Tiruchirappalli (Tamil pronunciation: [ˈt̪iɾɯtːʃiɾaːpːaɭːi] , formerly Trichinopoly in English), also called Tiruchi or Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with being the best livable city, the cleanest city of Tamil Nadu, as well as the fifth safest city for women in India. It is the fourth largest city as well as the fourth largest urban agglomeration in the state. Located 322 kilometres (200 mi) south of Chennai and 374 kilometres (232 mi) north of Kanyakumari, Tiruchirappalli sits almost at the geographic centre of Tamil Nadu state. The Cauvery Delta begins 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) west of the city where the Kaveri river splits into two, forming the island of Srirangam which is now incorporated into the Tiruchirappalli City Municipal Corporation. The city occupies an area of 167.23 square kilometres (64.57 sq mi) and had a population of 916,857 in 2011.Tiruchirappalli's recorded history begins in the 3rd century BC, when it was under the rule of the Cholas. The city has also been ruled by the Mutharaiyars, Pallavas, Pandyas, Vijayanagar Empire, Nayak Dynasty, the Carnatic state and the British. The most prominent historical monuments in Tiruchirappalli include the Rockfort at Teppakulam, the Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangam dedicated to the reclining form of Hindu God Vishnu, and is also the largest functioning temple in the world, and the Jambukeswarar temple at Thiruvanaikaval, which is also the largest temple for the Hindu God Shiva in the world. The archaeologically important town of Uraiyur, capital of the Early Cholas, is now a neighbourhood in Tiruchirappalli. The city played a critical role in the Carnatic Wars (1746–1763) between the British and the French East India companies.
The city is an important educational centre in the state of Tamil Nadu, and houses nationally recognized institutions such as National Institute of Technology (NIT), Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Tamil Nadu National Law University (NLU), Government Medical College. Industrial units such as Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Golden Rock Railway Workshop, Ordnance Factory Tiruchirappalli (OFT) and High Energy Projectile Factory (HEPF) have their factories in the city. The presence of a large number of energy equipment manufacturing units in and around the city has earned it the title of "Energy Equipment and Fabrication Capital of India". It is one of the few towns and cities in List of AMRUT Smart cities in Tamil Nadu selected for AMRUT Schemes from central government and the developmental activities are taken care by government of Tamil Nadu.
Tiruchirappalli is internationally known for a brand of cheroot known as the Trichinopoly cigar, which was exported in large quantities to the United Kingdom during the 19th century.
A major road and railway hub in the state, the city is served by the Tiruchirappalli International Airport (TRZ) which operates direct flights to the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Tiruchirappalli district is famous for many ancient and popular temples and religious institutions. The bus network of Tiruchirappalli is very developed and most of the city readily accessible by bus at reasonable prices.
*Chinna Kadai Street,(NSB Road): The main shopping centre is the "Chinna Kadai" street that runs along the "teppakulum" (temple tank) of the Uchchi Pillaiyar Rock temple. The street is packed with apparel, jewellery and household merchandise stores interspersed with restaurants and snack bars. *The most popular stores for apparel shopping are ** Saradhaas - very old store famous for silk saris and biggest store. Cheap and best quality ** Krishna Readymade Hall - cramped shop with good selection of readymade salwar and western wear ** Lakshmi Silks - further down the street beyond the Uchchi pillaiyar temple, good collection of wedding saris ** The Chennai Silks - variety of modern styles ** Ahmed Bros - variety of modern styles *Traditional jewellery can be found in **Mangal and Mangal-Good collection of jewellery. **Gopaldas - good quality, traditional designs **Sampath jewellers - Gold ornaments collections and silver collections **Shree Lakshmi Kreations -Good source of Natural Diamonds and Diamond jewellery, Traditional Jewellery and coloured gemstones.They also manufacture jewellery according to your design.
Tiruchirappalli is well connected to Chennai the capital city of Tamil Nadu. Geographically located in the centre of Tamil Nadu, Tiruchirappalli provides good connectivity between all major towns and cities in Tamil Nadu both by road and rail.
Commonly used modes of local transport in Tiruchirappalli is the state government-owned Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) buses, Taxi and auto rickshaws.
Tiruchirappalli is an ancient city of South India and it was the capital of Chola and Naicka kings for many centuries. The battle between the British (East Indian Company) & French with the help of locals marked the beginnings of the British Raj in the southern part of India.
