Tiruchirappalli, situated on the banks of the river Cauvery is the fourth
largest city in Tamil Nadu. It was a citadel of the early Cholas which later
fell to the Pallavas. Trichy is a fine blend of tradition and modernity
built around the Rock Fort. Apart from the Fort, there are several Churches,
Colleges and Missions dating back to the 1760s. The town and its fort, now
in Trichy were built by the Nayaks of Madurai. This city has given great
Tamil scholars whose contributions to the Tamil literature have been very
significant.
Trichy is an ancient city famous for its beauty of
architectural monuments and culture and a must visit place for a tourist. It
is considered as the India's top city for temples and monuments. Visiting
trichy is so simple there are so many travel agencies throughout the world .
HISTORYWoraiyur
, 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 neighbouring 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 880 AD, Aditya
Chola brought a downfall to the Pallava dynasty. From that time onwards
Tiruchirappalli and its region became a part of Greater Cholas. In 1225 A.D
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 ruled 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. The district was then
under the hegemony of British for about 150 years till the independence of
India.
Situated on the banks of river Kaveri, Tiruchirappalli,
the fourth largest city in the state was a citadel of the Early Cholas which
later fell to the Pallavas. But the Pallavas never really managed to retain
control of this strategic city and lost it to the Pandyas several times.
This tug of war finally ended when the Cholas reasserted themselves in the
10th century. Trichy continued to be in their possession until the decline
of the empire after which it became a Vijayanagara stronghold.
When
this empire collapsed in 1565, Trichy came to be occupied in turn by the
Nayaks of Madurai, the Marathas, the Nawabs of Carnatic, the French and
finally the British. But it was under the Nayaks of Madurai that Trichy
flourished and prospered in its own right and grew to be the city that it is
today. Trichy flourished and prospered in its own ,built around the Rock
Fort. Apart from the fort there are several churches, colleges and missions
dating back to the 1760s. With its excellent infrastructural facilities
Trichy will serve as a good base to see central Tamilnadu.
It was
one of the main centers around which the wars of the Carnatic were fought in
the 18th century during the British-French struggle for supremacy in India.
Monuments aside, the city offers a good range of hotels and an
excellent local bus system which does not demand the strength of an Ox and
the skin of an Elephant to use.