temple

Temples near by Trichy

1. Thiruvanaikoil: This temple is one of the Panchabhoota Stalams (signifying the 5 natural elements) and represents water ('Neer') or Jala Lingam. As an elephant worshipped the Lord here, this place came to be known as 'Thiru Aanai Kaa' (Thiru – Holy, Aanai – Elephant, Kaa (Kaadu) – Forest). Later the actual name ‘Thiruaanaikaa’ becomes 'Thiruvanaikaval' and 'Thiruvanaikoil'.

It is great to see plenty of water continuously oozing out round the Shiva lingam idol in the temple all round the year.

The goddess of this temple is 'Akilandeswari' ('Amman'). The Amman is also called as Akilandanyaki. Akilandeswari is pronounced as 'Akilam - Aanda 'Eswari' (Akilam means Universe, Aanda means Ruler, Eswari means Goddess).

Once upon a time Goddess Akilandeswari became fierce like 'Ugra Devatha'. Sri Adhi Shankara transferred her ferocity into 'Thadangas'(ear rings) and the adorned her with the 'Thadangas'. He also installed 'Prasanna Vinayaga' (Lord Ganesh), opposite to her shrine so that Goddess Akilandeswari might look on with a beneficent eye.

This temple is 5 Kms from Trichy town.

2. Uthamar Temple: This temple is unique as this temple houses  all the Trinities- Vishnu, Siva and Brahma . Brahma has very few temples in India and this is an added attraction for this temple.  It is very simple and does not have huge towers like other temples. Facing east is the temple of Purushothaman (Vishnu) . Here he is in Sayana Kolam , meaning- reclining on Aadisesha. The Panchaloha idol of Purushothaman and his consort Poorna Valli Thayar are stunning.  Garudalwar is facing the Vishnu's shrine.Outside there are separate shrines for Mahalakshmi and Poornavalli Thayar.

Facing South is the shrine for Dakshina Moorthy and on the  West side is the temple of  Siva known here as Bhikshadaneshwar and his consort is known as Soundarya Parvati . She has a separate sannidhi inside this temple. At the entrance of this temple there is a  niche for Gnana Guru and Nandi is facing the Siva sannidhi. There are separte shrines for Krishna, Varadaraja, and Azhwars and Chakrathazhwar.

The legend goes like this- Siva removed one of Brahma's head in a fit of anger and he incurred a curse. To get salvation Siva went around the world with Brahma's skull to beg for food, hence the name Bhikshadaneshwar. Whenever some one filled his vessel with food it disappeared  and he remained hungry. Finally he  reached Uthamar koil and  Mahalakshmi filled it with food thus ending Siva's hunger.

At the Northen side is the shrine of Brahma and next to it is his consort Gnana Saraswati, the Goddess of Knowledge. Brahma grants here all the wishes of his devotees as Vishnu directed him to do so. Childless couples offer their prayers at this temple to beget offspring.

It is also believed that once Vishnu wanted to test Brahma and  He  hid in a Kadambha tree. Brahma was worried and started searching and found the Lord here in the form of a  Kadamba tree and worshipped him . Perumal blessed him by giving Him the privilege as the creator of all lives. Lord Brahma stayed here blessing his devotees.

The Story: Once upon a time, both Shiva and Brahmma had 5 heads. One day Parvati (Shiva’s wife) coming out of her pooja mistook Brahmma (because of his 5 heads) for her husband and began serving him by washing his legs. Shiva was furious when he saw this.

He thought that all this confusion arose because Brahmma too had 5 heads and that Brahmma had become arrogant (because he too had 5 heads). In a fit of anger, Shiva took off the middle head of Brahmma with his hand. Unfortunately for Shiva, the 5th head of Brahmma stuck to his hand.

To find salvation from the curse, Shiva went around the world on a pilgrimage begging for food, with Brahmma’s skull as the begging vessel. Every time someone filled the vessel with food, it vanished immediately, to Shiva’s horror. At Uthamar Koil, Goddess Lakshmi filled the vessel with food, thus ending Shiva’s hunger. However, to Shiva’s dismay, Brahmma’s skull still lay fixed on his hand.

Shiva prayed to Vishnu once again from here asking for salvation, who asked him to go to Kandiyur where he finally got salvation from Lord Kamalanathan.

As Shiva came to Uthamar Koil with a begging bowl searching for liberation from a curse, this place is called Pichandar (Bikshandar) Koil. Shiva can be seen here as ’ Bikshandar Murthy’. Brahmma is seen facing South, a unique feature.

This temple is in Srirangam and is 5 Kms from Trichy town.
Temple timings : 6am to 12.30pm and 4pm to 8.30pm

3. Gunaseelam Temple: Prasanna Venkatachalapathy temple is a famous Vishnu temple in Gunaseelam.  This temple attracts lot of pilgrims and people also believe that worshipping the deity here helps one to cure mental and physical ailments. Pilgrims stay here for about 48 days ,worship God and partake the prasadam from the temple and get relief from their problems.

The temple is noted for treating those mentally distarded. There is a rehabilitation centre for the patients. They are made to sit in the shrine during the afternoon and night pujas. The abishek theertha is spilled on their face.

This temple is 20 Kms from Trichy town.

4. Srirangam: Srirangam is the foremost of the eight self-manifested shrines (Swayam Vyakta Kshetras) of Lord Vishnu . It is also considered the first, foremost and the most important of the 108 main Vishnu temples (Divyadesams).

This temple is also known as Thiruvaranga Tirupati, Periyakoil, Bhoologa Vaikundam, Bhogamandabam. In the Vaishnava parlance the term "KOIL" signifies this temple only. The temple is enormous in size.

The temple complex is 156 acres in extent. It has seven prakaras or enclosures. These enclosures are formed by thick and huge rampart walls which run round the sanctum.

There are 21 magnificent towers in all prakaras providing a unique sight to any visitor. this temple lies on an islet formed by the twin rivers Cauvery and Coleroon.

This temple is 3 kms from Trichy City.

5. Rock Fort Temple: 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. Loard Siva is known as THAYUMANAVAR. It means the God who turned Mother. There is a legend about it.

Ratnavadi a lady of the Marchant 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.

a) Manikka Vinayaka: 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.

The circular Pyramed-like structure on the top of this samll temple. VIMANAM as it is called, is recently gold- plated adn adds to the general solemnity and loveliness.

Devotees including all the Merchants and Shopkeepers and Employees of this busy area flock to the Temple in hundreds. Archanas are preformed

throughout the day. Abishekarms are performed twice a day and processions of the God round the temple are conducted Chathurthi Days. To sum up in one word, Manikka Vinayakar is the Patron Deity of the Town.

b) Ucchi Pillayar Vinayaka: 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 panormic view of the town from the Temple, especially at nights is most pleasing to the mind and the heart. There is an intersting story about the frolic of this God. When Vibhishana returend home after the coronation of Rama, he brought with him an idol of Lord Ranganatha in a Lying posture.

He had been strictly warned not to put it down on the ground for any reason. When Vinayaka appeared before him in the guise of a Brahmin boy. Vibhishana asked hime to hold it for a while Vinayaka accepted his request on condition that he should come and relieve hime before he called him thrice. Vibhishana went to perform his evening ablutions. But within a short time Vinayaka called him thrice and put it down. The idol stuck to the ground. Try as he might, Vibhishana coul not take it out. He stamped his powerful first on the head of the boy. The Boy-God run away to the top of the hill. The depression on the head of the God can still be seen!

6. Vekkaliamman Temple: Sri Vekkaliamman Temple is situated in Woraiyur. The Amman is facing the north. It was believed by the ancient kings that Gods and Goddess who personify valour and facing north will bless the kings with victory in the battle. Hence all the ancient kings used to pray Vekkali Amman before leaving to the battle field.

The Story: An ancient saint, Sarama Rishi who lived in Woraiyur was having a wonderful garden with rare flowers in it. He used to worship Thayumanavar Swamy of Trichy everyday, offering garland made of flowers from his garden, to Lord Shiva.

A local florist, Pranthakan, saw the beauty of the flowers from his garden started taking flowers from Sarama Rishi's garden, and started supplying to the King in the palace, to keep himself in the good books of the king.

As the king was happy with the flowers, Pranthakan started stealing flowers from the garden regularly. Everyday, Rishi started finding the flowers missing from his garden.

The sage one day found that Paranthakan was the culprit and he went complaining to the King that the flowers were meant exclusively for Lord Thayumanavar and Pranthakan is stealing them everyday. The king didn't give an ear to it, as he already started liking those flowers.

With much grief, the sage went straight to Lord Thayumanavar praying him to put an end to Pranthakan's activity.

The Lord turned wild after hearing this. The God was facing the east till then. He turned facing west (towards Woraiyur), with his powerful eyes open, emitting anger which resulted in a huge sand storm started spoiling the whole city of Woraiyur.

Sand was filled everywhere burying the city. People were helpless and didn't know the reason for sudden sandstorm on Woraiyur. They went and surrendered to Vekkali Amman, praying to save them.

The Goddess went to Lord Thayumanavar and prayed to bring down his anger. Thayumanavar subsided his anger and the sand storm came to a halt. People thanked the Goddess for saving them.

Though the sand storm stopped, the people of the city lost their shelters already. Hence, Goddess also decided to live in a temple without roof, until everyone in the city gets a shelter for themselves.

From then till today, Vekkaliamman temple doesn't have any roof. The Moolavar is open to the sky, be it rain or shine. It is said that, many attempts have been made to build a roof for this temple at various times, which ended in vain.

Located at just 7 kms from Trichy City.

7. Sri Subramanya Swamy Temple, Vayalur: Sri Aadinateshwar is located at the entrance of the Temple is a swayambu lingam. He is called Agnishwarar as he was worshipped by the fire god Agni; "Maha Devan" because he is the Lord of all devas. This place also gets the name Agnishwaram from the name of Lord Agnishwarar.

Behind the Shrine of Sri Aadinateshwar Swami we find the main Shrine of Lord Subramanya Swami with his two Divine consorts Sri Valli and Sri Teyvanai seated on the peacock.

Adjacent to the Shrine of Sri Aadinateshwar Swami facing south we find the Shrine of Sri Adinayaki, the divine consort. She is also called Munnilai Nayaki meaning the first.

In between the Shrines of Sri Aadinateshwar and Sri Subramanya Swami we find the Shrine of Sri Poiya Ganapati. Sri Poiya Ganapati is believed to emancipate mankind from the falsehood of life centered on the senses and help in Self-realization. The Lord holds the pomegranate fruits which symbolises the universe or in other word fullness.

Just in front of the Temple we find the temple tank called "Sakti Tirtham" which is believed to have been created with the Lord's vel. This is also called Kumara Tirtham and Agni Tirtham.

This temple is located 9km west of Trichy.

8. Samayapuram Sri Mariamman Temple: Samayapuram Mariamman Temple is one of the renowned Shakthi shrines of Tamilnadu. Those suffering from measles for a long time, come here and stay till they are cured, light Maavilakku (a lamp made of flour and Jaggery paste with ghee) and return back with their soul and mind left in the temple.  They only physically go back.

This temple is 15 kms from Trichy City.

trichy history

Etymology[edit]

According to Hindu scriptures, the word "Tiruchirappalli" is derived from "Tiru" which is to address someone with respect, "Chirapalli" is a compound of siram - head, palli - to sleep. It is a reference to the deity Sriranganathaswamy who is depicted at rest with his head in a slightly elevated position in the Srirangam Temple, Tiruchirappalli. Telugu scholar C. P. Brown has proposed that Tiruchirappalli might be a derivative of the word Chiruta-palli meaning "little town".^[8][9] Orientalists Henry Yule and Arthur Coke Burnell have speculated that the name may derive from a rock inscription carved in the 16th century in which Tiruchirappalli is written as Tiru-ssila-palli, meaning "holy-rock-town" in Tamil.^[8][9] Other scholars have suggested that the name Tiruchirappalli is a rewording of Tiru-chinna-palli, meaning "holy little town".^[8][9] The Madras Glossary gives the root as Tiruććināppalli or the "holy (tiru) village (palli) of the shina (Cissampelos pareira) plant".^[9]

Historically, Tiruchirappalli was commonly referred to in English as "Trichinopoly".^[10] The shortened forms "Trichy" or "Tiruchi" are used in common parlance and the full name Tiruchirapalli appears in official use by government and quasi-government departments but seldom by the native people.^[11][12]

History[edit]

Main article: History of Tiruchirappalli

Early and medieval history[edit]

Tiruchirappalli is one of the oldest inhabited cities in Tamil Nadu; its earliest settlements date back to the second millennium BC.^[13] Uraiyur, the capital of the Early Cholas for 600 years from the 3rd century BC onwards,^[14] is a suburb of present-day Tiruchirappalli.^[15][16] The city is referred to as Orthoura by the historian Ptolemy in his 2nd-century work Geography.^[17] The world's oldest surviving dam, the Kallanai (Lower Anaicut) about 18 kilometres (11 mi) from Uraiyur,^[18] was built across the Kaveri River by Karikala Chola in the 2nd century AD.^[19]

The medieval history of Tiruchirappalli begins with the reign of the Pallava king Mahendravarman I, who ruled over South India in the 6th century AD and constructed the rock-cut cave-temples within the Rockfort.^[20][21][22] Following the downfall of the Pallavas in the 8th century, the city was conquered by the Medieval Cholas, who ruled until the 13th century.^[23]

Muhammed Ali Khan Wallajah

After the decline of the Cholas, Tiruchirappalli was conquered by the Pandyas,^[24] who ruled from 1216 until their defeat in 1311 by Malik Kafur, the commander of Allauddin Khilji.^[25][26] The victorious armies of the Delhi Sultanate are believed to have plundered and ravaged the region.^[25][26][27] The idol of the Hindu god Ranganatha in the temple of Srirangam vanished at about this time and was not recovered and reinstated for more than fifty years.^[26][27] Tiruchirappalli was ruled by the Delhi and Madurai sultanates from 1311 to 1378,^[28] but by the middle of the 14th century the Madurai Sultanate had begun to fall apart.^[29] Gradually, the Vijayanagar Empire established supremacy over the northern parts of the kingdom, and Tiruchirappalli was taken by the Vijayanagar prince Kumara Kampanna Udaiyar in 1371.^[30] The Vijayanagar Empire ruled the region from 1378 until the 1530s, and played a prominent role in reviving Hinduism by reconstructing temples and monuments destroyed by the previous Muslim rulers.^[31] Following the collapse of the Vijayanagar Empire in the early part of the 16th century, the Madurai Nayak kingdom began to assert its independence.^[32][33][34] The city flourished during the reign of Vishwanatha Nayak (c. 1529–1564), who is said to have protected the area by constructing the Teppakulam and building walls around the Srirangam temple.^[35][36] His successor Kumara Krishnappa Nayaka made Tiruchirappalli his capital,^[36] and it served as the capital of the Madurai Nayak kingdom from 1616 to 1634 and from 1665 to 1736.^[37][38][39]

In 1736 the last Madurai Nayak ruler, Meenakshi, committed suicide, and Tiruchirappalli was conquered by Chanda Sahib.^[34][40] He ruled the kingdom from 1736 to 1741, when he was captured and imprisoned by the Marathas in the siege of Tiruchirappalli (1741) led by general Raghuji Bhonsle under the orders of Chhattrapati Shahu.^[40][41][42] Chanda Sahib remained prisoner for about eight years before making his escape from the Maratha Empire. Tiruchirappalli was administered by the Maratha general Murari Rao from 1741 to 1743, when it was acquired by the Nizam of Hyderabad, who bribed Rao to hand over the city.^[40][42] Nizam appointed Khwaja Abdullah as the ruler and returned to Golkonda.^[43] When the Nawab of the Carnatic Muhammed Ali Khan Wallajah was dethroned by Chanda Sahib after the Battle of Ambur (1749), the former fled to Tiruchirappalli, where he set up his base.^[44][45][46] The subsequent siege of Tiruchirappalli (1751–1752) by Chanda Sahib took place during the Second Carnatic War between the British East India Company and Muhammed Ali Khan Wallajah on one side and Chanda Sahib and the French East India Company on the other.^[47] The British were victorious and Wallajah was restored to the throne. During his reign he proposed renaming the city Natharnagar after the Sufi saint Nathar Vali, who is thought to have lived there in the 12th century AD.^[48][49] Tiruchirappalli was invaded by Nanjaraja Wodeyar in 1753 and Hyder Ali of the Mysore kingdom in 1780, both attacks repulsed by the troops of the British East India Company.^[50] A third invasion attempt, by Tipu Sultan—son of Hyder Ali—in 1793, was also unsuccessful;^[51] he was pursued by British forces led by William Medows, who thwarted the attack.^[52]

British rule[edit]

The Carnatic kingdom was annexed by the British in July 1801 as a consequence of the discovery of collusion between Tipu Sultan—an enemy of the British—and Umdat Ul-Umra, son of Wallajah and the Nawab at the time, during the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War.^[53][54] Trichinopoly was incorporated into the Madras Presidency the same year, and the district of Trichinopoly was formed, with the city of Trichinopoly (or Tiruchirappalli) as its capital.^[55]

During the Company Raj and later the British Raj, Tiruchirappalli emerged as one of the most important cities in India. According to the 1871 Indian census—the first in British India—Tiruchirappalli had a population of 76,530, making it the second largest city in the presidency after the capital of Madras.^[56] It was known throughout the British Empire for its unique variety of cheroot, known as the Trichinopoly cigar.^[9] Tiruchirappalli was the first headquarters for the newly formed South Indian Railway Company in 1874 until its relocation to Madras in the early 20th century.^[c][58]

• Trichinopoly during the British Raj
• 

  The town and fort of Trichinopoly c. 1840
 
• 

  Rockfort and Teppakulam, c. 1860

Contemporary and modern history[edit]

Map of Tiruchirappalli town in 1955

Tiruchirappalli played an active role during the pre-independence era; there were a number of strikes and non-violent protests during the Quit India Movement,^[59] notably the South Indian Railway Strike that took place in 1928.^[60] The city was the base for the Vedaranyam salt marchinitiated by C. Rajagopalachari in parallel with the Dandi March in 1930.^[61] Tiruchirappalli was an epicentre of the anti-Hindi agitations of Tamil Nadu when a team of Tamil language supporters gathered and organised a rally from the city to Madras in 1938.^[62] Later in 1965, Tiruchirappalli was made the base of the "Madras state Anti-Hindi Conference" convened by C. Rajagopalachari.^[63][64] The population of Tiruchirappalli continued to grow rapidly, achieving a growth rate of 36.9% during the period 1941–51.^[65] After independence in 1947, Tiruchirappalli fell behind other cities such as Salem and Coimbatore in terms of growth.^[66][67][68] Tiruchirappalli remained a part of Madras State, which was renamed Tamil Nadu in 1969.^[69] The city underwent extensive economic development in the 1960s with the commissioning of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited.^[70][71] In the early 1980s, M. G. Ramachandran, then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu drafted a plan to move the state's administrative headquarters to Tiruchirappalli.^[72] A satellite town was developed near Navalpattu on the outskirts of the city,^[72] but the proposed move was shelved by successive governments.^[73]

Like much of Tamil Nadu, Tiruchirappalli remains prone to communal tensions based on religion and ethnicity. There have been occasional outbreaks of violence against Sri Lankans. In 2009, the offices of a Sri Lankan airline were attacked in the city.^[74][75] In September 2012, two groups of Sri Lankan pilgrims who had visited the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health in Velankanni and the Poondi Madha Basilica had their buses attacked in Tiruchirappalli by a group of Tamil activists.^[76][77][78] Owing to a series of terrorist attacks in Indian cities since 2000, security has been increased at sites such as Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple.^[79]

Geography and climate[edit]

See also: Geography of Tiruchirappalli

Panorama of Tiruchirappalli showing Cauvery river and the Srirangam island.

Aerial photograph of Srirangam island, sandwiched between the rivers Kaveri and Kollidam

Tiruchirappalli is situated in central south-eastern India, almost at the geographic centre of the state of Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri Delta begins to form 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) west of the city where the river divides into two streams—the Kaveri and the Kollidam—to form the island of Srirangam.^[65][80][81] By road it is 912 kilometres (567 mi) south of Hyderabad, 322 kilometres (200 mi) south-west of Chennai and 341 kilometres (212 mi) south-east of Bangalore.^[82] The topology of Tiruchirappalli is almost flat, with an average elevation of 88 metres (289 ft). A few isolated hillocks rise above the surface,^[83] the highest of which is the Rockfort;^[84][85] its estimated age of 3,800 million years makes it one of the oldest rocks in the world.^[86][87] Other prominent hillocks include the Golden Rock, Khajamalai,^[88] and one each at Uyyakondan Thirumalai and Thiruverumbur.^[89]

The two major rivers draining Tiruchirappalli are the Kaveri and its tributary the Kollidam,^[90] but the city is also drained by the Uyyakondan Channel, Koraiyar and Kudamuritti river channels.^[91] The land immediately surrounding the Kaveri River—which crosses Tiruchirappalli from west to east—consists of deposits of fertile alluvial soil^[92] on which crops such as finger millet and maize are cultivated.^[93] Further south, the surface is covered by poor-quality black soil.^[92] A belt of Cretaceous rock known as the Trichinopoly Group runs to the north-east of the city,^[94] and to the south-east there are layers of archaean rocks, granite and gneiss covered by a thin bed of conglomeratic laterite.^[84] The region falls under Seismic Zone III, which is moderately vulnerable to earthquakes.^[95]

Urban structure[edit]

Panorama of Tiruchirappalli as seen from the top of the Rockfort.

The city of Tiruchirappalli lies on the plains between the Shevaroy Hills to the north and the Palni Hills to the south and south-west.^[96] Tiruchirappalli is completely surrounded by agricultural fields.^[67] Densely populated industrial and residential areas have recently been built in the northern part of the city, and the southern edge also has residential areas.^[67]The older part of Tiruchirappalli, within the Rockfort, is unplanned and congested while the adjoining newer sections are better executed.^[97] Many of the old houses in Srirangam were constructed according to the shilpa sastras, the canonical texts of Hindu temple architecture.^[98]

Climate[edit]

Tiruchirappalli experiences a tropical savanna climate—designated "Aw" under the Köppen climate classification—with no major change in temperature between summer and winter.^[99][100] The climate is generally characterised by high temperature and low humidity.^[101] With an annual mean temperature of 28.9 °C (84.0 °F) and monthly average temperatures ranging between 25 °C (77 °F) and 32 °C (90 °F),^[99] the city is the hottest in the state.^[102] The warmest months are from April to June,^[103] when the city experiences frequent dust storms.^[103] As of November 2013, the highest temperature ever recorded in Tiruchirappalli was 43.9 °C (111.0 °F), which occurred on 2 May 1896;^[104] the lowest was observed on 6 February 1884 at 13.9 °C (57.0 °F).^[105][106] The high temperatures in the city have been attributed to the presence of two rivers—Kaveri and Kollidam—^[d]and the absence of greenery around the city.^[102] As Tiruchirappalli is on the Deccan Plateau the days are extremely warm and dry; evenings are cooler because of cold winds that blow from the south-east.^[99] From June to September, the city experiences a moderate climate tempered by heavy rain and thundershowers. Rainfall is heaviest between October and December because of the north-east monsoon winds, and from December to February the climate is cool and moist.^[99] The average annual rainfall is 841.9 mm (33.15 in),^[107]slightly lower than the state's average of 945 mm (37.2 in).^[108] Fog and dew are rare and occur only during the winter season.^[103]