Trichy
General Information
Situated on the banks of the river Cauvery,
Tiruchirappalli is the fourth largest
city in Tamil Nadu. It was a citadel
of the early Cholas which later fell
to the Pallavas. Trichy is a fine blend
of tradition and modernity built around
the Rock Fort. The most famous land
mark of this bustling town is the Rockfort
Temple, a spectacular monument perched
on a massive rocky out crop which rises
abruptly from the plain to tower over
the old city.
Situated at a distance of around 320
km from Chennai, Trichy or Tirichirapalli
lies on the banks of the Cauvery River.
The 4th largest city in the state of
Tamil Nadu now, it was always coveted
by rulers because of its strategic location
on the river. It passed through the
hands of all the important ruling dynasties
of the region, but it prospered most
under the Nayaks. In more recent times,
Trichy was first a power centre of the
French and later the British. The most
remarkable thing in Trichy is a rock
that rears 83meters into the sky seemingly
out of nowhere, in an otherwise flat
landscape.
Woraiyur, a part of present day Tiruchirappalli,
was the capital city of Cholas from
300 B.C. onwards. This is supported
by archaeological evidences and ancient
literatures. There are also literary
sources which tell that Woraiyur continued
to be under the control of Cholas even
during the days of Kalabhra interregnum
(A.D. 300 - 575). Later, Woraiyur along
with the present day Tiruchirappalli
and its neighbouring areas came under
the control of Mahendra Varma Pallava
I, who ascended the throne in A.D. 590.
Till A.D. 880, according to the inscriptions,
this region was under the hegemony of
either the Pallvas or the Pandyas. It
was in 880 AD, Aditya Chola brought
a downfall to the Pallava dynasty. From
that time onwards Tiruchirappalli and
its region became a part of Greater
Cholas. In 1225 A.D the area was occupied
by the Hoysulas. Afterwards, it came
under the rule of later Pandyas till
the advent of Mughal Rule.
Tiruchirappalli was for some time under
the Mughal rule, which was put to an
end by the Vijayanagar rulers. The Nayaks,
the Governors of Vijayanagar empire,
ruled this area till A.D. 1736. It was
Viswanatha Nayaka who built the present
day Teppakulam and the Fort. The Nayak
dynasty came to an end during the days
of Meenakshi. The Muslims ruled this
region again with the aid of either
the French or the English armies. For
some years, Tiruchirappalli was under
the rule of Chanda Sahib and Mohamed
Ali. Finally the English brought Tiruchirappalli
and other areas under their control.
The district was then under the hegemony
of British for about 150 years till
the independence of India.
Main
Sightseeing of Trichy
Rock Fort Temple : The
83m high Rock Fort is the only outcrop
in the otherwise flat land of the
city. The rock is one of the oldest
in the world-approximately 3.800 million
years, which makes it as old as the
rocks of Greenland and older than
the Himalayas. The sheer abruptness
of its rise is a thrill in itself,
but the actual centre of attraction
is not the fort itself, of which very
little remains, but the temple at
the summit. 344 steps hewn out of
rock lead to the top where there are
inscriptions dating back to the 3rd
century.B.C. Hardly anything remains
of the ramparts but the Main Guard
Gate is still intact. The fort played
an important part during the Carnatic
wars and according to an inscription,
mainly contributed to lay the foundations
of the British Empire in India.
At the top of the rock is the Uchipillaiyar
Koil, a temple dedicated to Lord Vinayaka
from where one can enjoy a panoramic
view of Tiruchirappalli. A flight
of steps leads to the Mathrubutheswarar
of Thayumanaswami temple, dedicated
to Lord Siva where the lingam is a
projection of the rock itself. Below
the Siva temple are the two Pallava
cave temples that have beautiful sculptures
of the 6th and 7th centuries. At the
foot of the Rock Fort are a tank and
a pavilion which are used during the
float festival of the temples. Near
the tank is the house where Robert
Clive lived when he was in Tiruchirappalli
and there is an 18th century Church
built by Reverend Schwartz of Denmark.
The Rock fort Hillock is said to be
230 crore years old. The materials
like Quartz used in glass making and
felspar used in ceramic are found
in this Rock formation.
Tiruvanaikkaval
: The Jambukeshwara temple, here,
is dedicated to Shiva, and it houses
five concentric walls, and seven gopurams.
once an elephant worshipped Lord Shiva
under the holy Jambu tree and hence
the name Jambukeshwar. This is one
of the most revered temples to Shiva;
it is one of the Panchabhoota Stalams
signifying the 5 elements of wind
(Kalahasti), water (Tiruvanaikka),
fire (Tiruvannamalai), earth (Kanchipuram)
and space (Chidambaram). The primordial
element water, is represented by an
undying natural spring in the sanctum.
Shiva Lingam is partially submerged
in water which flows from an underground
spring.
Srirangam Temple
or Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple :
Srirangam, situated around a distance
of 7 kms this small island town in
the Cauvery River is encircled by
the temple walls. There are 22 gopurams
including India’s tallest (72
meters, 13 storey high), which was
built in 1987 while the others date
back to the 14th century.Many people
have had a hand in its construction,
including the Cheras, Pandyas, Cholas,
Hoysalas and rulers from Vijayanagar.
The largest gopuram in the first wall
on the southern side was completed
as recently as 1987, and now measures
73m. The main temple is dedicated
to Vishnu. Even muslims are said to
have prayed here after the fall of
the Vijayanagar Empire. Non-Hindus
are not allowed into the gold - topped
sanctum, but they are allowed into
the sixth wall.
An annual Car Festival is held here
in January during which a decorated
wooden chariot is pulled through the
streets between various walls. In
mid-December, the Vaikunda Ekadasi,
or Paradise Festival will be celebrated
in the Vishnu Temple. Ivory sculptures
of Lord Vishnu in various poses and
the images of Nayak Kings with consorts
donated by Nayak kings who ruled Madurai
during the 17th century are available
here. Temple Museum : There's
also a small museum containing sculptures
etc. Opening Hours : 8.00 a.m. to
1.00 pm and 2.00 p.m. to 6.00 pm.
Entry Fee : Re.1.00 for all
Vayaloor : Vayaloor
is located on the outskirts of Tiruchirapalli.
There is a small Lord Muruga temple,
set amidst the lush green vegetation.
St. John's Church : Built
in 1812, this Church has louvred doors,
which when opened, turns the church
into an airy pavilion. The brilliant
architecture of the church is a treat
to the eyes. .
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Excursions
from Trichy
Grand Anicut
Dam (Kallanai) : Situated at
a distance of 24 kms from Trichy this
ancient dam built by Karikala Chola
across the river Cauvery in 2 AD. This
dam is one of the greatest engineering
marvels of India. Made of stone, the
dam is 329 m long and 20m wide and still
very much in use. Additions have been
made in the form of a road bridge on
top of the dam. This is a good picnic
spot.
Mukkombu (Upper Anicut) :
This is a wonderful picnic
spot of Trichy, where the river Kollidam
branches off from the Cauvery. At a
distance of just 18 kms from Tiruchirappalli
on the river banks of Cauvery and Kollidam.
This place is called upper dam. It is
an attraction for the tourists and also
for the people of all ages by its park,
greenish garden scince park,toy train,merry
go round, fishing facility, and boating
facility.
Vayaloor (8 km) :
The site of a temple dedicated to Lord
Murugan.
Samayapuram (20 km) : Famous
for its shrine to goddess Mariamman.
Viralimalai (30 km) : A
temple dedicated to Lord Subramanya
is perched atop a hill. It is also the
site of a peacock sanctuary.
Sittanavasal (58 km) : The
site of an ancient Jain monastery with
exquisite fresco paintings in a cave.
It is also noted for its pre-historic
burial grounds.
Narthamalai (37 km) : The
temple is circular in shape. This is
very rare. One of the first structural
temples, Narthamalai is 37 km from Tricky.
A cave temple is also found here.
Elakurichi : The site
of an old church built by the renowned
Catholic missionary, Constantine Joseph
Beschi.
Puliancholai (72 km) : A
fine picnic spot, it is located in the
foothills of the Kolli range.
Kodumbalur (42 km) : A
small town famous for its shrines.
Avudayar Kovil : The
magnificent, life size sculptures of
this ancient Shiva Temple are worth
seeing..
How
to reach Trichy?
By Air : Trichy has
an international airport, which receives
flights from Colombo, Kuwait and Sharjah,
as well as from major cities of India.
By Train : Trichy is
a major junction of Southern Railway.
It is connected to Chennai, Madurai,
Thanjavur, Bangalore, Mysore,Tirupathi,
Rameswaram and Kochi.
By Road : Well-connected
road network between Trichy and all
the major cities in south India..
