Tirchy

Also known as
Trichy, Tiruchirapalli is situated on the
banks of river Kaveri. The Chola and Pallava Dynasties who ascended the
throne in A.D. 590 held the fourth largest city in the state. 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 that Aditya Chola brought
a downfall to the Pallava dynasty. Afterwards, it came under the rule of
later Pandyas till the advent of Mughal Rule.
When this empire collapsed in 1565, the Nayaks of Madurai, the Marathas,
the Nawabs of Carnatic, the French and finally the British ruled Trichy.
Robert Clive brought victory to the English. But it was Vishwanatha Nayaka
who built the present day Teppakulam and the Fort. The Trichy fort has played
an important role in these events. The Nayak dynasty came to an end during
the days of Meenakshi.
The most famous land mark of this bustling town is the
Rock fort
Temple, with the
Ganesha temple on the top, a
spectacular monument perched on a massive rocky out crop which rises abruptly
from the plain to tower over the old city. This rock also contains excavated
cave temples dating to the 7th century A.D famous for the fine sculptures.
It is reached by the flight of steep steps cut into the rock and from its
summit you get a fantastic view of the town plus its other main landmark,
Sri Ranganatha Swami Temple (Srirangam).
There are interesting sites in temples, churches and mosques within and
vicinity of Trichy:
TEMPLES: Venkatasalapathi, Koranganatha, Venkatesha Perumal,
Neellivaneswarar, Maragathaleswaraswami, Amaleeswarar, Parameswarar, Saptharisheeshwarar,
etc.
CHURCHES: Christ Church (Schwartz, 1762-66), St. Joseph’s
Church - Golden Rock, Vadugarpettai Church – Our Lady of Good Health (1674),
St. Xavier’s Church (1700), St. Paul’s Church (1933), La Parisuthar Alayam
(1895)
MOSQUES: Chowk Maidan Masjid (1736), Begum Sahiba Masjid,
Kanmian Masjid (1802)