Trichy ( Tiruchirappalli) is one of the important cities in Tamilnadu, India. It is situated on the banks of River Cauvery. The most important monument of the city is the Rock Fort temple, which is a combination of Lord Ganesh and Lord Shiva temples. It is a magnificent monument that stands83m tall balanced on a gigantic rocky out crop. The temples were first established by the Pallavas and were completed by the Nayaks of Madurai. Lord Shiva temple in Rock fort temple, Trichy is carved in the middle of the rock and it houses a giant stone statue of Lord Shiva. The name of the lord is Thayumanaswamy (Mathur Bhutheswara). There is a separate sanctum for Goddess Parvati too. The Ganesh temple is located at the top of the rock and it can be accessed by climbing 420 steps carved out of rock. You can enjoy the panoramic views of Trichy from this temple.

 

Srirangam:

Srirangam is the most important temple located in an island seven kilometers from the main city of Trichy. It is surrounded by river Cauvery on three sides and kollidam (one of the tributaries of Cauvery) on the other side. Cheras, Cholas, Pandyas, Hoysalas and Vijaynagar rulers contributed to the construction of the Sriranganathaswamy temple from 14th the 17th century.

Srirangam is the first among 108 Divya desams of Lord Vishnu. This temple spreads over an area of about 156 acres, making it one of the largest temples in India. You can see seven concentric walls enclosing the temple and the total length of these walls are encircled by 21 gopuras. The gold topped sanctum houses the main deity and non-Hindus are not allowed to enter into this sanctum.

The most inspiring feature of Srirangam is the hall of 1000 pillars. Besides the main shrine of Ranganathaswamy, the temple also boasts of shrines dedicated to Narasimha, Rama and Sakrathazhvar, which are various other forms of Lord Vishnu.

 

Thiruvanaikkaval:

Thiruvanaikkaval is one of the Panchabootha Sthalams (representation of five elements- wind, air, fire, water, earth and space), located 2 kilometers from Srirangam, Trichy. Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of lingam here. The lingam is partially submerged by water, in order to signify God as water. Goddess Parvati is worshipped as Akhilandeswari here. She is said to have meditated upon Lord Shiva and her shrine is greatly esteemed here.

This temple has five prakarams and elaborate mandapams. The dwajasthampa mandapam boasts of fine sculptural work. The image of Ekapada Trimurthy that represents the unity of Lord Bramha, Vishnu and Shiva is the most significant thing to see here. You can see splendid sculptural specimen of musical scenes in the eastern tower of this temple.

 

Sittanavasal:

Sittanavasal is located 58 kilometers away from Trichy. It is a significant site featuring fine fresco paintings in a rock cave. Most of them belong to 9th century. You can enjoy viewing the pictures of animals, people collecting beautiful lotuses from a pond, duck, fish and other images. You can see the fresco paintings on the ceiling of the Ardhamandapam here.

 

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