Trichy Profile

Tiruchirappalli (Tamil : தி௫ச்சிராப்பள்ளி) pronunciation (help·info) also spelled Tiruchirapalli, commonly known as Tiruchi or Trichy (Tamil : தி௫ச்சி) formerly also pronounced as Trichinopoly (under British rule) is the Fourth largest city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu (after Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai) 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 corporation and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirapalli District.

Trichy encompasses Srirangam, a Vaishnavite temple and the biggest functioning Hindu temple in the world. Trichy also emcompasses "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. There 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 boons.Legend has it that Shiva was worshipped by the demon ruler Tirisiran, hence Tiruchirappalli, Tirisirapuram etc. Also, since the three peaks here on this hill are occupied by Shiva, Parvati and Vinayaka, the name Tri-Shikharam or Tirisirapuram came into being. Legend has it that Shiva in the guise of a woman (mother) attended to the call of a devotee in labor, hence he is called as Matrubhuteswarar.

There is yet another belief about the origins of the name Trichy. Apparently the name started out as Thiru Javvandhipuram (Place of Marigold flowers; javvandhi, the Tamil name for the flower Marigold which grew(and still does) in abundance in and around this region and the word puram refers to a place of dwelling) which over time became corrupted to Trichy.

Contents
1 History
2 Topography/Geography
3 Climate
4 Demographics
5 Culture
5.1 Cuisine
6 Economy/Industries
7 Transportation/Connectivity
7.1 Roadways
7.2 Railways
7.3 Airways
8 Administration
9 Literacy/Education
9.1 Premier Institutes / Universities
10 Health-care
10.1 List of Hospitals in Trichy
11 Tourism
12 Media and communication
13 Organisations
14 Entertainment
15 Places around Trichy
16 Tiruchirappalli District
17 External links
18 Notable people
19 References
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History
Tiruchirapalli is home to Nagaraj Cholan and many historic temples, monuments, churches and mosques. Uraiyur(also pronounced as Oraiyur) which is the Old Tiruchy has a long tradition. With over 2,500 years of known history, it was the capital of the early Cholas. The oldest man made dam Kallanai was built by Karikala Cholan across the river Kaveri about 10 miles from Uraiyur. It was an important town in the days of the later Cholas, Nayaks as well as 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 huge outcrop of rock of 83 metres high, which is the only outcrop in the otherwise flat land of the city. For this reason, the city 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 to the eastern side is Sri Nandrudayan Vinayakar Temple, with the powerful Lord Ganesha as the main deity. A big sized Ganesha and other rare deities can be seen in this temple,which hosts festivals every year during the Vinayaka Chathurthi ( birthday of the Lord)and many carnatic musicians and stalwarts have given musical concerts over 70 years 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 churches in India . It has the most number of chapels in India. The most famous of them are The Holy Redeemer's Church, Lourdes Church and The Cathedral.

Trichy also famous for Arcot Nawab masjid (one of the oldest one) with a huge water storage tank (Ahil). Fort also still exist nearby masjid. This city is famous for various culture where all the faith people enjoy the peace and prosperity

Topography/Geography
Trichy/Tiruchirapalli is situated in the centre of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The topology of Trichy is flat except for the river Cauvery running WNW-SSE through the city. It lies at an altitude of 78 m above sea level. Trichy is traversed by the river Cauvery and the river Kollidam, the latter forms the northern boundary of the city. There are few hills located within the city, the prominent among them are Golden Rock, Rock Fort, and the one in Thiruverumbur. There are reserve forests along the river Cauvery, located to the west/north-west of the city. The southern/south-western part of the district is dotted by several hills which are thought to be an offset of the Western Ghat Mountain range and the soil here is considered to be very fertile.

Because of the river Cauvery/Coleroon flowing through the city/district, the northern part of the district is rich in flora. There are also small pockets of forest cover located in the southern/south-western part of the district.

Climate
Trichy has a moderately pleasant climate with 'humidity' slightly above normal level as it is situated in the central part of the state of Tamil Nadu(i.e., about 140 km away from the east coast of india)
The city experiences pleasant winter and humid summer. The night-time temperature during winter ranges between 19 'C and 22 'C.
The timing of the monsoon in this part of the country has lately become unpredictable with the rainy season starting during mid October / Early November that may extend till early or mid January.
Summer temperature 41.10°C (Maximum) 36.40°C (Minimum) Winter temperature 21.31°C (Maximum) 18.60°C (Minimum)

Demographics
As of the 2004,[2] Trichy or Tiruchirapalli, had a population of 12.11 lakhs. Males constitute 49.97% of the population and females 50.03%. Trichy has an average literacy rate of 91.45%(official figure). Male literacy is 94.17% and female literacy is 88.73% with 9.59%(official figure) of the population under 6 years of age.
The city's population is predominantly Hindu, along with a sizable Christian and Muslim populations. Sikhs are also present in smaller numbers.
Tamil is the official language. The dialect of the Tamil language spoken here is often 'Neutral', although a tint of "Kongu Tamil", Madurai Tamil may be heard as one travels through the western and southern boundaries of the district/city. One may also hear elangai/srilankan Tamil widely spoken in some pockets of the city. Other languages spoken here include Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi. Once, Tiruchirapalli served as the headquarters of the erstwhile South-Indian Railways(which was renamed later as 'Southern Railways' with Madras/Chennai as the headquarters) during the pre-independence era for a few years. Anglo-Indians(many of them who worked in the 'South-Indian Railways') started settling in 'Golden Rock-Township' and 'Crawford' located within the city.

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 with tourists.
One may get to experience typical anglo-indian, andhra and kerala cuisines here.
Apart from Pongal - the 'Thamizhar Thirunaal", Ugadi; Holi & Onam may also be seen to be celebrated by the respective communities retaining their cultural roots.

Cuisine
Trichy cuisine is predominantly south Indian with rice found as the main-ingridient. The city prefers a fairly mild flavour, with variations to suit 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 different ingredients like milk,wheat, rice ) and 'Briryani' are popular among the locals.

Economy/Industries
There are some major industrial houses in Trichy, few among them are BHEL (Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited) which is a prominent Navaratna company (a highly profitable PSU along with its ancillary industries contributes some 6000 crores to the industrial output of Trichy ), 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 are a lot of BHEL-groomed small to medium scale industries notable in the national and international market like Cethar Vessels, Veesons Energy Systems,Anand Engg, GB Engg,Adela Software and Services Pvt. Ltd.,Pradev Software Solution & Mindchain Solution,Satron Technologies ,Cethar FoodOils Ltd etc.
BHEL entrance on NH67
Trichy also has exclusive Rotary Airpreheater manufacturer namely 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 HCL,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/Connectivity

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. Trichy's local traffic is mostly contributed by this Share-Auto's. 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

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 September 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.

Airways
Main article: Tiruchirapalli Airport
Trichy has an international airport about four kilometres from the city, which operates flights to Indian cities, territories, and neighbouring countries including Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Singapore and the Gulf by Indian Airlines, Air India Express, Srilankan Airlines, Mihin Lanka,Kingfisher Airlines,Paramount Airways and Air Deccan. Trichy airport is the second airport in south India next to Chennai to get international connectivity to Colombo (Srilanka) in 1981. Nowadays, flights are operated to Gulf countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
Plans are being made to upgrade it to a full fledged international airport in the next three years [1]. The extended runway (8000ft) was commissioned and further expansion to 12500 ft has started. Also, the construction of new terminal building is expected to be completed in 2008.An new Air Traffic Control Centre is also being planned to be constructed to cope up with growing air traffic in the region.
Srilankan airlines departing

Various airlines including Malaysian airlines, Oman Air, Air Asia,Air Arabia will soon operate international flights while Kingfisher Airlines which now operates to Bangalore from Trichy is planning to connect various Indian cities. Air India Express will make Dubai and Singapore flights a daily service as soon as the corrections in the extended runway is completed.

Administration
The city is a Municipal Corporation. It also serves as the headquarters of the district with the same name. The city has one Member of Parliament representing the Trichy constituency, but the southern part of the district including the manapparai town has been merged with pudukkottai parliamentary constituency for administrative reasons. The city is headed by a Mayor, under whom are the Deputy Mayor and several councillors elected by people representing administrative wards; as well as a corporation Commissioner of the rank of IAS to administer the city. The district is headed by the District Collector of the rank of IAS. The District court is the highest court of appeal in Trichy/Tiruchirappalli. The city has seen moderate to high development in spite of funds constraint.

The city's police force is headed by the City Police Commissioner of the rank of IPS. One of the 5 Central prisons of the state is located here

Health-care
The city has numerous hospitals. Apart from the Government hospital, several multi-facility hospitals function in the city. The district's health department is one of the best in terms of implementing government-initiated healthcare schemes. Rare surgical procedures have taken place in some of the hospitals in the city. The polio eradication programme is heavily assisted by various NGOs and clubs in the city. It also has many sidhdha/unani/ayurveda/homeopathic clinics.

Trichy - A low-cost high-quality healthcare destination

Fast pace of economic development with the increase in the health awareness have led to the growth of the healthcare industry in the city. The city stands next to Chennai in Tamilnadu for affordable and quality healthcare deliveries of high-standards.

Trichy is also a preferred healthcare destination to the population from nearby towns and districts.

Tourism
Planetarium/Science centre:
The Anna Science Centre-Planetarium is located 5 km from Trichy-Central bus terminus on Pudukkottai road, close to Trichy Airport.

Zoo:
A Zoological Park has been proposed to be set-up in Trichy, along the river Cauvery soon.

Picnic spots:
Grand Anicut at Kallanai (24 km) is an ancient dam built (according to legends) by Karikala Chola across the river Cauvery in the 1st century CE. is still in use as part of the district's irrigation system.

Mukkombu or Upper Anicut (18 km) is a wonderful picnic spot where the river Kollidam or Coleroon branches off from the Cauvery.

A picture of upper Anicut or Mukkombu

Viralimalai (30 km) a hillock has a peacock sanctuary at the foothills.

Sittanavasal (58 km) is the site of an ancient Jain monastery with exquisite fresco paintings in a cave. It is also noted for its pre-historic burial grounds.

Puliancholai (72 km) is water falls on the foot hills of Kolli hills. It is a nice picnic spot.

Kolli Hills seated on the Pachamalai (Green hills) range of hills(lesser mountains) which in turn is an eastern off-shoot of Eastern Ghats in south-India. The pachaimalai range of hills is cut across by the river Cauvery at numerous places, forming small valleys. Kolli hills is a low lying hill station with gentle plateau falls inside Trichy district. Though the altitude of these hills is only average, it always has a pleasant climate and many parts of the hills are heavily wooded. However, it has retained its pristine beauty owing to being lesser known among the tourists.

Others:
The spectacular Rock Fort Temple, the landmark of the city, is on the shores of the Kaveri. It is perched on a massive rocky outcrop at an altitude of 83 m above sea level. The Thayumanaswamy Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, is situated halfway to the top. It has a 100-pillar hall and a vimana covered with gold. On the southern face of the rock are several beautifully carved rock-cut cave temples of the Pallava period.

The Architecture of the St. Joseph's College Church situated within the St. Joseph College Campus on College road is awe inspiring and the height of the church(cross-included) is said to be just 7 feet shorter than the highest point in rock fort.

A famous mosque is located in Palakarai.

The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam, situated 6 km north of the city, is among the most revered shrines dedicated to Lord Vishnu in South India, and is the largest temple complex in the world. Shrouded in a haze of coconut palms away to the north, the temple is built on an island in the middle of the Kaveri and covers an area of 2.5 km². Enclosed by seven rectangular walled courtyards, this temple has 21 gopurams, the largest of which was completed in 1987 and measures 73 m in height. Srirangam is connected to the mainland by a bridge. The temple is replete with excellent carvings and numerous shrines dedicated to various gods. It is believed that Sri Ramanujar the Vaishavite saint and philosopher is embalmed inside the temple premises in the Sri Ramanujar Sannidhi.

The Jambukeshwara Temple (Thiruvanaikaval), dedicated to lord Shiva, is situated just 2 km east of Srirangam and houses five concentric walls and seven gopurams. Mythology has it that an elephant once worshipped the Lord under the holy Jambu tree, and hence the name Jambukeshwara. The principal deity is the shiva lingam, almost submerged in water, which flows from the subterranean spring in the sanctum sanctorum.



The Samayapuram Mariamman Temple is located 12 km north of the Trichy central bus terminus on Trichy-Chennai NH 45.The Maariamman Temple is one of the most visited shrines in Tamilnadu, dedicated to maariamman, a manifestation of the primeval energy shakti as the mother goddess. The offerings are in various forms. The most common offering is the mavilakku mavu made of jagery, rice-flour, dhal and ghee. mariamman is believed to be a form of shakti associated with prosperity and health. Local beliefs associate the deity with cures for diseases such as small pox and chicken pox. Samayapuram was a local capital of the Vijayanagar rulers in the vicinity of Tiruchirappalli, and was known as Vikramapuram.

There are numerous other churches, temples, and mosques in and around the city.

Kollam pond, is a large water-body located in Crawford lies along the Trichy-Madurai Railway line. The pond is home to different types of bird varieties including ducks and Kingfisher. One could also see few fisherman spreading nets naviagating with the help of vehicle tyre tubes.


Media and communication
The city has two major English dailies, The Hindu and The New Indian Express. Tamil language dailies include Dina Malar, Dina Thanthi, Dina Mani and Dinakaran with two other dailies Tamil Murasu and Malai Malar published in the evening. A short wave radio station is operated by All India Radio, with most programmes in Tamil, English and Hindi. A FM station AIR FM Rainbow operated by All India Radio with the programmes in Tamil, English and Hindi, Also a other Private FM Stations Hello FM 106.4Mhz (Malar Publication), Suryan FM 93.5Mhz (SUN Network) and Holly Cross (Educational) Operated in this City. Television relay started in 1985 from Delhi Doordarshan. In 1986, after inception of a repeater tower at Kodaikanal, telecast from Madras Doordarshan commenced. Television reception is through DTH or by Cable, while "Doordarshan" reception is still available using an external antenna. Trichy has an excellent communication infrastructure, with the major cellular/broadband service providers involved in. Telecom services BSNL (Second Largest Electronic Exchange in Tamilnadu),VSNL (TATA Indicom), Reliance, Vodafone, Airtel, Aircel and BPL available are by Landline, CDMA and GSM. Fiber optic cables were laid in 2001, improving internet access.

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.

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.