|Time zone||IST (UTC+05:30)|
|146.90 km2 (57 sq mi)
• 85 m (279 ft)
Tiruchirappalli (Tamil: தி௫ச்சிராப்பள்ளி (tiruccirāppaḷḷi) pronunciation (help·info) also spelled Tiruchirapalli, commonly known as Tiruchi or Trichy (Tamil: தி௫ச்சி) formerly also pronounced as Trichinopoly under British rule).
The most famous landmark of Trichy is the Rockfort temple which is perched on a huge rocky out crop. The smooth crop was first hewn by the Pallavas but it was the Nayaks of Madurai who later built the Rock fort temple. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and Lord Ganesha.
Trichy city encompasses Srirangam, a Vaishnavite temple and the biggest functioning Hindu temple in the world. Trichy also contains "ThiruAnaikka" (ThiruvAnaikkaval), House of Water, one of the five main abodes ("Panchaboodha Sthalam") of Lord Shiva. Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman was born in Thiruvanaikaval and his house has been preserved as a museum. Trichy is also called as Rock City.
There are several theories for the origin of the city's name. One is that Tiruchirapalli was named after the three-headed demon Trishira (or "Chira") who performed penance at the Shiva temple in the city and obtained favors. The city was therefore named after the demon. Another theory states that since there are three peaks in the area, which are occupied by Shiva, Parvati, and Vinayaka the name Tri-Shikharam or Tirisirapuram arose. The legend says that Shiva in the guise of a woman attended to the call of a devotee in labor, hence he is called as Matrubhuteswarar (Matru means mother, Bhuteswar is another name of Siva meaning 'king of ghosts') or Taayumaanavar in Tamil.
The name Tiruchirappali is the combination of three words Thiru + Chira + Palli, meaning the 'School Chira'. In Thaayumanavar Temple in Rock fort, the pictures depict that there was a saint called 'Chira', who established a school ('Palli' in Tamil) near that area. Hence the name Chira Palli or Tiruchirappalli, Tiru is a honoric prefix for the saint Chira.
Normally the place names ends with 'Palli' refers the ancient devotional place of Jains (Samanar). Rocky caves in many places occupied by them. 'Palli' means not only school but also refers to resting place.
Tiruchirapalli was originally a Chola citadel and later, during 1st millennium AD, then it was occupied by other south Indian dynasties such as the Pallavas, and Pandyas. The Chola regained control over Tiruchirapalli during the 10th century. Urayur,which has a known history and tradition of about 2500 years, was the capital of Early Cholas. Later, after the fall of the Chola empire, it came under the direct conrol of the Madurai Nayak Dynasty who paid tribute to the Vijayanagara empire. The Rock Fort temple, the most famous landmark in Tiruchirapalli, was built by the Nayaks. The Madurai Nayak rulers changed their capital from Madurai to Tiruchirapalli, and back, several times.
The city is home to Nagaraja Cholan and it has many historic temples, monuments, churches and mosques. It was the capital of the early Chola kings. The oldest human-built dam, Kallanai, was built by Karikala Cholan across the Kaveri River about 10 miles from Urayur.
With regard to the centre of origin of iron, Sir William Larke, Director of the British Iron and Steel Federation, says -
"The centre of origin is variously placed in India, where there are historical traditions and remains indicating a highly developed iron culture. Hyderabad and Trichinopoly are considered by many to have been the centres of production of wootz..... This steel was noted for centuries, being carried by merchants from India to Damascus and Toledo.." Sir William gives the date of this origin of the iron age as 1400 to 1500 B.C.E
Trichy was an important town in the days of the Later Cholas and of the Nayak kings, and during the early days of the British East India Company. The conquest of Tiruchirapalli by the British East India Company marked a major step in the British conquest of India.
The well-known Trichinopoly cigars are chiefly manufactured from Tobacco grown outside the district at Dindigul. It was said that Winston Churchill developed a taste for the mildly aromatic Trichy cigar that was traded from Fort St George to Whitehall during 2nd World War
One famous landmark in Tiruchirapalli is the Rock Fort, a big outcrop of rock, 83 metres in height. It is the only such outcrop of its kind. Because of it Trichy is also called as Rock City. On top of it is the Ucchi Pillayar Koil, a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Vinayaka (Ganesh), from where one can enjoy a panoramic view of Tiruchirapalli. The temple was also used as a military fort by the Nayaks for some time.
On the southern face of the rock are several beautifully-carved cave temples of the Pallava period. On the eastern side is Sri Nandrudayan Vinayakar Temple, with Ganesha as the main deity. A large-sized Ganesha and depictions of other rare deities can be seen in this temple, which hosts festivals every year during the Vinayaka Chathurthi (birthday of Ganesha). Many Carnatic musicians have given concerts in this famous shrine. Around the rock temple is a busy commercial region, mainly known for its textiles and Burma, China, Japan goods, known as Chatram. The Main Guard Gate is flooded on festive occasions such as Deepavali, Ramzan, Bakrid, Christmas, and Pongal.
Trichy is famous for the number of Christian churches it contains—it is said to have the greatest number of chapels in India. The most famous are Holy Redeemer's Church (Sagayamatha Kovil), Our Lady of Lourdes Church(built by Jesuits) near Chatram bus stand, and The Cathedral in Melapudur(built by Jesuits), all more than a century and a half old. The most famous college in Trichy, St. Joseph's College was also built by the Jesuits, and so was St. Joseph's school,etc. Trichy also is famous for Arcot Nawab masjid (one of the oldest), with its large water storage tank (Ahail)
The topology of Trichy is flat. It lies at an altitude of 78 m above sea level. The river Kaveri (also called Cauvery) and the river Coleroon (also called Kollidam) flows through Trichy, the latter forms the northern boundary of the city. The river Cauvery flows along WNW-SSE direction through the city.
There are a few hills located within the city, the prominent among them are Golden Rock, Rock Fort, Kajamalai and in Thiruverumbur. There are few reserve forests along the river Cauvery, located at the west and the north-west of the city. The southern and the south-western part of the district is dotted by several hills which are thought to be an offset of the Western Ghat. Eastern ghats also pass through the district. The soil here is considered to be very fertile. As two rivers flows through the city, the northern part of the city is more greener than other areas of the city.
Trichy has a moderate and pleasant climate, with humidity slightly above normal. The city experiences mild winters and humid summers. The timing of the monsoon in this part of the country has lately become unpredictable, with the rainy season starting from mid-October until early-November and the rains then extending until early or mid-January.
|Max.||41 °C (106 °F)||36 °C (97 °F)|
|Min.||21 °C (70 °F)||18 °C (64 °F)|
As of 2009, Trichy had a population of 11,39,534. Males constitute 49.97% of the population and females 50.03%. Trichy has an average literacy rate of 91.45%. Male literacy is 94.17% and female literacy is 88.73%. In Trichy 9.59% of the population is under 6 years of age. The city's population is predominantly Hindu (with both Saivaite and Vaishnavaite), and there are sizable population of Christians and Muslims. Sikhs and Jains are also present in smaller numbers.
The most widely spoken language is Tamil, though there are also significantly large numbers of people speaking Telugu, Saurashtrian, Kannada and Thanjavur Marathi. The standard dialect is the Central Tamil dialect. Madurai Tamil is also widely spoken.
During the pre-independence era, Anglo-Indians, many of whom worked in the 'South-Indian Railways', started settling in 'Golden Rock-Township' and 'Crawford' located within the city. Crawford is considered as one of the expensive areas in the city. The place is predominantly Christian.
The city has a multi-cultural society with a sizeable presence of Tamil, English, Marathi, Telugu, Hindi, and Malayalam-speaking population. The city projects a calm outlook and is considered to be friendly toward tourists. One may experience typical Anglo-Indian, Andhra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu cuisines here. In addition to Pongal, the Thamizhar Thirunaal, Ugadi, Holi & Onam are festivals celebrated by their respective communities retaining their cultural roots.
People living in Trichy have a rich ancient cultural heritage. The city served as the centre of fine arts since sangam literature periods. Uraiyur, the old head and name of the city, was the capital of early Cholas. Here lived a number of great Tamil Scholars and contributed to the Tamil literature. People living here even today speak Tamil mostly what is being used in written form than any other people living in other parts of Tamil Nadu.
Trichy cuisine is predominantly South Indian with rice as the main-dish. The city prefers a fairly mild flavour, with variations to suit the local palette. Lunch is usually served in many restaurants over a banana leaf. North Indian, Chinese and Continental cuisines are also available. Jelebi, idly, dosa, halwa, parotta and biryani are popular among the locals.
Trichy is a major engineering hub and energy equipment and fabrication center of India.
Trichy is well connected to various parts of Tamil Nadu, by private and public bus services. There are two Bus Stands at Tiruchirappalli, as explained below:
Jeyankondacholapuram, Vriddhachalam, Chidambaram, Neyveli, and many.
On the road infrastructure Trichy will have four track highways from the city branching to destination Chennai, Madurai, Nagappattinam and Coimbatore. The four-laning of Chennai-Trichy should be completed in 2010 and also Trichy-Madurai would be completed at the same time. The widening of Trichy-Tanjore, Trichy-Karur and Trichy-Rameswaram should also be completed in 2 years.
Trichy is connected by major National Highways which connect
Trichy is a hub of Southern Railway (India). Southern railway connect this central part of Tamil Nadu to various parts of India, notably regions in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh.
Trichy Railway Junction has five branches leading to Madurai, Rameswaram, Erode, Tanjore and Chennai and currently there are 4 platforms in operation. Platform no 5, 6, 7 is under gauge conversion which is to be finished and brought into working soon.
Trichy is one of the busiest railway junctions in India. It has more than 200 train crossings per day in its division. It also has the record of a railway station to have broadgage next to Chennai. The railway station has been accredited with international standard, and the development is under process. The Electrification between Villupuram and Tiruchchirappali has been completed and service started with electric traction on the chord line. The double line is also approved for the same section and the work had started.
This division has the press which supplies the printed unreserved ticket for Tamil Nadu railway stations. The railway station code for Trichy Junction is TPJ.
The other important trains passing through Trichy junction are Kanyakumari Express, Tamil Nadu Sampark Kranti Express, Tirukkural Express, Ananthapuri Express, Pothigai Express, Nellai Express, Pandian Express, Mysore-Mayiladuthurai Express, Cape-Howrah Express, Chennai-Mangalore Express, Pearl City Express,Pallavan Express Guruvayur Express, Jan Shatabdi Express, Nagercoil-Mumbai Express, Vaigai express, Sethu Express, Madurai-Jammutawi link Express, Pandian Express, Madurai-Lokmanya Tilak express, Nagercoil Express.
Other than Express trains there are more number of Passenger Trains which connects the Trichy with the nearest town frequently.
The Trichy city comprises the following railway stations:
|Station name||Station code|
Trichy has an international airport about eight kilometres from the city, which operates flights to Indian cities, territories, and neighbouring countries including Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and the Gulf by Air Asia, Indian Airlines, Air India Express, Srilankan Airlines, Mihin Lanka,Kingfisher Airlines,Paramount Airways. Trichy airport is the second largest airport in Tamil Nadu next to Chennai to get international connectivity to Colombo (Srilanka) in 1981. Nowadays, flights are operated to Gulf countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
Plans are being made to upgrade it to a full fledged international airport in the next three years. The extended runway (8000 ft) was commissioned and further expansion to 12500 ft has started. The new terminal building is opened in 2009. Two aero bridge are opened to use. This is the second airport in Tamil Nadu to get it next to Chennai. An new Air Traffic Control Centre is also being planned to be constructed to cope up with growing air traffic in the region.
|Air-India Express||Singapore, Abu-Dhabi, Dubai|
The city is a Municipal Corporation. It also serves as the headquarters of the district with the same name. The city is headed by a Mayor, under whom are the Deputy Mayor and several councillors elected by people representing administrative wards; as well as a corporation Commissioner of the rank of IAS to administer the city.
The city has one Member of Parliament representing the Trichy constituency, pudukkottai parliamentary constituency has been mearged with trichy and few regions are mearged with other constituncy for administrative reasons. Both Tiruchi (East) and Tiruchi (West) assembly constituencies are part of Tiruchirappalli (Lok Sabha constituency).
The district is headed by the District Collector of the rank of IAS. The District court is the highest court of appeal in Trichy/Tiruchirappalli. The city has seen moderate to high development in spite of funds constraint.
The city's police force is headed by the City Police Commissioner of the rank of IPS. One of the 5 Central prisons of the state is located here.
The city has numerous hospitals. Apart from the Government hospital, several multi-facility hospitals function in the city. The district's health department is one of the best in terms of implementing government-initiated healthcare schemes.
Rare surgical procedures have taken place in some of the hospitals in the city. The polio eradication programme is heavily assisted by various NGOs and clubs in the city. It also has many sidhdha/unani/ayurveda/homeopathic clinics.
Khanmian Masjidh and Nanamuna Masjidh are in Palakkarai where muslims are living bulk.
The city has two major English dailies, The Hindu and The New Indian Express. Tamil language dailies include Dina Malar, Dina Thanthi, Dina Mani and Dinakaran with two other dailies Tamil Murasu and Malai Malar published in the evening.
A short wave radio station is operated by All India Radio, with most programmes in Tamil, English and Hindi. A FM station AIR FM Rainbow operated by All India Radio with the programmes in Tamil, English and Hindi, Also a other Private FM Stations Hello FM 106.4Mhz (Malar Publication), Suryan FM 93.5Mhz (SUN Network),Gyan vani(Educational)FM 104.8Mhz and Holy Cross (Educational) 90.4Mhz Operated in this City.
Television relay started in 1985 from Delhi Doordarshan. In 1986, after inception of a repeater tower at Kodaikanal, telecast from Madras Doordarshan commenced. Television reception is through DTH or by Cable, while "Doordarshan" reception is still available using an external antenna.
Trichy has an excellent communication infrastructure, with the major cellular/broadband service providers involved in. Telecom services BSNL (Second Largest Electronic Exchange in Tamilnadu), VSNL (TATA Indicom), Reliance, Vodafone, Airtel, Aircel and BPL available are by Landline, CDMA and GSM. Fiber optic cables were laid in 2001, improving internet access.
The following list gives the Cinema halls in Trichy city. There are local, defunct and non-operating theatres which are not included in this list.
|Kalaiyarangam||Central Bus Stand||A/C, Qube Digital, 70MM|
|Maris||Fort Station||A/C, DTS, 70MM|
|Sona||Central Bus Stand||A/C, DTS|
|Mega Star||Thillai Nagar||A/C, DTS|
|Ramba||Chatram Bus Stand||A/C, Qube Digital|
|Mina||Central Bus Stand||A/C, DTS, 35MM|
|Maris Rock||Fort Station||A/C, DTS|
|Oorvasi||Chathram Bus Stand||A/C, 35MM|
|Star||Thennur Terminal||A/C, DTS|
|Urvashi||Chatram Bus Stand||70MM|
|Aruna theatre||Ramalinga Nagar||70MM|
Some prominent people from Trichy include:
Trichy is an ancient city of South India and it was capital of Chola & Naicka kings for many centuries,having historical background. The battle between British ( East Indian Company) & French with the help of locals, decided the beginnings of British empire in southern part of India.
Tiruchy or Tiruchirappalli is well connected to Chennai the capital city of Tamil Nadu by bus, train as well as by Air. Frequently there are buses and trains from Coimbatore. Night travel is the best if travelling by train or by bus. The airport is located around 7 km towards Pudukottai at Chembattu.
Since 2008, Tiruchirappalli became a convenient low-cost entry point to India from South-East Asia (or vice versa), as AirAsia started to fly here from Kuala Lumpur. Tickets booked in advance, as of summer 2009, cost around Rs.3000 ($60, for 4 hour flight), but can be well below Rs.2000 during frequent sales. This is quite a good option even if you fly from Thailand to South India.
Trichy district is famous for many ancient and popular temples and religious institutions. The various temples the city is known for.
A rock temple housing both Lord Thayumanavar and His son Pillaiyar(Ganapathi).
Apart from temples, there are also some destinations, ideal for picnics/day trips.
Gangaikonda cholapuram temple----This a historical place 110 km from trichy
There are some very popular schools with high educational standards. Some of them are The Higher Secondary School for Boys(Srirangam), St. Joseph's Anglo Indian Girls Higher Secondary School, Campion, St. John's Vestry, Mahatma Gandhi , RSK, Montfort School, Kamakoti vidhyala.
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