TRICHY (Tiruchirappalli)
Tiruchirappalli (Formerly Woraiyur) also known as Trichy 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.
Connectivity
Trichy is well connected to all the major cities of India through air, rail and road.
By Flight
Tiruchirappalli is served by Tiruchirappalli International Airport and around 5 km (3.1 mi) from the city centre. It is the 10th busiest airport in the country in terms of international traffic. The airport handles fivefold more international air traffic than domestic services, making it the only airport in India with this huge variation. It serves as a gateway to immigrants from South-east Asian countries There are regular flights to Abu Dhabi, Chennai, Colombo, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai and Singapore.
By Train
Tiruchirapalli Junction railway station is connected to all major cities in India viz Kanyakumari, Chennai, Howrah, Varanasi Mangalore, Madurai, Mysore, Bangalore, Goa, Tirupati, Bhubaneswar, Pondicherry, Chennai etc.
By Road
Tiruchirapalli sits at the confluence of two major National Highways (NH – 45, NH 67) connect to all the major cities like Tanjore, Madurai, Chennai, Bangalore, Mysore, Cochin, Coimbatore etc.
Festivals
Trichy, like many other regions in Tamil Nadu, celebrate a variety of festivals and most of them are based on a religious concept or directly linked to a mythological event. Once such interesting and unique festival celebrated in Trichy is the Float festival. This festival is quite famous among the Hindu community of Tamil Nadu and is observed during the full moon night of the Tamil month of Thai. Most of the major temples in Trichy have a huge built-in water tank among the other architectural structures. The main event of the float festival, as the name suggests, is the floating of the idols of the primary and accompanying deities of the temple on these water tanks using lavishly decorated rafts adorned with flowers and sparkling lamps. During the Dhanurmasa period according to the Hindu calendar (approximately in December or January), the Hindu community believes that Vaikuntha Dwaram or the holy gate to Lord Vishnu’s heavenly abode remains open. It is on this day the Vaikuntha Ekathasi festival is celebrated in Vishnu temples, all across the world.
Rock fort Temple The Rock Fort Ganapathi Temple also known as the Uchipillaiyar Koil is situated at an 83 m tall rock. This rock is said to be the oldest rock in the world dating back to 3800 million years. This temple is a combination of the two famous Hindu Temples of the 7th century that were devoted to Lord Shiva and Lord Ganesha. The temple has to be reached by climbing about 344 steps.There is also a tank placed at the rock fort foot of this temple. This tank is flocked by people during the float festivals held in the place. Robert Clive used to live adjacent to this tank. The rock fort of this temple is considered to be 2 billion years old and to have made a large contribution in the laying down of British Empire in India. The fort is built by materials like quartz and feldspar. Apart from this rock fort, the main complex of the temple consists of two parts; the Thayumanaswamy, which is dedicated to Lord Shiva and the Pillayar, which is dedicated to Lord Ganesha. The Shiva temple is the larger one and comprises of a large stone statue of Shiva in the form of Lingam. The rock architecture of the temple is also quite an attraction.
Srirangam Temple Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is situated in Srirangam Town of Trichy, Tamil Nadu. This is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Ranganatha, a reclining form of Lord Vishnu and covers a total area of 156 acres. This temple is also amongst the first ones of 108 ‘divya desams’ of the abode of Lord Vishnu. It has been constructed in Dravidian style of architecture and has been glorified by the literature of early Tamil literature canon. This temple also has the honour of being the largest functioning temple in the world. Some noticeable features in its architecture include 21 surrounding ‘gopurams’ along with an ornate gateway, which is also the tallest ‘gopuram’ of India. There is also a royal temple tower in the place, which covers a base area of 32500 sq. ft and has a height of 196 ft. It also comprises a hall containing 1000 pillars. This temple also holds the annual chariot festival of Tamil Nadu that lasts for 21 days.
