Periyar Arivulagam: CM Vijay opens Rs 300-crore library, science centre in Coimbatore

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay inaugurated the Periyar Arivulagam, a Rs 300-crore public library and science centre in Coimbatore, on Friday, October 16, 2026. The building has a ground floor and seven upper floors, with about 1.98 lakh square feet of space, and houses a digital library, a children's library, a science centre, a planetarium and a 350-seat auditorium. Of the project cost, Rs 245 crore went to construction, Rs 50 crore to buying books and Rs 5 crore to e-books, according to figures released for the opening. The Chief Minister also unveiled a statue of Periyar at the entrance. The project's foundation stone had been laid by his predecessor, M. K. Stalin.

Coimbatore is one of Tamil Nadu's largest cities and a centre of industry and higher education. A modern library with a science centre and planetarium in the western region brings that kind of facility within reach of students, job seekers and families in Coimbatore and the surrounding districts. Public libraries are often where students without a quiet place at home come to study, where people preparing for competitive exams find reference books, and where children first meet books outside school.

The planned spending on reading material is notable. Setting aside Rs 50 crore for printed books and Rs 5 crore for e-books signals that the project is meant to be more than a building. A digital library and e-books matter for readers who want to use the collection on screens, and the facilities for persons with disabilities on the ground floor are meant to make the library usable for people who are often left out of public spaces.

The project also has a political history. It was started under the previous government, whose leader laid the foundation stone, and has been opened by the present Chief Minister. It is named after Periyar, the social reformer, and leaders of several parties attended the opening, a sign that the project outlived the change of government.

Short-term: The library and science centre open to the public in Coimbatore, giving students and readers a new place to study, borrow and explore. Schools in the region can plan visits to the science centre and planetarium.

Long-term: If it is staffed and stocked well, the Periyar Arivulagam can become a regional hub for reading, exam preparation and science learning, and a model for similar centres in other cities. Its value will depend on opening hours, membership rules, how the collection grows and how well the science centre is run over the years.

Who is affected: Students and competitive-exam aspirants in Coimbatore and western Tamil Nadu, children and schools, persons with disabilities, researchers and general readers, and the state's public library system.

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