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Trichy - Where Tradition Meets Modernity

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Trichy or Tiruchirappalli is an industrial and educational city in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Trichy is the administrative headquarters of the district by the same name. The city is located on the banks of the river Kaveri. The city is the fourth largest municipal corporation and urban agglomeration of Tamil Nadu.

There are several contemplations about the origin of the name of the place. The name Tiruchirappalli is derived from the Sanskrit word "trishirapuram", which comes from the two words "trishira", which means "three heads", and "palli" or "puram", which means "city". It is believed that the three-headed demon Trishira prayed to Lord Shiva near the city and obtained favours. Telugu scholar C. P Brown believed that Tiruchirappalli is derived from the word "Chiruta-palli", which means "little town".

A rock inscription from the 16th century has mentioned Tiruchirappalli as Tiru-ssila-palli, which means holy-rock-town. Some scholars believe that the name is derived from the word Tiru-chinna-palli, which means holy little town.

According to the Madras glossary, the origin of the word Tiruchirappalli is from the word Tiruccinappalli meaning holy (tiru) village (palli) of the shina plant.

During the rule of the British, Tiruchirappalli was referred to as Trichinopoly, which has been shortened to Trichy or Tiruchi.

From The Pages Of History

The city of Trichy is one of the oldest places to have been inhabited in Tamil Nadu. It has a rich cultural heritage and has seen the rise and fall of several empires.

The earliest settlements were traced around the 2nd millennium BC. The early Chola kings ruled the place in the 3rd century BC. In the medieval era, the Pallava king Mahendravarman I, who ruled the place in the 6th century AD, constructed several cave temples in Rockfort.

After the Pallavas, the medieval Cholas conquered Trichy and reigned the place till the 13th century AD. After the decline of the Cholas, the Pandyas ruled the place from 1216 to 1311, till they were defeated by Malik Kafur. Post that the place was governed by the Sultanates based in Delhi and Madurai from 1311 to 1378. After the Sultanates, the Vijaynagar Empire, too, ruled over the region.

Trichy was ruled by the Vijaynagar Empire and by the Madurai Nayak kingdom till 1736. After the Madurai Nayak ruler Meenakshi committed suicide, the place was taken over by Chandra Sahib, who ruled from 1736 to 1741. Chandra Sahib was captured by the Marathas and General Murari Rao ruled over Trichy between 1741 to 1743 before it was annexed to the Carnatic kingdom.

The Nawab of Carnatic was, however, removed from power in 1751 by Chanda Sahib. The conflict gave rise to the Second Carnatic War between the British and Muhammed Ali Khan Wallajah, the Nawab of Carnatic on one side rivalled by Chanda Sahib and the French.

The British were successful and Muhammed Ali Khan Wallajah was handed over the throne. In 1801 the British took over the Carnatic kingdom and incorporated it into the Madras Presidency. During the rule of the British, Trichy emerged as one of the major and most popular cities.

Tourist Places In And Around Trichy

The rich cultural heritage and tradition has resulted in presenting Trichy with some of the most splendid historical religious places and fortresses.

Viralimalai Murugan Temple, Rockfort Temple, Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Jambukeswarar Temple, Samayapuram Mariamman Temple, Erumbeeswarar Temple, Vayalur Murugan Temple, Vekkaliamman Temple, Gunaseelam Vishnu Temple, Nadir Shah Mosque, St John’s Church and St Joseph’s Church are products of this rich history.

The palace of the Nawab as well as the Kallanai Dam and Mukkombu Dam are some of the oldest and most significant structures of Trichy.

Several festivals, such as Pongal, Tamil New Year, Aadi Perukku, Vaikunta Ekadasi, Navratri, Bakra-eid, Srirangam car festival, Diwali and Holi, are celebrated with much pomp and glory proving to be an added attraction to the place. The local crafts and jewellery provide for a good shopping experience in the city, thus, making the place a traveller’s paradise.

How To Reach Trichy

Trichy is well connected to the rest of the country through air, rail and road transport. The Tiruchirappalli airport is an international airport which is connected to Chennai, Bangalore, Sri Lanka and Kuala Lumpur.

Trichy is connected by national highways numbered 45, NH 45B, 67, 210 and 227. Hence, regular buses ply from the city to all the major cities of the Tamil Nadu. The railway station at Trichy is an important junction of Tamil Nadu. It is well connected to most important cities of India and has direct trains to cities of South India.

Trichy Weather

The weather of Trichy is hot and dry for a major part of the year. The summers are extremely hot during the day but cooler during the evenings. The monsoons bring heavy showers and the temperature cools down to a large extent.

The winters in Trichy are cooler and pleasant. The winter months, between November and February, are also the best times of the year to visit the city.

Trichy is Famous for

Trichy Weather

Best Season / Best Time to Visit Trichy

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How to Reach Trichy

  • By Road
    Trichy is connected by State transport buses to other cities of Tamil Nadu such as Kanyakumari, Chennai and Madurai. Private buses also ply regularly to cities like Trivandrum and Bangalore. The buses are a cheap and comfortable option to travel to Trichy.
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  • By Train
    The Trichy Junction is one of the major railway stations in south India. Regular trains from Trichy are available to Madurai, Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai and Tirupati. So visiting this place via train is a good option.
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  • By Air
    Trichy Airport is connected to Chennai and Bangalore as well as Sri Lanka and Kuala Lumpur. Chennai airport which is at a distance of 330 km and Bangalore airport which is at a distance of 331 km are the two airports which connects the city to all the towns and cities of India and many cities of abroad.
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