Tourism Attractions of Trichy

Trichy is an important place for Tamilnadu Tourism as it contains fine temples and important historical monuments. These attractions can be classified in two categories.  They are.

1. Religious based attractions of Tiruchirappalli
2. General attractions of Tiruchirappali

Under Religious based Attractions we can briefly explore the Historic Temples, Churches and Masques which attracts most of the foreign visitors. Under general Attractions we can see the other Tourist places which attract the Tourist from the world.

Religious Based Attractions

> Famous Temples in Tiruchirappalli

1.         ROCKFORT TEMPLE

Trichy is a town of historical importance. It is famous for its rock in the very heart of the town. The rock rises to a hight of 273 feet to be climbed by a flight of 417 steps. There are Two Vinayaka Temples at the foot and the top of the rock respectively and a Temple for Siva in between

Mythology of the Vinayaka Temple located in Rockfort

Vibhishana, was the younger brother of the Asura King Ravana who ruled Lanka. Lord Rama in the epic of Ramayana rescues his wife Sita, who was kidnapped and held by Ravana, with the help of Sugriva and Hanuman defeated him. In this war, the moral and truth-abiding brother of Ravana, Vibishana aids Rama in his battle against his brother. Ultimately Rama wins the war and as a token of love, he gives Vibishana a vigraham (idol for worship) of Lord Ranganatha, a form of Vishnu.

Vibhishana, though he supported Rama, was basically an Asura, hence the Devas (who are arch rivals to Asuras as per Hindu mythology) wanted to stop this idea of an Asura taking Lord's supreme form to his Kingdom. They request the help of the Remover of obstacles and God of learning, Lord Vinayaka and the Lord accepts the plan. Vibhishana, while on his back to his Kingdom, goes through Trichi, and wanted to take his bath in the river Kaveri and do his daily rituals. However, he is perplexed as the deity, once kept in land, can never be removed and has to be in that place forever.

As a solution, Vibishana tries to find someone to hold the deity while he was taking bath. He finds the Lord Vinayaka under disguise of a cowherd boy. As per the plan, when Vibishana is fully into water, Vinayaka takes the deity and keeps it firmly in sand, in the banks of kaveri. On seeing this, the angry Vibhishana chases the boy, to punish him, and boy keeps running and climbs over the rock near the Kaveri bank. Vibhishana finally reaches the boy and hits him on the fore-head. One can see a pit in the forehead of the idol even today.  The little boy then reveals himself to be Vinayaka . Vibishana immediately apologizes and the Lord gives him his blessings, reveals that the idol is destined to remain in Srirangam and sends him off to Lanka. This is similar in many regards to the story Of Lord Ganesh in Gokarna with Ravana in the same Ramayana period..

The place in which the Ranganathan deity was kept was later covered in deep forests, due to disuse and after a very long time, it was discovered when a Chola king chasing a parrot found the deity accidentally. He then established the Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam as one of the largest temple complexes in the world. Meanwhile, the Pallavas built the Vinayaka temple and the Thayumanaswamy temple, in the rock which Vinayaka used to escape Vibishana.

Ucchi Pillayar Temple

The Temple of Ucchi Pillayar is situated on the top of the rock at an altitude of 273 feet. It is easily visible from any part of the town and from any direction. The panoramic view of the town from the Temple, especially at nights is most pleasing to the mind and the heart.

Thayumanavar Temple

Thayumanavar temple is located in middle of the Rock fort. Lord Siva is known as THAYUMANAVAR. It means the God who turned Mother. There is a legend about it.

Ratnavadi a lady of the Merchant class and an ardent devotee of Siva was eagerly waiting for the arrival of her mother to assist in her delivery. But the mother was held up on the other side of the River Cauvery due to floods. God himself came in the guise of the mother, acted as midwife and ministered to her needs puzzled. At once the God disappeared and gave Dharshan to both from the skies with his Divine Consort.

From the day the God is called Thayum Anavar. The Goddess is called Mattuvar Kuzhali Ammani which means the Long Haired Goddess wearing a garland of flowers imbued with honey.

This temple was built by King Mahendra Varman of the 7th Century. Evidences of Jain occupation around the rock are still extant.

Manikka Vinayakar Temple

At the very entrance, at the foot of the Rock, we find lord Manikka Vinayakar seated in all his majesty, ready to confer his Blessings upon his Devotees. It looks as if nobody can reach the Temple of Lord Thayumanavar or Ucchi Pillayar, without first worshipping him and obtaining his blessings. The spacious Hall on the Western side contains pictures and carvings of Vinayaka in different names and postures.

Tiruchirappalli District Administration

Geographical location

Tiruchirappalli district lies at the heart of Tamil Nadu. The district has an area of 4,404 square kilometers.    It exactly located between 10.8050 N northerly of latitude and 78.6856 E easterly line of longtitude. It is bounded to the north by Namakkal District, to the northeast by Perambalur District, to the east by Thanjavur District, to the southeast by Pudukkottai District, to the south by Sivaganga and Madurai districts, to the southwest by Dindigul District, to the west by Karur District, and to the northwest by Namakkal District.

Trichy administration consists of Blocks, Taluks and Revenue villages.

Trichy Blocks

Number of Blocks 14 Number of Panchayat Villages 408 Block Panchayat Villages Block Panchayat Villages Andanallur 25 Lalgudi 45 Manachanellur 35 Manapparai 21 Manikandam 22 Marungapuri 49 Musiri 33 Pullambadi 33 Tattayyangarpettai 25 Thiruverambur 24 Thottiam 26 Turaiyur 34 Uppiliapuram 18 Vaiyampatti 18

Trichy Taluks

In 2013, Tiruchirappalli District went from nine Taluks to eleven Taluks.  They are

Number of Taluks 11 Number of Revenue Villages 506 Taluk Revenue Villages Tiruchirappalli -East 11 Tiruchirappalli -West 12 Tiruverambur 31 Srirangam 59 Manapparai 51 Marungapuri 45 Lalgudi 93 Manachanallur 46 Musiri 64 Thottiam 30 Thuraiyur 64

Trichy Revenue Divisions

Number of Revenue Divisions 4 Revenue Division Name Tiruchirapalli Srirangam Lalgudi Musiri

History of Trichy

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 neighboring 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 A.D. 880, Aditya Chola brought a downfall to the Pallava dynasty. From that time onwards Tiruchirappalli and its region became a part of Greater Cholas. In A.D. 1225 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 rules 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. Soon after the area was ceded to East India Company as per the agreement at the eve of the Kanatic war, Tiruchirappalli district was formed under the the Collectorship of Mr. John (Junior) Wallace in 1801. The district was then under the hegemony of British for about 150 years till the independence of India.

Trichy an Introduction

Tiruchirappalli

Tiruchirappalli also called Tiruchi or Trichy, is a city in the Indian state of Tamilnadu. Trichy (formerly called Trichinopoly in English) is located on the banks of river Cauvery. Tiruchirappalli District is the fourth largest municipal corporation in the state. Which is located 322 Kilometers south of Chennai and 379 Kilometers north of Kanyakumari.  It was the home of the Cholas, Pallavas and Pandyas. 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. A harmonious combination of tradition and modernism, Trichy is a famous temple town as well as a prosperous commercial hub of Tamil Nadu

Origins

According to Hindu Mythology, the word "Tiruchirappalli" is derived from "Tiru" which is to address someone with respect, "Chirapalli" is a split of siram - head, palli - to sleep. It basically refers to Sriranganathar God who rests with his head at a little elevated position in Srirangam, Tiruchirappalli.

There is also a belief that Tiruchirapalli was named after a three headed demon "Trishira" (the son of Ravana) who performed penance at the Siva temple here and obtained boons here.

Trichy City Map