Sunday, April 21, 2013

Trichy – General Information


Trichy – General Information

The most famous land mark of this bustling town is the Rock fort Temple, a spectacular monument perched on a massive rocky out crop which rises abruptly from the plain to tower over the old city. It is 325 km south west of Madras. Tiruchirappalli was the heart of Tamil Nadu, situated at the head of the Kaveri delta. The Pallavas, Pandyas and Cholas chose this city for their feudal wars. The city is known for its temple architecture.

Trichy ( Tiruchirappalli ):

Location: Tiruchirapalli District, Tamil Nadu

Shortly Called: Tiruchi or Trichy

Landmark of the City: Rock Fort Temple

Famous For: Artificial Diamonds, Cigars, Handloom Cloth, Glass Bangles And Wooden And Clay Toys

Situated in Tiruchirappalli district, on the banks of the River Kaveri (also spelt as Cauvery) is Tiruchirappalli, a city known for its educational institutions, industries, and temples. It is shortly called as "Tiruchi" or "Trichy".

Trichy is the district headquarters of the district of Tiruchirappalli and has its name for tourist attraction. 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.

General Information about Trichy ( Tiruchirappalli ):
» Area: 23.26-sq-kms
» Population: 7,77,890 (1991 Census)
» Latitude: N 10o 16' to 11o22'
» Longitude: E 78o 15' to 79o 16'
» Altitude: 78 metres
» Clothing: Light Cottons
» Languages Spoken: Tamil and English
» STD Code: 0431
» Climate: Tropical
» Temperature Range (deg C):
- Summer- Max. 37.1°C Min. 26.4°C
- Winter- Max. 31.3°C Min. 20.6°C
» Rainfall: 835 mm
Location:

The historical city of Tiruchirappalli, popularly known as Trichi, is situated on the banks of the Kaveri River (also Cauvery) in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Lying at a distance of 320 km from Chennai (Madras) and 150 km from Madurai, this Chola Dynasty citadel, known for its profound wisdom of the Sangam Age, still carries the age-old aura about it. The present-day city, with a blend of glorious past and acclaimed divinity through the famous Dravidian temples, stands as a commercial and tourist hub of Tamil Nadu.

Best time to Visit:
Trichi enjoys a moderate climate. The maximum temperature during summer is approximately 37°C, while during winter it dips to a low of 20°C. Therefore, the best time to visit Trichi is from October to March.
Trichy:
Trichy is a well connected with the major cities of Tamil Nadu. It has its own aiport, which makes air travel easy to and from the city. Trivandrum and Chennai are two major cities which have direct filghts to the city. By road, one can reach Trichy comfortably from Chennai (320 kms), Ooty (302 kms), Bangalore (345 kms), or Madhurai (142 kms). The railway station of Trichy lies between Chennai and Madhurai, which are well connected with the city by road.

Thiruchirappalli Tourist Attractions - 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 and is considered to be a major tourist destination in Tamil Nadu.
The most eminent landmark of Tiruchirappalli is the Rock Fort Temple, a stunning monument perched on a enormous rocky

The city and its fort, as they stand today, were constructed by the Nayaks of Madurai. It was one of the main centers around which the wars of the Carnatic were fought in the 18th century during the British-French resist for supremacy in India.

Woraiyur in Trichy is also prominent for its handmade cigars and handloom sarees. The handmade cigars of Woraiyur were said to be well-known overseas, so much so that even Winston Churchill is said to have relished them though he remained loyal to the Cuban cigars.
It is Tamil Nadu's fourth largest [1City after Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai with an estimated population of 1,067,915 (as of 2008).

It is situated in the centre of the state, on the banks of the Cauvery River. Trichy is a Municipal Corporation and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirapalli District.

The most famous landmark of Trichy is the Rockfort temple which is perched on a huge rocky out crop. The smooth crop was first hewn by the Pallavas but it was the Nayaks of Madurai who later built the Rock fort temple. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and Lord Ganesha.

Trichy city encompasses Srirangam, a Vaishnavite temple and the biggest functioning Hindu temple in the world. Trichy also contains "ThiruAnaikka" (ThiruvAnaikkaval), House of Water, one of the five main abodes ("Panchaboodha Sthalam") of Lord Shiva. Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman was born in Thiruvanaikaval and his house has been preserved as a museum.
Geography and climate:
The topology of Trichy is flat. 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 here, the latter forms the northern boundary of the city. The river Cauvery flows along WNW-SSE direction through the city.

There are a few hills located within the city, the prominent among them are Golden Rock, Rock Fort, and the one in Thiruverumbur. There are few reserve forests along the river Cauvery, located at the west or the north-west of the city. The southern and the south-western part of the district is dotted by several hills which are thought to be an offset of the Western Ghat Mountain range—the soil here is considered to be very fertile. As two rivers flows through the city, 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. The timing of the monsoon in this part of the country has lately become unpredictable, with the rainy season starting from mid-October until early-November and the rains then extending until early or mid-January.

Summer temperature : 41.10°C (maximum) 36.40°C (minimum)

Winter temperature : 21.31°C (maximum) 18.60°C (minimum)
Demographics:
As of the 2008, Trichy had a population of 10,62,015. Males constitute 49.97% of the population and females 50.03%. Trichy has an average literacy rate of 91.45%. Male literacy is 94.17% and female literacy is 88.73%. In Trichy 9.59% of the population is under 6 years of age.

The city's population is predominantly Hindu (with both Saivaite and Vaishnavaite), and there are sizable Christian and Muslim populations. Sikhs and Jains also are present in smaller numbers.

Tamil is the official language. The dialect of the Tamil language spoken here is usually 'Neutral', with a blend of Kongu Tamil. Madurai Tamil may be heard as one travels through the eastern and southern-eastern boundaries of the city. One may also hear elangai / Sri Lankan Tamil spoken in some pockets of the city. Other language spoken here is English.

Tiruchirapalli served as the headquarters of the South-Indian Railways (which was renamed later 'Southern Railways', with Madras/Chennai as the headquarters) during the pre-independence era, for a few years. Anglo-Indians, many of whom worked in the 'South-Indian Railways', started settling in 'Golden Rock-Township' and 'Crawford' located within the city, during that time.

Culture:

The city has a multi-cultural society with a sizeable presence of Tamil, English, Marathi, Telugu, Hindi, and Malayalam-speaking population. The city projects a calm outlook and is considered to be friendly toward tourists.

One may experience typical Anglo-Indian, Andhra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu cuisines here.

In addition to Pongal, the Thamizhar Thirunaal, Ugadi, Holi & Onam are festivals celebrated by their respective communities retaining their cultural roots.

People living in Tiruchirapalli district have a rich ancient cultural heritage. The city served as the centre of fine arts since sangam literature. Uraiyur, the old name of Tiruchirapalli city, was the capital of early Cholas. Here lived a number of great Tamil Scholars and contributed to the Tamil literature. People living here even today speak Tamil mostly what is being used in written form than any other people living in other parts of Tamil Nadu.

Cuisine:

Trichy cuisine is predominantly South Indian with rice as the main-ingredient. The city prefers a fairly mild flavour, with variations to suit the local palette. Lunch is usually served in many restaurants over a banana leaf.

North Indian, Chinese and Continental cuisines are also available. Jelebi, idly, dosa, halwa (a sweet made of milk, wheat, and rice), parotta and biryani are popular among the locals.

Economy:

Trichy is a major engineering hub and energy equipment and fabrication center of India.
BHEL --- Bharat Heavy Electriclas Limited

Bharat Heavy Electriclas Limited (BHEL) is ranked among the leading Power Plant Manufacturers in the world. At TIRUCHIRAPALLI, the High Pressure Boiler Plant of the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) was setup in 1963. Now, it is one of the foremost manufacturing facilities within BHEL and it has 3 major plants namely, High Pressure Boiler Plant, Seamless Steel Tube Plant and Boiler Auxiliaries Plant

BHEL is the first state-owned company to acquire ISO 9000 certification during 1993 for all its operations. Further it has been accredited to ISO 14001 Standard.

It is having a very big Housing colony, with all facilities including good educational facilities, on the NH-67, just in front of the main factory.

BHEL --- Tiruchirappalli was set up during the period of K.Kamaraj, the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and the statue of K.Kamaraj is there at the entrance of the Colony main Gate.

A number of small scale industries have also sprung up in Trichy, mostly around Thuvakudi and Mathur.

Leather tanneries are located on the way to Pudukottai. Viralimalai, considered an industrial suburb on Madurai road has the factories.

Manachanallur has numerous rice mills supplying polished rice all over Tamil Nadu and outside and is located about 7 km from Main Guard gate.

The economy of the city is driven to a certain extent by IT/ITES companies encouraged by the support from state government. A dedicated stretch of land has been identified and developed to increase the state's share in national IT/ITES exports.

Infosys is eyeing Tiruchirapalli for its expansion.

Transportation:

Roadways:

Trichy is well connected to various parts of Tamil Nadu, by private and public bus services. There are 2 Bus Stands at Tiruchirappalli, as explained below:

Chathiram, Chinthamani, Main Guard Gate Bus Stand

The Chathram (Main Guard Gate) bus stand, near 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 so and so.....
Bus services are frequent, once in every two to five minutes, you will get a bus of your destination.

Central / Main Bus Stand

The central bus station runs long distance services to major cities and states of South India such as Tanjore,Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore, Bangalore, Tirunelveli, Nagercoil, Tirupathi, Salem, Erode, Pudukkotai, Dindigul, Rameswaram, Theni, Tindivanam, 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.

Other Transport Facilities

The State-run DCTC town buses cover areas from Trichy to Pudukkottai, Manapparai, Musiri, Viralimalai and Vallam.

Private and public buses connect Trichy to all parts of Tamil Nadu.

Tamil Nadu Government introduced the Share -Auto scheme in the year 2001.

The city has a very wide network of city buses and mini buses.

National Highways passing through Tiruchirappalli

On the road infrastructure front, with the completion of highway projects in Tamil Nadu state. Trichy will have four track highways from the city branching to destination Chennai, Madurai, Nagappattinam and Coimbatore. The four-laning of Chennai-Trichy should be completed in 2010 and also Trichy-Madurai would be completed at the same time. The widening of Trichy-Tanjore, Trichy-Karur and Trichy-Rameswaram should also be completed in 2 years.

Trichy is connected by major National Highways which connect

NH-45 --- Chennai (towards north) and Dindigul (towards south) by NH 45

NH-45B --- Madurai and Tuticorin by NH 45B (towards south)

NH-67 --- Coimbatore and Ooty (towards west) and Tanjore and Nagapatinam (towards east) by NH 67

NH-210 --- Putukkottai and Ramanathapuram (towards south-east) by NH 210

NH-227 --- Chidambaram (towards north-east) by NH 227

Railways:

Trichy is a hub of Southern Railway (India). Southern railway connect this central part of Tamil Nadu to various parts of India, notably regions in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh.

Trichy Railway Junction has five branches leading to Madurai, Rameswaram, Erode, Tanjore and Chennai and currently there are 4 platforms in operation. Platform no 5, 6, 7 is under gauge convertion which is to be finished at the end of 2009.

Trichy is one of the busiest railway junction in India. It has more than 200 train crossings per day in its division. It also has the record of a railway station to have broadgage next to Chennai. The Electrification between Villupuram and Tiruchchirappali is completed and service would be inaugrated soon. The double line is also approved for the same section works will be starting soon.

This division has the press which supplies the printed unreserved ticket for Tamil Nadu railway stations. The railway station code for Trichy Junction is TPJ.

Trains Originating from Trichy

Pallavan Express, Howrah Express, Rockfort Express, Ernakulam Tea Garden Express, Mayiladuthurai Express are the important trains originating from Trichy.

Trains Passing through Trichy junction

The other important trains passing through Trichy junction are Kanyakumari Express, Tamilnadu Sampark Kranti Express, Tirukkural Express, Ananthapuri Express, Pothigai Express, Nellai Express, Pandian Express, Mysore-Mayiladuthurai Express, Cape-Howrah Express, Chennai-Mangalore Express, Pearl City Express, Guruvayur Express, Jan Shatabdi Express, Nagercoil-Mumbai Express, Vaigai express, Sethu Express, Madurai-Jammutawi link Express, Pandian Express, Madurai-Lokmanya Tilak express, Nagercoil Express.

Other than Express trains there are more number of Passenger Trains which connects the Trichy with the nearest town frequently.

The Trichy city comprises the following railway stations:

Station name
Station code
Tiruchirapalli Junction
TPJ
Tiruchirapalli Town
TPTN
Tiruchirapalli Fort
TP
Tiruchirapalli Palakkarai
TPE
Ponmalai
GOC
SRGM
TRB
UKV
VLDE
Punggudi
PUG
Pichchandarkovil
BXS
Kumaramangalam
KRMG
Mandurai
MAND
Lalgudi
LLI
Manjattidal
MCJ
Muttarasanallur
MTNL

Airways:

Trichy has an international airport about eight 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, Indian Airlines, Air India Express, Srilankan Airlines, Mihin Lanka,Kingfisher Airlines,Paramount Airways. Trichy airport is the second largest airport in Tamil Nadu next to Chennai to get international connectivity to Colombo (Srilanka) in 1981. Nowadays, flights are operated to Gulf countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

Plans are being made to upgrade it to a fully fledged international airport in the next three years. The extended runway (8000ft) was commissioned and further expansion to 12500 ft has started. The new terminal building is opened in 2009. Two aero bridge are opened to use. This is the second airport in Tamil Nadu to get it next to Chennai. An new Air Traffic Control Centre is also being planned to be constructed to cope up with growing air traffic in the region.

Various airlines including Malaysian airlines, Oman Air, Air Arabia will soon operate international flights. Kingfisher Airlines has stopped the service to Bangalore which is expected to resume soon. Air India Express made Dubai and Singapore flights a daily service

Airlines and Destinations
Domestic
Carrier
Destination
Indian Airlines
Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode
Air-India Express
Chennai
Kingfisher Airlines
Chennai
Paramount Airways
Chennai
International
Carrier
Destination
AirAsia
Kuala Lumpur
SriLankan Airlines
Colombo
Air-India Express
Singapore, Abu-Dhabi, Dubai
Indian Airlines
Sharjah
Mihin Lanka
Colombo
Silk Air
Singapore **

Administration

The city is a Municipal Corporation. It also serves as the headquarters of the district with the same name. The city is headed by a Mayor, under whom are the Deputy Mayor and several councilors elected by people representing administrative wards; as well as a corporation Commissioner of the rank of IAS to administer the city.
The city has one Member of Parliament representing the Trichy constituency, pudukkottai parliamentary constituency has been mearged with trichy and few regions are mearged with other constituncy for administrative reasons. Both Tiruchi (East) and Tiruchi (West) assembly constituencies are part of Tiruchirappalli (Lok Sabha constituency).

The district is headed by the District Collector of the rank of IAS. The District court is the highest court of appeal in Trichy/Tiruchirappalli. The city has seen moderate to high development in spite of funds constraint.

The city's police force is headed by the City Police Commissioner of the rank of IPS. One of the 5 Central prisons of the state is located here.

Education:
  • Considered an educational city, Tiruchirapalli has schools and colleges that are hundreds of years old. St. Joseph's College (SJC) is one of the important and the oldest institution in Trichy, with more than 160+ years of its presence. College Road in Chatram has three colleges and five schools, including St. Joseph's College.
  • Campion Anglo Indian School and R.S.K Higher secondary school are prominent schools in the state.
Health-care:

The city has numerous hospitals. Apart from the Government hospital, several multi-facility hospitals function in the city. The district's health department is one of the best in terms of implementing government-initiated healthcare schemes.

Rare surgical procedures have taken place in some of the hospitals in the city. The polio eradication programme is heavily assisted by various NGOs and clubs in the city. It also has many sidhdha/unani/ayurveda/homeopathic clinics.

Trichy - A low-cost high-quality healthcare destination
Fast pace of economic development with the increase in the health awareness have led to the growth of the healthcare industry in the city. The city stands next to Chennai in Tamilnadu for affordable and quality healthcare deliveries of high-standards.

Trichy is only city other than Chennai have made the heart transplation surgery successfully in Tamilnadu.

Trichy is also a preferred healthcare destination to the population from nearby towns and districts.

Media and communication:

Dailies

The city has two major English dailies, The Hindu and The New Indian Express. Tamil language dailies include Dina Malar, Dina Thanthi, Dina Mani and Dinakaran with two other dailies Tamil Murasu and Malai Malar published in the evening.

Radio Station

A short wave radio station is operated by All India Radio, with most programmes in Tamil, English and Hindi. A FM station AIR FM Rainbow operated by All India Radio with the programmes in Tamil, English and Hindi, Also a other Private FM Stations Hello FM 106.4Mhz (Malar Publication), Suryan FM 93.5Mhz (SUN Network) and Holly Cross (Educational) Operated in this City.

Television

Television relay started in 1985 from Delhi Doordarshan. In 1986, after inception of a repeater tower at Kodaikanal, telecast from Madras Doordarshan commenced. Television reception is through DTH or by Cable, while "Doordarshan" reception is still available using an external antenna.

Telecom

Trichy has an excellent communication infrastructure, with the major cellular/broadband service providers involved in. Telecom services BSNL (Second Largest Electronic Exchange in Tamilnadu), VSNL (TATA Indicom), Reliance, Vodafone, Airtel, Aircel and BPL available are by Landline, CDMA and GSM. Fiber optic cables were laid in 2001, improving internet access.

Entertainment:

  • Zoo:
A Zoological Park has been proposed to be set-up in Trichy soon.
  • Theme Park:
A Water-theme park proposed by Trichy City Corporation is to come-up in Anna Nagar soon.
Also another theme park promoted by a private company is under construction near Kudamuratti river within Trichy city limit.
  • List of Theaters in Trichy
The following list gives the Cinema halls in Trichy city. There are local, defunct and non-operating theatres which are not included in this list.
Cinema Theatres
Location
Features
Kalaiyarangam
Central Bus Stand
A/C, Qube Digital, 70MM
Maris
Fort Station
A/C, DTS, 70MM
Cauvery
Palakkarai
A/C, DTS
Sona
Central Bus Stand
A/C, DTS
Mega Star
Thillai Nagar
A/C, DTS
Ramba
Chatram Bus Stand
A/C, Qube Digital
Mina
Central Bus Stand
A/C, DTS, 35MM
Venkatesha
Tiruvanaikovil
A/C, DTS
Maris Rock
Fort Station
A/C, DTS
Oorvasi
Chathram Bus Stand
A/C, 35MM
Star
Thennur Terminal
A/C, DTS
Ramakrishna
Thennur
DTS
Maharani
E.B.Road
70MM
Urvashi
Chatram Bus Stand
70MM
Rukmani
Woraiyur
70MM
Aruna theatre
Ramalinga Nagar
70MM
VVV theatre
Ponnagar
70MM

Notable people:

Some prominent people from Trichy include:
  • Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman (Sir CV Raman) , Indian physicist and Nobel laureate in physics (Nobel Prize-winning physicist)
  • Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai born in Adavattur near Somarasam Pettai (4 km west of Trichy) who contributed to Tamil Literature during the 17th century
  • K. A. P. Viswanatham Pillai, (Fondly remembered as Ki. Aa. Pe), a great Tamil writer
  • Akilan, author, Tamil scholar, Sahitya Akademi Award recipient
  • Sangitha Kalanidhi Clarinet A.K.C. Natarajan
  • Kalaimamani Clarinet A.K.C. Venugopal
  • Sujatha Rangarajan, writer
  • Hema Malini, actress
  • Lalgudi Jayaraman, violinist
  • Kavingnar Vaali, Tamil poet and lyricist
  • M. K. Thiyagaraja Bhagavatar, first superstar of Tamil cinema (MKT as he was popularly known was born in MAyuram, which stands for the first initial in his name)
  • A. R. Murugadoss, Tamil Film Director.
  • Prasanna, Tamil Film Actor
  • Iravatham Mahadevan, famous epigraphist, specializing on the Indus script and Early Tamil epigraphy.
  • Dr. Vijayanandan, famous doctor and fourth dental surgeon of Trichy.
  • James Vasanthan, music director
  • G.M.Vridhachalam , Famous Lawyer
  • Vanitha Rangaraju Ramanan, OSCAR award winner in 2004

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