Tiruchirapalli

Infobox Indian Jurisdiction
native_name=Tiruchirappalli


latd = 10.81|longd=78.69
state_name=Tamil Nadu
district=Tiruchirappalli
leader_title=Mayor
leader_name= Sarubala Thondaiman
altitude=85
clothing= Tropical
languages_spoken= Tamil and English
avg. rainfall= 83.5 cms
population_as_of = 2008
population_total = 10,67,915| population_density = 499
area_magnitude = ?
area_total=146.90
area_telephone= 91-431
postal_code= 620 xxx
unlocode = IN TRZ
vehicle_code_range= TN 45 and TN 48
website=www.trichy.com
footnotes =

Tiruchirappalli (Tamil : தி௫ச்சிராப்பள்ளி) audio|Tiruchirapalli.ogg|pronunciation also spelled Tiruchirapalli, commonly known as Tiruchi or Trichy (Tamil : தி௫ச்சி) formerly also pronounced as Trichinopoly (under British rule) is Tamil Nadu's fourth largest corporation (after Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore with a population of 10,67,915 (as of 2008) [approx 1.06 Million] and is also one of the A1 metropolitan cities of Tamilnadu. It is situated in the centre of the state, on the banks of the Cauvery River. Trichy is a Municipal Corporation and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirapalli District.

Trichy city encompasses Srirangam, a Vaishnavite temple and the biggest functioning Hindu temple in the world. Trichy also contains "ThiruAnaikka" (ThiruvAnaikkaval), one of the five main abodes ("Panchaboodha Sthalam") of Lord Shiva. ThiruvAnaikkaval is the House of Water . Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman was born in Thiruvanaikaval and his house has been preserved as a museum. Tiruchirapalli city was named after a three-headed demon "Trishira" called "Chira"(the son of Ravana) who performed penance at the Siva temple here and obtained favors. The legend is that Shiva was worshipped by the demon ruler Tirisiran, hence Tiruchirappalli, Tirisirapuram etc . Also, since the three peaks here 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 . [ [http://www.templenet.com/Tamilnadu/s132.html Tiruchirappalli Matrubhuteswarar -Taayumaanavar Temple - Shivastalam ] ]

There is another belief about the origins of the name Trichy. According to this version the name started out as Thiru Javvandhipuram (Place of Marigold Flowers): javvandhi, the Tamil name for the marigold flower which still grows in abundance in and around this region, and puram which means a dwelling-place -- so over time this became known as Trichy.

History

Tiruchirapalli is home to Nagaraj Cholan and many historic temples, monuments, churches and mosques. Uraiyur(also pronounced as Oraiyur), the Old Tiruchy has over 2,500 years of known history and tradition. It was the capital of the early Chola kings. The oldest human-made dam, Kallanai, was built by Karikala Cholan across the river Kaveri (also "Cauvery") about 10 miles from Uraiyur.

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 Madurai Nayak rulers changed their capital from Madurai to Tiruchirapalli, and back, several times. The conquest of Tiruchirapalli by the British East India Company marked a major step in the British conquest of India.

Rockfort along with Cauvery river bridge

One famous landmark in Tiruchirapalli is the Rock Fort, a large outcrop of rock of 83 metres high. It is the only such outcrop in the otherwise-flat land of the city, and because of it Trichy is also called "Rock City". On top of the rock is the Ucchi Pillayar Koil, a temple dedicated to the Indian god Vinayaka (Ganesha), 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, specializing in textiles, known as "Chatram". The "Main Guard Gate" is flooded on festive occasions such as Diwali, 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 Koil), Lourdes Church, and The Cathedral.Trichy also is famous for Arcot Nawab masjid (one of the oldest) , with its large water storage tank (Ahil)

Culture

The city has a multi-cultural society with a sizeable presence of English, 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 and Kerala cuisines here.

In addition to Pongal, the 'Thamizhar Thirunaal", Ugadi, Holi & Onam are festivals celebrated by their respective communities retaining their cultural roots.

Cuisine

Trichy cuisine is predominantly South Indian with rice as the main-ingredient. 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, Mysorepa (a sweet made from lentil flour and ghee), idly, dosa, halwa (a sweet made of milk, wheat, and rice) and biryani are popular among the locals.

Economy

Trichy is a major Engineering hub and Energy Equipment and Fabrication Capital of India.Some major industrial houses are located in Trichy: among them are BHEL, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited -- a prominent Navaratna company, a highly profitable Public Sector Undertaking which, along with its ancillary industries, contributes some 6000 crores rupees (1 crore = 10 million) to the industrial output of Trichy) -- also Ordnance Factory (HAPP and Small Arms Project), Golden Rock Locomotive Workshop, and Dalmia Cements.

The plant of BHEL in Trichy manufactures high pressure boilers. There also are many BHEL-groomed small to medium scale industries notable in the national and international market, such as [http://www.cethar.com/ Cethar Vessels] , [http://www.veesons.com/ Veesons Energy Systems] , [http://www.anandengg.in/ Anand Engg] , [http://www.gbengineering.in/ GB Engg] , [http://www.adelasoftware.com/ Adela Software and Services Pvt. Ltd.] , [http://www.pradev.com/ Pradev Software Solution & Mindchain Solution] , [http://www.satrontech.freetizi.com/ Satron Technologies ] , Cethar FoodOils Ltd., and others.

BHEL entrance on NH67

Trichy also has exclusive Rotary Airpreheater manufacturer namely [http://www.geeco.in/ GEECO] . Being a commercial hub, Trichy stands first with 70% in India, in boiler & windmill manufacturing and fabrication. Number of small scale industries have also sprung up in Trichy, mostly around Thuvakudi and Mathur. Leather tanneries are located on the way to Pudukottai. Viralimalai, considered an industrial suburb on Madurai road has the factories of TVS, India bus body building unit, MM Forgings. Also in the same area ,Sanmar Group of Companies are located. A very Big Steel Foundry 10000 Tons per annum is in operation and one more foundry is coming up. Apart from this three more companies catering to Chemical and Process Industries find place here. One can also find agro-based industries around Trichy city, especially along Coimbatore road and Chennai. Manachanallur, famous for its numerous rice mills supplying polished rice all over Tamil Nadu and outside is located about 7 km from Main Guard gate.

The economy of the city is driven to a certain extent by IT/ITES companies like [http://www.hclcdc.in/ HCL] , [http://www.conturatech.com/ CONTURA Technologies] ,SUTHERLAND, ALSEC, encouraged by the support from state government. A dedicated stretch of land has been identified and developed to increase the state's share in national IT/ITES exports.

Transportation

Roadways

Trichy is well connected to various parts of Tamil Nadu, by private and public bus services. The Theppakulam - Chathram bus station, near Rock Fort temple, runs local and mofussil (city-to-city) bus services which connect people to nearby towns and villages. Bus services are frequent, once every two to five minutes. Trichy is also well-connected to the other cities of Tamil Nadu, southern Karnataka and Kerala through private charter buses.

The central bus station runs long distance services to major cities of the State and South India such as Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore, Bangalore, Tirunelveli, Nagercoil,Tirupathi,Thanjavur,Salem,Erode,Pudukkotai,Dindigul,Rameswaram,Theni,Hosur,Vellore etc. One can get buses from Trichy to almost any part of the state, due to its geographical location in the center of Tamil Nadu.

On the road infrastructure front, with the completion of highway projects in Tamil Nadu state, 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 mid 2008 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 Chennai(towards north)and Dindigul(towards south) by NH 45,Madurai and Tuticorin by NH 45B(towards south),Coimbatore and Ooty(towards west)and Tanjore and Nagapatinam(towards east) by NH 67,Putukkottai and Ramanathapuram(towards south-east) by NH 210 and Chidambaram (towards north-east) by NH 227.

NH45 with heavy vehicles

Tamil Nadu Government introduced the Share -Auto scheme in the year 2001.The city has a very wide network of city buses and mini buses. The State-run DCTC town buses cover areas from trichy to pudukkottai, manapparai, musiri, viralimalai and vallam.Private and public buses connect Trichy to all parts of Tamil Nadu.

Railways

Trichy is the hub of Southern Railway's operation to connect this central part of Tamil Nadu to various parts of India, notably regions in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh. Trichy Railway Junction has five branches leading to Madurai, Rameswaram, Coimbatore, Tanjore and Chennai and currently there are 7 platforms. After the completion of electification of tracks between Villupuram-Trichy sector in Tamil Nadu, Trichy is set to become one of the busiest railway junctions. The Electrification between Villupuram and Trichy is expected to be completed by December 2008.The railway station code for Trichy Junction is TPJ.

Front view of Trichy junction

The most important trains of Trichy are Pallavan Express,Trichy-Howrah Express,Rockfort Express,Trichy-Ernakulam Tea Garden Express are the important trains originating from Trichy.

The other important trains halting and passing through Trichy junction are Kanyakumari Express,Tamilnadu Sampark Kranti Express,Tirukkural Express,Ananthapuri Express,MAQ Chennai Express,Podigai Express,Nellai Express,Cape-Howrah Express,MS Mangalore Express,Pearl City Express,MS Guruvayur Express,Jan Shatabdi Express,Nagercoil-Mumbai Express,Vaigai express,Rockfort link Express,Sethu Express,Madurai-Jammutawi link Express,Pandian Express,Madurai-Lokmanya Tilak express,Kumbakonam-Mysore Express are most important express trains passing through Trichy junction.Other than Express trains there are more number of Passenger Trains which connects the Trichy with the nearest town frequently.

The Trichy city comprises of the following railway stations:

Places around Trichy

Thanjavur, the capital of the imperial Chola dynasty, is situated 40 km from Trichy. The magnificent Brahadeeswarar temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, bears witness to the glory of Chola architecture, sculpture and painting. A museum in the temple courtyard has interesting Chola artifacts. The "Thanjavur Art Gallery" has a priceless collection of bronze icons and granite sculptures dating from the 9th century AD. Thanjavur is famous for souvenirs like Thanjavur Art Plates, handicrafts, hand-woven silk, bronze icons, intricately inlaid brass work and bejeweled paintings.

Srirangam temple in Trichy

Pudukkottai town (48 km) was once a princely state also famously known as Pudukkottai Samasthanam. The area, which comprises the district of the same name, is of absorbing interest to historians, anthropologists, archaeologists, and lovers of art. The numerous dolmens, stone circles, and other forms of megalithic burials in the district indicate the antiquity of this region dating back to pre-historical times. The rulers of Pudukkottai have built several beautiful palaces and constructed tanks and canals. Sri Brahadambal temple is a famous cave temple buit 900 years before by Pallavas. The rulers of Pudukkottai often called in the name of Brahadambal Das as a tribute to the native deity Sri Brahadambal. As the district was a dry place, the erstwhile rulers built lots of water tanks and improved the state much. Other sights include a Museum at Thirugokarnam, Pudukkottai, and famous temples like Bhuvaneswari Temple, Thiruvappur Mariamman Temple, and Santhanatha Sivan Temple. The Bhuvaneswari temple lies near Pudukulam and is an Adishtanam developed by Judge Swamigal. The Bhuvaneswari deity is considered more powerful and huge numbers of people pay obeisance on important days.

Gangaikonda Cholapuram is located at a distance of 97 km from Trichy. The Siva temple called "Gangaikondacholesvaram" here was conceived and constructed by the Chola king Rajendra I after his victory over the kingdoms in the region of the river Ganges. Apart from the huge Nandi, there are some beautiful sculptures including a dancing Ganesha, a lion-headed well, and a stunning piece depicting Rajendra being crowned by Shiva and Parvati.

Tiruchirappalli District

Tiruchirappalli District has an area of 4,404 square kilometres. It is bounded to the northwest 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 Madurai district, to the southwest by Dindigul District and, to the west by Karur District.

Notable people

Some prominent people from Trichy include:
* Akilan, author, Tamil scholar, Sahitya Akademi Award recipient
* Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, Nobel Prize-winning physicist
* K. A. P. Viswanatham Pillai, (Fondly remembered as Ki. Aa. Pe), a great Tamil writer
* Sujatha, writer
* Hema Malini, actress
* Lalgudi Jayaraman, violinist
* Kavingnar Vaali, lyricist
* T. K. Thiyagaraja Bhagavatar, first superstar of Tamil cinema
* V. Periaswamy Pillai, philanthropist and Industrialist
* K. N. Nehru, Transport Minister of Tamilnadu
* Dr.J.Jayalalitha, Opposing party Leader and former C.M. of Tamilnadu.

References

* [http://www.trichy.ind.in Trichy Page]
* [http://www.trichy.com Trichy Site]
* [http://www.trichy.tn.nic.in Trichy Information]

External links

* [http://www.trichy.tn.nic.in/default.htm Tiruchirappalli District]
* [http://www.trichycitycorporation.com/ Tiruchirappalli City Corporation]
* [http://www.trichy.tn.nic.in Trichy Facts]
* [http://www.trichybazaar.com Trichy Bazaar]
* [http://www.trichy.com Trichy Info ]
* [http://www.trichy.ind.in Trichy India]
* [http://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/tamilnadu/tiruchchirapalli.htm Trichy Map]
* [http://www.trichyonline.com/ Trichy Online Portal]
* [http://trichy.biz// Trichy Business Portal]

ee also

* Tiruchirappalli (Lok Sabha constituency)