Trichy

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.

Sri Thayumanaswmy Temple, Rock Fort _2 - Trichy, India Part of the temple from the outside. The whole temple consists of several buildings, the highest is on top of the rock. Mostly non-Hindus are not allowed into the inside(s). Natharvala Dargam - Trichy, India You can see Frank entering Natharvala Dargam. More carved pillars Srirangam - Srirangam, Trichy, Thanjavur, Kumbakonam, Mahabalipuram, TN, India More carvings Srirangam - Srirangam, Trichy, Thanjavur, Kumbakonam, Mahabalipuram, TN, India More sculpture TBT - Srirangam, Trichy, Thanjavur, Kumbakonam, Mahabalipuram, TN, India Musical Steps Darasuram - Srirangam, Trichy, Thanjavur, Kumbakonam, Mahabalipuram, TN, India Each step emits a different tone of the musical scale, when lightly tapped. Unlike some other Dravidian temples, there are no musical pillars at Darasuram. The steps are in a locked enclosure to prevent vandalism. Our ASI guide opened the enclosure to show us the steps. Paddy fields KKM - Srirangam, Trichy, Trichy Monia being blessed my Lakshmi the elephant. Trichy Kiki surprised at how moist the trunk felt on her Trichy Trichy Trichy Samayapuram Mariamman Temple Samayapuram Mariamman Temple is situated on Tiruchirappalli Chennai NH 45, just 20 kms north of Tiruchirappalli town.The Maariamman Temple here, is one of the well visited shrines in Tamilnadu, dedicated to Maariamman, a manifestation of the primeval energy Shakti as the mother Goddess all sundays, tuesdays and fridays hundreds of devotees throng the temple and perform Poojas. The offerings are in various forms.The most common offering is the Mavilakku Mavu made of jagery, riceflour,dhal and ghee. Mariamman is a form of Shakti worshipped in Tamilnadu, and is associated with prosperity and health. Local beliefs associate this deity with cures for diseases such as small pox and chicken pox. Legend has it that Shiva created Kali, out of the poison that he had swallowed, and decreed that he kill Daarukaasuran. Having originated from the Kaalakoota poison, she assumed the name Kaali. Mariamman is believed to be a form of Kaali, and is also known as Mahamaayi or Seethala Gowri.Dasaratha, father of Rama is said to have worshipped here. It is believed that the processional image of Mariamman was in the possession of the Vijayanagar monarchs and that as their empire neared destruction, this image was brought down to Tamilnadu in an ivory palanquin. It is believed that the palanquin bearers placed image on the ground and paused for rest, and then found themselves to be unable to lift it off the ground. A temple was then established in the vicinity of Tiruchirappalli, which was later expanded by Vijayaranga Chokkanatha Nayak of Madurai of the 18th century. Samayapuram was the local capital of Vijayanagar rulers and was known as Vikramapuram. This temple has separate shrines for the processional image of Mariamman and the moolavar in the sanctum. There is also a shrine to Karuppannasaami a local deity. Annual festivals are celebrated during Thai Poosam, and in the tamil months of Pankuni and Chittirai. The last Sunday of Pankuni marks the commencement of the festival, while the chariot festival is celebrated on the first Tuesday in the month of Chittirai, and the float festival is celebrated a week later. puliyancholai On the foot hills of kollimalai ,a place of scenic beauty is the puliyancholai ,72 kms away from Tiruchirappalli via Thuraiyur filled with full of greenish tree sand tamarind groves .this forest region is cool and green with added attraction of the stream.the stream is the natural bathing area for the tourists throughout the year .there is a water falls in the higher hills which is called Akaya Gangai,besides ,the water here has medicinal value .the 18 th day of the tamil month Addi is the time for worshipping the river here and more people visit Puliyancholai that day .accommodation is available here. Puliyancholai to Agazha Gangai Falls(Hill top)Five hours hard Trek: Trek will fetch you Fantastic views of Million years nature curved rocks- Dolmens- Pithukkuli Cave- Different shaped big stones- Forest produces on the way and at the Top plain - Honey, Guava, Orange, Mustard, Fenugreek, Garlic, Paddy, Maze, Millets, Jack fruits (more than 12 varieties) etc., Thiruvanaikkaval This is one of the most revered temples to Shiva; it is one of the Panchabhoota Stalams signifying the 5 elements of wind (Kalahasti), water (Tiruvanaikka), fire (Tiruvannamalai), earth (Kanchipuram) and space (Chidambaram). The primordial element water, is represented by an undying natural spring in the sanctum. There is said to have been a forest of Jambu trees near the Chandrateertha tank (filled with the water of the Kaveri) here and Shiva is said to have appeared under one of the trees as a Shiva Lingam. Legend has it that two devotees of Shiva were born under the influence of a curse as a white elephant and a spider. The elephant worshipped Shiva with flowers and water brought in its trunk (hence the name Tiru Aanaikka). The spider worshipped the Lingam by spinning a web on top, to protect it from falling leaves. The elephants worship would destroy the spiders web, and the spiders web amounted to desecration in the eyes of the elephant leading to animosity between the two, of such proportion that a fight between them resulted in the death of both. The spider was born again in the royal Chola family (in Uraiyur - during the Sangam period). An interesting tale is associated with his birth. His parents Subhadeva and Kamalavati prayed to Nataraja of Chidambaram for a male successor. The royal astrologer is said to have predicted an auspicious time for the birth of a successor who would be a ruler of great fame. The hour of birth approached sooner though and the royal queen bade her attendants to tie her legs and hang her upside down, with the aim of delaying the birth of the child. She achieved her objective although the royal offspring was born with reddened eyes, earning for himself the name 'Chenkannan' - the red eyed one. In his life time Ko Chenkannan is said to have been built several elevated temples - out of reach of elephants, keeping with the legend of his animosity with an elephant in his previous birth. The stala vriksham is said to have grown out of a munivar, who offered his worship to Shiva.Akhilandeswari (Parvati) is said to have meditated upon Shiva here, and her shrine here, is considered to be of great significance. It is believed that Akhilandeswari was originally an Ugra Devata of great fury, and Adi Sankaracharyar is said to have converted the fiery energy of the deity into a manifestation of peace. Shrines to Vinayaka and Subramanya face Akhilandeswari. This temple has records of patronage from the Chola Pandya, Hoysala and the Madurai Naik kings. The temple is said to have been built by the Chola King Ko Chenkannan and it was of special significance to the Chola kings. Ko Chenkannan is praised by tamil literature for having built more than seventy temples - and he is historically placed in the Sangam period (the very early years of the Christian era). Inscriptions from the tenth century AD testify to later Chola patronage. The Hoysalas who had a base near Samayapuram (near Tiruchi) built four temples in Northern Tiruvanaikkaval (Vallaleeswaram, Padmaleswaram, Narasimheswaram and Somaleswaram). The Pandyas and the Hoysalas contributed to the Eastern tower. Adi Sankara is said to have visited the Akhilandeswari shrine. He is said to have adorned her with ear-rings bearing the symbol of the chakram. There is a shrine to Adi Sankara in this temple. This is a vast temple (18 acres) with lofty gopurams, 5 prakarams and ornate mandapams. The second and third prakarams date back to the 13th century. The dwajasthampa mandapam has grand sculptural work. There is an image of Ekapada Trimurthy representing the unity of Bhrama Vishnu and Shiva in this temple. The Akhilandeswari shrine is located in the fourth prakaram. The Eastern tower with seven levels has fine sculptural specimen of musical scenes, while the Western tower has nine levels. The first prakaram has been renovated in this century. Festivals: Annual festivals here include the Pankuni Bhrammotsavam, Vasanta Utsavam, the float festival in Thai (Capricorn) , Aadi Pooram (Cancer) and the Pancha Prakara festival. For more information please see the Templenet Special Feature on Tiruvanaikka.