Tiruchirappalli, commonly known as Tiruchi or Trichy is Tamil Nadu`s fourth largest city after Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore. It is situated in the centre of the state, on the banks of the Cauvery River. The most famous landmark of Trichy is the Rock fort temple which is balanced on a huge rocky out crop. The Pallavas first hewed the smooth crop but it was the Nayaks of Madurai who later built the complete Rock fort temple. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and Lord Ganesha.

There are several theories as the origin of the city`s name. Tiruchirapalli is probably named after the three-headed demon Trishira (or "Chira") who performed penance at the Shiva temple in the city and obtained favors. The city was therefore named after the demon. Another theory says that since there are three peaks in the area, which are occupied by Shiva, Parvati and Vinayaka, the name Tri-Shikharam or Tirisirapuram arose. Trichy city includes Srirangam, a Vaishnavite temple and the biggest functioning Hindu temple in the world.

Trichy was originally a Chola fortress and later, during 1st millennium AD, it was occupied by other south Indian dynasties such as the Pallavas and Pandyas. The Chola`s, invaded Tiruchirapalli during the 10th century. The capital of the Early Cholas was near Urayur. Later, after the fall of the Chola Empire, it came under the direct control of the Madurai Nayak Dynasty who paid honor to the Vijayanagara Empire. The Rock Fort temple, the most famous landmark in Tiruchirapalli, was a mark of the Nayaks. The Madurai Nayak rulers changed their capital from Madurai to Tiruchirapalli, and back, several times.

Trichy is home to Nagaraj Cholan and many historic temples, monuments, churches and mosques. Urayur, the Old Trichy boasts over 2,500 years of known history and tradition. It was the capital of the early Chola kings. Karikala Cholan built the oldest human-made dam - Kallanai, across the Kaveri River about 10 miles from Urayur. 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 conquest of Tiruchirapalli by the British East India Company manifested a major step in the British conquest of India.

There are several beautifully carved cave temples of the Pallava period in Trichy. On the eastern side lies the 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 performed in concerts in front of this famous shrine. Around the rock temple is a busy commercial region, specializing in textiles, known as Chatram. The Main Guard Gate is almost flooded on festive occasions like Deepavali, Bakrid, Ramzan, Christmas, and Pongal. Trichy is famous for its Christian churches and 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).

The topology of Trichy is almost flat and it lies at an altitude of 78 m above sea level. The river Kaveri (also called Cauvery) and the river Coleroon (also called Kollidam) flows across the city, the latter forms the northern boundary of the city. The river Cauvery flows along west to southeast direction through the city. The soil here is considered to be very fertile and the northern part of the city is greener than other areas of the city. Trichy has a moderate and pleasant climate, with humidity slightly above normal. The city experiences mild winters and humid summers and the timing of the monsoon in this part of the country has recently become unpredictable, with the rainy season commencing from mid-October until early-November and the rains then extending until early or mid-January.

The city`s population is mainly Hindu, and there are sizable Christian and Muslim populations. Tamil is the official language. The dialect of the Tamil language spoken here is usually `Neutral` and "Kongu Tamil". Madurai Tamil may be heard as one travels through the western and southern boundaries of the city. Other language spoken here is English. The city has a multi-cultural society with a considerable presence of Tamil, English, Marathi, Telugu, Hindi, and Malayalam-speaking population. Besides Pongal, the `Thamizhar Thirunaal", Ugadi, Holi and Onam festivals are celebrated by their respective communities retaining their cultural roots.

Trichy cuisine is predominantly South Indian with rice as the main-dish. The city prefers a fairly mild flavour and lunch is usually served in many restaurants on a banana leaf. North Indian, Chinese and Continental cuisines are also available. Other types of dishes like Jelebi, Mysorepa (a sweet made from lentil flour and ghee), idly, dosa, halwa (a sweet made of milk, wheat, and rice), parotta and biryani are also available in restaurants.

Trichy is a major Engineering hub and Energy Equipment and Fabrication Capital of India. Some major industrial houses are located in Trichy are BHEL, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Ordnance Factory (HAPP and Small Arms Project), Golden Rock Locomotive Workshop, and Dalmia Cements. Trichy also has exclusive Rotary Airpreheater manufacturer namely GEECO. Trichy is declared to be first with 70% in India, in boiler & windmill manufacturing and fabrication. Agro-based industries are also present around Trichy city, especially along Coimbatore road and Chennai. Manachanallur is famous for its numerous rice mills supplying polished rice all over Tamil Nadu and outside is located about 7 km from Main Guard gate. A vast stretch of land has been identified and developed to increase the state`s share in national IT/ITES exports.

Trichy is well connected to various parts of Tamil Nadu, by private and public bus services. The central bus station runs long distance services to major cities and states of South India such as Thanjavur, Chennai, Erode, Coimbatore, Bangalore, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Pudukkotai, Nagercoil, Tirupathi, Salem, Rameswaram, Theni, Dindigul, Hosur, Vellore also well-connected Karnataka, Andhra and Kerala through private charter and luxury buses. One can get buses from Trichy to almost any part of the state, due to its geographical location in the center of Tamil Nadu. The most important trains of Trichy are Pallavan Express, Trichy-Howrah Express, Rockfort Express, Trichy-Ernakulam Tea Garden Express; these are the important trains originating from Trichy. Tiruchirapalli served as the headquarters of the South-Indian Railways (which was renamed later `Southern Railways`. Trichy has an international airport about five kilometres from the city, which operates flights to Indian cities, territories, and neighbouring countries including Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and the Gulf by Air Asia, Mihin Lanka, Air India Express, Indian Airlines, Srilankan Airlines, Kingfisher Airlines, Paramount Airways and Kingfisher Red.

Trichy is an excellent base for education. Tiruchirapalli has schools and colleges that are hundreds of years old. College Road in Chatram has three colleges and five schools. Notable educational institutions of Trichy include the National Institute of Technology, Bharathidasan Institute of Management, Anna University Trichy, Bharathidasan University and the Government Law College. St. Joseph`s College is another important institution in Trichy. Former President of India, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and writer Sujatha Rangarajan (Rangarajan) were former students of this school. Trichy is also a well known hub for health organizations. Apart from the Government hospital, several multi-facility hospitals function in the city. Various NGOs and clubs in the city heavily assist the polio eradication programme. Trichy also has many sidhdha, unani, Ayurveda and homeopathic clinics. Fast pace of economic development with the increase in the health awareness have led to the growth of the healthcare industry in the city.

Tourism boomed in Trichy after the construction of some marvellous spots like Planetarium or Science centre and other amusement localities. The Anna Science Centre-Planetarium is located 5 km from Trichy-Central bus terminus on Pudukkottai road, close to Trichy Airport. A Zoological Park has been proposed to be set-up in Trichy, along the river Cauvery soon. Some of the popular picnic destinations in Trichy include Grand Anicut at Kallanai (24 km), an ancient dam built (according to legends) by Karikala Chola across the river Cauvery; Mukkombu or Upper Anicut (18 km), where the river Kollidam or Coleroon branches off from the Cauvery; Viralimalai (30 km) a hillock with peacock sanctuary at the foothills; Sittanavasal, an ancient Jain monastery with exquisite fresco paintings in a cave.

There are many more places of tourist attraction like Puliancholai (72 km) waterfall in the foothills of the Kolli hills, the spectacular Rock Fort Temple, Thayumanaswamy Temple, St. Joseph College Campus, the mosque is located in Palakarai, Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Jambukeshwara Temple, Samayapuram Mariamman Temple and so on. The poondi madha basilica is one of the famous churches in Trichy. 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 species including ducks and Kingfisher.

The city has two major English dailies, The Hindu and The New Indian Express. Tamil language dailies in Trichy include Dina Malar, Dina Mani, Dina Thanthi, and Dinakaran with two other dailies Tamil Murasu and Malai Malar published in the evening. Besides All India Radio, other private FM Stations like Hello FM 106.4Mhz (Malar Publication), Suryan FM 93.5Mhz (SUN Network) and Holly Cross (Educational) also operate in this city. Trichy has an excellent communication infrastructure, with the major cellular and broadband service provider`s participation.

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