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.

The city is a thriving commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is famous for artificial diamonds, cigars, handloom cloth, glass bangles and wooden and clay toys.

Important Temples

1. Rock Fort Temple

The spectacular Rock Fort Temple, the landmark of the city, is on the shores of the River Cauvery. 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 vimanacovered with gold. On the southern face of the rock are several beautifully carved rock-cut cave temples of the Pallava period.

2. Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple

The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam, situated 6 km north within 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 River Cauvery 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 Town is an island and 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.

3. Jambukeshwara Temple

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. It is one of the panchabhoota sthalam - representing five basic elements. This is the Appu Sthalam among thePancha Bootha Sthalams.

The others are -
Tiruvannamalai (Thejo sthalam - Fire)
Kanchipuram (Prithvi sthalam - Earth)
Kalahasti (Vayu sthalam - Air)
Chidambaram (Akasa sthalam - Space).

4. Vayalur Murugan Temple

The Vayalur Murugan Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Muruga, located near the city of Tiruchirapalli (Trichy) in Tamil Nadu, India. This temple is around 1200 years old built during the reign of the Cholas.

The main deity in the temple is Lord Muruga, it is behind the Moolavar Shiva Sannithy. The other Sannithys in this temple are Moolavar arulmigu Athi Nathar (Lord Shiva).

Theertham:
Agni Theertham also known as Shakthi Theertham. According to a legend, Lord Muruga himself created this tank with his Velayudham.
Sthala Vriksham: Vanni Maram (Vanni Tree) is seen in the left side, as soon as you enter the rajagopuram.

5. Samayapuram Mariamman Temple

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 Tamil Nadu, 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.

Tirupattur is located around 5 km from Samayapuram. It is famous for its Bramhapureeswarar Temple which has a huge shrine for LordBrahma. This is the second of the two temples dedicated to Lord Bramha in the world. The first being in Pushkar near Ajmer, Rajasthan.

Katha Veeraiya swamy temple is a very famous temple in Tamil Nadu. It is located in Pachur near Mannachanallur. (Bus root no 27a,e )

The Bikshandar koil also called as uttamar kovil is about 5 kilometers from chatiram bus stand. It is one of the 108 divya desams.

Airport

Tiruchirapalli Airport or Trichy Airport (IATA: TRZ, ICAO: VOTR) is a major airport mostly serving Tiruchirapalli and adjacent districts in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the second largest airport in Tamil Nadu next to Chennai Airport and also the second airport in the state to get International Connectivity. The airport, located on the NH 210 Tiruchirapalli - Rameswaram highway, is 5 km (3.1 mi)[6] south of the city centre.

Trichy, considered as the Heart of Tamil Nadu is well connected by Road, Rail and Air throughout the country.

Roadways

Trichy is well connected to all parts of Tamil Nadu and many parts of the surrounding states. There are two Bus Stands at Tiruchirappalli, They are

Chathiram Bus Stand (also called Chinthamani Bus Stand or Main Guard Gate)

This bus stand, near The Rock Fort temple, runs local and Mofussil (City-to-Town) bus services which connect people to nearby towns and villages such as Thuraiyur, Perambalur,Ariyalur, Cuddalore, Jayankondam, Vriddhachalam, Chidambaram, Neyveli, and many small towns and villages.

Central Bus Station

The central bus stand runs long distance services to major cities and states of South India such as Tanjore, Kumbakonam, Mayiladuthurai, Karaikal, Chennai, Madurai, Dindigul, Rameswaram, Villupuram, Vellore,Tiruvannamalai, Theni, Coimbatore, Bangalore, Tirunelveli, Nagercoil, Tirupathi, Salem, Pudukkotai, Hosur, Namakkal, Erode, Tiruppurand also well-connected to Karnataka, Andhra and Kerala through private charter and Luxury buses.

Bus services are frequent whole day and night, You can get a bus of any destination from Trichy. One can get buses from Trichy to almost any part of the state, due to its geographical location in the center of Tamil Nadu.