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Tiruchirappalli now called Trichy is situated on the banks of the Cauvery river. Trichy, the fourth largest city in the state was a citadel of the early Cholas which later fell to the Pallavas. But the Pallavas never really managed to retain control of this strategic city and lost it to the Pandyas several times.

Tiruchirappalli is known for its Rock Fort and its temple at a height of over 83 metres. Other renowned temples are, the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple (Srirangam), Siva temple at Tiruvanaikkaval and the Samayapuram Mariamman Temple.

History Of Tiruchirappalli

Tiruchi itself has a long history dating back to the centuries before the Christian era when it was a Chola citadel. During the first millennium AD, it changed hands between the Pallavas and Pandyas many times before being taken by the Cholas in the 10th century AD. When the Chola Empire finally declined, Tiruchi passed into the hands of the Vijayanagar kings of Hampi and remained with them until their defeat, in 1565 AD by the forces of the Deccan Sultans.

The city and its fort, as they stand today, were built by the Nayaks of Madurai. It was one of the main centers around which the wars of the Carnatic were fought in the 18th century during the British-French struggle for supremacy in India.

Places To visit

The Rock Fort Temple:

The temple is dedicated to the Lord Vinayaka. The temple is a land mark of the city and it is situated on the Shores of the Kaveri River, at an attitude of 83 meter from the sea level. To reach such great height the rock cut into 347 steps, which leads to the temple. Start your Trichy tour from this temple will give you the right start.

Thayumanaswamy Temple:

This temple is dedicated to the Lord Shiva, it is situated halfway of the top of Rock Fort temple. The temple has a 100 pillar hall and a vimana covered with gold.

Sri Ranganathaswamy:

this temple is situated 6 km from the Trichy city, at Srirangam. This temple is the most revered shrines dedicated to Lord Vishnu in south India, and it has a largest temple complex in the world. The temple is replete with excellent carvings and numerous shrines dedicated to various Gods.

Gangaikondacholapuram, Tirumayam, ST. Johns Church, Sittannavasal Kodumbalur, and Samayapuram Mariamman Temple are some other tourist sites in Trichy.

The Rock Fort Temple
The Rock Fort temple complex in Tiruchirappalli is a collection of three temples – the Manikka Vinayakar temple at the foot of the hill, the Uchhi Pillayar Koyil at the top of the hill and the Taayumaanavar Koyil (Shivastalam) on the hill. This Shivastalam is a rock cut temple on a hill and is the most prominent landmark in Tiruchirappalli that can be reached by a flight of steps on the way to the famous Ucchi Pillayar temple. The name rock fort comes from the fact that the place was used for military fortification first by the Vijayanagar emperors and later by the British during the Carnatic wars.

Sri Ranganathaswami Temple
Located 7-km from Trichy is Srirangam, the abode of the Supreme Lord, Sri Ranganatha, the reclining form of Lord Vishnu. The Ranganathaswamy temple is the first and foremost among the 108 Divya Desams, the holy abodes of Lord Vishnu. The temple sprawls over an area of about 156 acres (6,31,000 sq m), making it one of the largest temples in India. A total of seven concentric walls enclose the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple and the total length of these walls is 32,592 enclosed by 21 Gopurams (towers). The temple amazes us with its astounding architecture and sculptural beauty. The “hall of 1000 pillars” (actually 953) is a fine example of a planned theatre-like structure and opposite to it, “Sesha Mandap”, with its intricacy in sculpture, is a delight.

Tiruvanaikkaval or Jambukeswara Temple
Situated 2-km east of Srirangam, this beautiful Shiva temple steals the show from the larger Ranganathaswami temple due to its excellent architectural design. The temple is named after the elephant, which is believed to have worshipped Lord Shiva here. Installed under an ancient Jambu tree, the lingam is partially submerged by water and meant to represent God incarnate as Water. The Jambukeshwara temple, not less than 2 km from Shrirangam is yet another awe-inspiring tourist attraction. The infrastructure of the temple is excellent and praiseworthy. There are 7 Gopurams and 5 concentric circular concrete walls, leaving the visitors completely absorbed in its magnificence.

Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple
GangaikondaCholapuram is located in Udayarpalayam Taluk (also spelt as Taluka) of Perambalur district, at a distance of 100-km from Trichy. Rajendra I, a Chola ruler established GangaikondaCholapuram as his capital city and built a magnificent temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The architecture of this temple is an exhibition of intricate carvings on the hard southern granite stones, discarding the earlier Chola and Pallava style of subtlety and simplicity. Few sculptures found here are as great as the sculptures found in any other Chola temples. The walls tell us stories of many victories of the warrior king, the land donations made during the period, kings ascending to thrones etc.

Viralimalai Sanctuary
The Viralimalai sanctuary is one of the best places to watch peacocks. There are at least six species of peacock pheasants distributed throughout South East Asia, though the Palawan Peacock Pheasant or “Tandikan” (Polyplectron Emphanum) is by far the most spectacularly coloured of these beautiful birds.

Viralimalai is a small town situated at a distance of 30-kms from Tiruchirapalli and 40-kms from Pudukkottai. It is famous for its Murugan temple and the Peacock sanctuary. The town is bestowed with a large number of wild peacocks, which roam around the Murugan temple.

Government Museum
Government Museum, established in 1982, is a museum complex located in Rani Mangammal Mahal near Super bazaar, Tiruchirapalli. The complex includes National Art Gallery, Gallery of Contemporary Arts and Children’s Museum. The museum showcases an assortment of specimens relating to geology, zoology, paintings, anthropology, epigraphy and history.

Ancient bronze-stone sculptures, Indian coins, Paleolithic and Neolithic tools, inscriptions and palm leaf manuscripts and model of Pachamalai hills are kept here for display. The museum is open on all days except Fridays and national holidays from 10:00 hrs to 17:00 hrs.

Sittanavasal
Sittanavasal is located at a distance of 58-km from Trichy is Sittanavasal, a site of an ancient Jain monastery with fine fresco paintings in a rock cave. Many of them are typical of the 9th century Pandyan period and include exquisitely detailed pictures of animals, fish, ducks, people gathering lotuses from a pond and two dancing figures. There are also inscriptions dating back to the 9th and 10th centuries. Fresco paintings from the 7th century can be seen on the ceiling of the Ardhamandapam.
There are many pre-historic burial sites around Sittanavasal and among the relics unearthed are burial urns, cists and Kurangupatarai.
 

Situated in Tiruchirappalli district, on the banks of the River Kaveri (also spelt as Cauvery) is Tiruchirappalli, a city known for its educational institutions, industries, and temples. It is shortly called as “Tiruchi” or “Trichy”.

When this empire collapsed in 1565, Tiruchy came to be occupied in turn by the Nayaks of Madurai, the Marathas, the Navabs of Carnatic, the French and finally the British. But it was under Nayaks of Madurai that Tiruchy flourished and prospered in its own right and grew to be the city that it is today.

Trichy is the district headquarters of the district of Tiruchirappalli and has its name for tourist attraction. The city is a thriving commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is famous for artificial diamonds, cigars, handloom cloth, glass bangles and wooden and clay toys.