Tiruchirappalli, also called Tiruchirappalli or Trichy, is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is considered the most liveable, the cleanest in Tamil Nadu and the fifth safest city for women in India. It is the fourth largest city and the fourth largest urban agglomeration in the state. Tiruchirappalli is located 322 kilometers (200 mi) south of Chennai and 374 kilometers (232 mi) north of Kanyakumari, almost at the geographical center of the state of Tamil Nadu. The Cauvery delta begins 16 kilometers (9.9 mi) west of the city where the Kaveri River splits into two to form Srirangam Island, which is now included in the Tiruchirappalli City Municipal Corporation. The city covers an area of 167.23 square kilometers (64.57 sq mi) and had a population of 916,857 in 2011.
The recorded history of Tiruchirappalli begins in the 3rd century BC. C., when it was under the rule of the Cholas. The city was also ruled by the Mutharaiyars, Pallavas, Pandyas, the Vijayanagar Empire, the Nayak dynasty, the Carnatic state and the British. The most notable historical monuments of Tiruchirappalli include the Rock Fort at Teppakulam, the Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam, dedicated to the reclining form of the Hindu god Vishnu, and which is also the largest functioning temple in the world, and the Jambukeswarar Temple at Thiruvanaikaval. , which is also the largest temple in the world dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. The archaeologically important city of Uraiyur, capital of the early Cholas, is now a district of Tiruchirappalli. The city played a crucial role in the Carnatic Wars (1746-1763) between the British and French East India Companies.
