multi-ethnic Tamil Muslim community. Rowthers have also been found as Tamil polygars, zamindars and chieftains from the 16th to 18th centuries. The traditional homelands of the Rowthers were in the interior of Southern Tamilakam.

Coimbatore (Tamil: kōyamputtūr, IPA: [koːjɐmbut̪ːuːɾ] ), also known as Kovai (IPA: [koːʋaj] ), is a metropolitan city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyyal River and surrounded by the Western Ghats. It is the second largest city in Tamil Nadu after Chennai in terms of population and the 16th largest urban agglomeration in India as per the census 2011. It is the administrative capital of Coimbatore District and is administered by the Coimbatore Municipal Corporation which was established in 1981.

The region around Coimbatore was ruled by the Cheras during the Sangam period between the 1st and the 4th centuries CE and it served as the eastern entrance to the Palakkad Gap, the principal trade route between the west coast and Tamil Nadu. Coimbatore was located along the ancient trade route Rajakesari Peruvazhi that extended from Muziris to Arikamedu in South India. The medieval Cholas conquered the Kongu Nadu in the 10th century CE. The region was ruled by Vijayanagara Empire in the 15th century followed by the Nayaks who introduced the Palayakkarar system under which Kongu Nadu region was divided into 24 Palayams. In the later part of the 18th century, the Coimbatore region came under the Kingdom of Mysore and following the defeat of Tipu Sultan in the Anglo-Mysore Wars, the British East India Company annexed Coimbatore to the Madras Presidency in 1799. The Coimbatore region played a prominent role in the Second Poligar War (1801) when it was the area of operations of Dheeran Chinnamalai.

Nayak, Nayaka or Nayakar, was historically a honorific title conferred on a military captain in various feudal states of the Indian subcontinent, as a derivative of the ancient Sanskrit word Nāyaka. The title often came with a prize in the form of a palayam, jagir, zamindari, or similar grant of a fief carved out of the newly annexed territory. Today, they are also used as surnames by the descendants of the original recipients and as the modern military rank of Naik, while the film industry has co-opted the term with Katha Nayagan and Kathanayakudu. The title is closely related to the Telugu Nayakudu, Nayudu, or Naidu, the Malayali Nair, and the Tamil Nayakar, Nayakan, Naicken and Naicker. Nayaks are mostly Hindu with a few Sikhs.