Tiruccirapalli

Tiruchirappalli stands on the southern bank of the Kaveri, where a great rock rises above the surrounding plain. Temples and fortifications occupy this striking height, while the island of Srirangam between branches of the river holds one of the most celebrated Vishnu temples in southern India. The city commands an important approach to the Kaveri delta, linking its fertile lowlands with the interior.

Under the Nayaks of Madurai, Tiruchirappalli became a royal and military centre. Its rock fort acquired particular importance in the eighteenth-century Carnatic wars, when rival claimants to power enlisted French and British support. Chanda Sahib and his French allies besieged Muhammad Ali at Tiruchirappalli in 1751–52, while the British supported the defender. The siege ended in the defeat and death of Chanda Sahib. Further attacks followed during the struggles between Mysore and the British, but the city remained a stronghold of the East India Company. Its temples and fortified rock continued to dominate a town shaped by both pilgrimage and warfare.