sign in sign up
<<
Home , Central Tamil dialect, Cholapuram, Madurai Nayak dynasty, Manachanallur, Pettavaithalai, Tamil Murasu (India)

65

CHAPTER III

In this chapter the researcher deals with the profile of the study area.

The name Tiruchirappali is the combination of three words Thiru + Chira+

Palli, meaning the „School Chira‟. In the Rockfort Thaayumanavar Temple, the pictures depict that there was a saint called „Chira‟, who established a school (Palli in Tamil) near that area. Hence the name Chira palli or

Tiruchirappalli, Tiru is a honoric Prefix for the saint Chira.

There are several theories for the origin of the city‟s name. One is that

Tiruchirapalli was named after the three-headed demon Trishira (or “chira”) who performed penance at the Shiva temple in the city and obtained favors.

The city was therefore named after the demon. Another theory states that since there are three peaks in the area, which are occupied by Shiva, Parvati, and

Vinayaka the Tri-Shikharam or Tirisirapuram arose. The legend says that

Shiva in the guise of a woman attended to the call of a devotee in labor; hence he is called as Matrubhuteswarar (Matru means mother, Bhuteswar is another name of Siva meaning „king of ghosts‟) or Taayumaanavar in Tamil.

Normally names of places which end with „Palli‟ refers to the ancient devotional places of Jains (Samanar). Rocky caves in many places are 66

occupied by them. „Palli” means not only school but also refers to a resting place.

Tiruchirapalli was originally a Chola citadel and later, during 1st millennium AD, then it was occupied by other South Indian Dynasties such as the Pallavas, and Pandyas. The Chola regained control over Tiruchirapalli during the 10th century. Urayur, which has a known history and tradition of about 2500 years, was the capital of .

Later, after the fall of the Chola empire, it came under the direct control of the Nayak Dynasty who paid tribute to the .

The Rock fort temple, the most famous landmark in Tiruchirapalli, was built by

Tthe Nayaks, the Madurai Nayak rulers changed their capital from Madurai to

Tiruchirapalli, and back, several times.

The city is home to Nagaraja Cholan and it has many historic temples, monuments, churches and mosques. It was the capital of the early Chola kings.

The oldest human-built dam, Kallani, was built by Cholan across the

Kaveri River about 10 miles from Urayur.

GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE

The topology of Trichy is flat. It lies at an altitude of 78 m above sea level. The river (also called Cauvery) and the river Coleroon (also called Kollidam) flows through Trichy, the latter forms the northern boundary 67

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, Kajamalai and one in . There are few reserve forests along the river Cauvery, located at the west and 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.

Eastern ghats also pass through the district. The soil here is considered to be very fertile.

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.

In Tiruchirapalli district, the first kind of SHGs is formed by different types agencies, though the objectives are the same. There are SHGs formed by

NGOs facilitating the women in forming the group, handling the records, banking operations etc and ultimately linking with banks for revolving fund as well as small enterprise loan. In fact these NGOs continue to support the SHG women in all the operations. 68

A second kind of SHGs is formed by NGOs, which are basically in remote areas and banks may not be able to extend support nor are the individuals able to access the bank. In this situation the NGOs themselves take the loan on behalf of the SHGs and in turn lend to the SHGs with relatively higher interest rates that falls between the market and bank interest rates.

The third kind of groups observed, is the banks themselves, particularly the Cooperative banks and the lead banks, identify certain potential groups and extend all the support as NGOs do.

Apart from these three categories, which are almost found in all over the country, in Tiruchirapalli district there are various other forms of SHGs, which are NGOs formed but self-supported, SHGs formed by the Government departments apart from the Women Development Corporation, Block

Development Offices etc. and independent SHGs, which are neither formed by

NGOs nor supported by banks rather they are formed on their own and functions with the help of their own group fund.

Having realized that the SHGs are the prospective channel of women development, several NGOs are mushrooming in both rural and urban areas in

Tiruchirapalli district. Informal information from the Associations of NGOs revealed that there are more than 200 NGOs in Tiruchirapalli district alone. It is also true that all of them are invariably working on various women 69

development programmes including SHG formation. As a result of competition among NGOs in forming SHGs, the NGOs are acting as a financial intermediary and extend credit. The process in which they form the group goes like this. Some representatives from the NGOs visit the target area either rural or urban, identify a few potential women, promise that they will be given loan at a lower interest rate compared to traditional money lenders and ask those women to identify 20 women from the area. Once they are identified they will be extended credit at the rate of say Rs.2,000 or Rs.3,000 per head with 24% to

36% interest. Attracted by these terms and conditions, several women in

Tiruchirapalli urban have joined together in a group and claiming themselves as SHGs, though they are not strictly SHGs formed in the way in which the other SHGs are formed. Further, it is highly doubtful whether these groups would continue to exist after the credit needs are met.

Apart from this, there are some development departments such as

National Cooperative Union, which aims at an integrated agricultural development, agricultural, horticultural and other department which also form

SHGs under the Women Development Programme. Of all these groups, the

Mahalir Thittam recognizes the first three groups and others are not recognized and accordingly they are not extended with any financial assistance.

70

LANGUAGES

The most widely spoken language is Tamil, though there are also significantly large numbers of people speaking Telugu, Saurashtrian, and Marathi. The standard dialect is the .

Madurai Tamil is also widely spoken.

During the pre-independence era, Anglo-Indians, many of whom worked in the „South-Indian Railways‟, started settling in „Gloden Rock

Township‟ and „Crawford‟ located within the city. Crawford is considered as one of the expensive areas in the city. The place is populated predominantly by Christians.

CULTURE

The city has a multi-cultural society with a sizeable presence of Tamil,

English, Marathi, Telugu, Hindi and -speaking population. The city projects a calm outlook and is considered to be friendly toward tourists. One may experience typical Anglo-Indian, Andhra, and cuisines here. In addition to Pongal, the Thamizhar Thirunaal, Ugadi, Holi & Onam are the other festivals celebrated by the respective communities retaining their cultural roots.

People living in Trichy have a rich ancient cultural heritage. The city served as the centre of fine arts since period. , the 71

name of the city, was the capital of early Cholas. Here lived a number of great

Tamil Scholars who contributed to the . 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 dish.

The city prefers a fairly mild flavor, 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, parotta and biryani are popular among the locals.

INDUSTRIES

The district has fairly rich mineral deposits. The upper region contains only a moderate number of valuable minerals of which the magnetic iron beds in the are most important. A good deal of building stone is quarried in

Tiruchirappalli.

The most important heavy industry in the district is the high pressure boiler plant of the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) located at

Tiruverambur with M/s.Tehcno Export of Czechoslovakia. This plant engaged in the manufacture of heavy boilers required for thermal Stations was started in

1965 at a cost of Rs.24.50 Crores. The initial output capacity of 750 M.W per 72

year has presently been increased to 2500 M.W The plant achieved an out turn of 11450 M.T of material for the manufacture of boilers.

The seamless steel tube plant of the BHEL, an ancillary unit of the high pressure Boiler Plant in Technical Collaboration with West Germany, this plant setup at a capital outlay of Rs.58.2 Crores is designed to manufacture 40,000 tonnes of boiler seamless steel tubes per year.

The Ordinance Factory inaugurated in July 1996 is another public sector unit. In the district this factory setup with the installed capacity for the production of 5000 numbers of small arms has achieved the production target.

Sugar cane being grown as a major commercial crop, sugar industry occupies an importance in the rural economy of the district. There are two sugar mills in the district E.I.D parry Sugars (I) Lts., at and

Kothari Sugars Chemical Limited (II) at Kattur.

There are 19 medium sized industries in the district manufacturing a wide arrange of electrical equipment and engineering products. The corporation setup by the Tamil Nadu Government for the promotion of industries has rendered technical as well as financial assistance for starting new industries in the district. 73

Tiruchirappalli holds a pride of place in Cottage industries. There is variety of cottage and village industries dispersed throughout the rural areas in the district.

Thottiam and Uppliapuram blocks are important centers for the manufacturing of carpets and blankets. Training units for training the artisans have been established at Kotakudi, Thottiam and Venkatachalapuram at

Uppiliyapuram bloc. There is also an industrial co-operative society for blanket weaving.

Industrial co-operative societies are also in the district for the development of mat weaving, leather turning and coir industry.

Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Ltd., (TNPL) is setting upon integrated newsprint cum-paper project at Pugalur in the district for the manufacture of 50,000 tonnes of printing and writing paper per annum.

This project estimated to cost around Rs.190 Crores (including working capital) is a joint venture of the , Indian Financial

Institutions and World Bank. This project will herald new technology in the country.

Handloom industry has been a traditional occupation of this district. The

Handloom weavers constitute roughly 5% of the total working population in 74

the district. This industry flourishes mainly in , Turaiyur and Tattayangar pettai.

The co-operative movement in the field of Handloom weaving has given a fill up to this industry. These societies form the best institutional agencies for providing necessary facilities to enable the member weavers to get continuous employment throughout the year. The apex hand loom weavers co-operative society popularly known as Co-Optex is providing marketing support to its affiliated primary weavers co-operative societies to the extent of about 50% of the production. During 1981-82, the co-optex marketed 82 lakhs meters of handloom cloth produced in the district valued at Rs.620 lakhs.

There are 13 power loom, co-operative societies in the district having 94 power looms. The Tamil Nadu Textiles Corporation is implementing a programme to setup a power loom complex at Jayankonda Cholapuram.

Major items of production by the weavers of the co-operative societies consist of cotton sarees and dhothies. Bed sheets woven in Karur area popularly known as “Karur Bed Sheets” and known for its dexterity and variety.

. A number of small scale industries have also sprung up in Trichy, mostly

around and Mathur. 75

. Leather tanneries are located on the way to Pudukottai. Viralimali,

considered an industrial suburban, has the factories.

. has numerous rice mills supplying polished rice all over

Tamil Nadu and it is well known for the quality of the rice produced

from its land.

. 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. The government had

begun its work for setting up IT park in the city. The economy of the

city would be increased to a great extent if this park comes into working,

which would be finished in about a year.

. Infosys is eyeing Tiruchirapalli for its expansion.

. HCL has a carrer development centre in the city to guide the youth of the

city.

. More over the city has many reputed MNC‟s and still many to come.

PERFORMANCE OF WOMEN SHGs IN

This section briefly explains the economic scenario of Tiruchirappalli district covering important social and economic factors, which influence the development of the area. The performance of WSHGs in Tiruchirappalli 76

district is also analysed through information collected from various secondary sources.

Tiruchirappalli district is an important region in the state and had been a centre of activities for many historical events from the days of the early Cholas.

Rock Fort, Thayumana Swamy Temple, Pillaiyar Temple, Teppakulam, the

Nawab‟s palace, the Nadir Shah Mosque, Sri Rangam Temple, Thiruvanai

Koil, Subramanyaswami Temple, Upper Anicut and Grand Anicut are some of the important monuments and temples reflecting the history, culture and traditions of the district. Tiruchirappalli district is located at the Central part of

Tamil Nadu surrounded by district in the north, Pudukkotai district in the south, Karur and districts in the West and in

o o o the east. It lies between 10 10‟ and 11 20‟ of the Northern latitudes and 78

o 10‟ and 79 0' of Eastern longitudes in the centre part of the Tamil Nadu. The general slope of the district is towards east. It has a number of detached hills, among which Pachamalai Hill is an important one, which has a peak up to

1015m, located at Sengattupatti Rain Forest. Tiruchirappalli district is one of the important districts in Tamil Nadu and had a population of 25 lakhs as per

2001 census. In terms of urbanisation level, according to the composition of

th urban and rural population, Tiruchirappalli district ranked 10 among the other districts in Tamil Nadu. Tiruchirappalli district comprises of eight taluks 77

(Figure 3.1) viz. , , Musri, Tiruchirappalli,

Mannachanallur, and , which included 14 blocks, 408

Village Panchayats and 1590 Villages. This district consists of four municipalities‟ viz. Ponmalai, Srirangam, Thuraiyur and Manapparai.

Tiruchirappalli is the only City Corporation which is also the Head Quarters of the District. Agriculture sector provides the major source of income to the population of the district and the major crops in this district are paddy, cholam, banana, cotton, groundnut, maize etc., In addition, the other allied sectors like dairy, sheep/ goat, sericulture and inland fishing are the major sectors contributing to the district economy as well and act as a major source of providing livelihood for improving the income and standard of living of the people.1

1 www.trichy.tn.nic.in/district 78

FIGURE 3.1

Map showing the Taluks division of Tiruchirappalli District

Source: www.Trichy.com

79

SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROFILE OF TIRUCHIRAPPALLI DISTRICT

Area and Geographical Location

Tiruchirappalli district has an area of 4,403.83 sq.kms. Tiruchirappalli district is located at the central part of Tamil Nadu surrounded by in the North, Pudukkotai district in the South, Karur and Dindigul districts in West and Thanjavur district in the East. It lies between 10°10‟ and

11°20‟ of the northern latitude and 78° 10‟ and 79° 0' of eastern latitude in the centre part of the Tamil Nadu. The general slope of the district is towards east.

It has a number of detached hills, among which Pachamalai Hill is an important one, which has a peak up to 1015m high, located at Sengattupatti reserved forest.

Soil

In Tiruchirappalli district, majority of the area is under red sandy soil and this soil type covers 18% of the total area in the district. Black soil is distributed along the rivers of Cauvery and ayacuts near big tanks, this soil type cover 14% of the total area in the district. The other soil types like clay, red ferruginous, etc., are occupying the remaining extent of land cover the district.

Out of the total area, nearly 93,678 hectares of lands are identified as soil problem area with salinity and alkalinity, which is 29% to total area of the district. Moreover, nearly 1,31,785 hectares of lands are identified to be prone 80

to soil erosion in the district. The district has been provided with 463 percolation ponds in order to safeguard the agricultural practices in the region.

Soil conservation practices have been undertaken in about 13,934 hectares.

Minerals

Tiruchirappalli district is enriched with several mineral resources. They are: sand, limestone, quartz, gypsum, granite, etc. Of all these minerals, limestone is produced in huge quantity, followed by sand and stone. In

Dalmiapuram, many limestone minerals are found and the Dalmia Cement factory is making use of the same. Apart from these, in , government cement factory is there, which is exploiting the limestone resource available in that area.

DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE (As per 2001 Census)

Population and Literacy

The population of Tiruchirappalli district which was 10,72,756 in 1951, increased to 24,18,366 persons in 2001. The average decadal growth rate of population was 21.0 per cent between 1951 and 1991. Among the taluks, the maximum population was concentrated in the Tiruchirappalli taluk, which accounted for 45 per cent to the total population of the district. The trend in death rate and infant mortality rate in the district was recorded as 12.09 and

48.30 per thousand persons in 1951 and this rate had declined to 5.71 and 81

23.18 per thousand persons respectively in 1991. The birth rate had decreased from 31.82 per thousand persons in 1951 to 17.21 per thousand persons in

1991, which showed improved medical facilities in the district. Literacy level in the district was 77.9 per cent as per 2001 census, which is less than that of

State literacy level. Male literate constituted 55.35 per cent and female literate constituted 44.65 per cent to the total population in the district is shown in the following table:

Basic demographic details of Tiruchirappalli District

S.No Details Total Rural Urban 1 Total population 24,18,366 12,79,204 11,39,162 2 Male population 12,08,534 6,38,617 5,69,917 3 Female Population 12,09,832 6,40,587 569,245 4 Sex Ratio (per thousand persons) 2,002 1,003 999 5 Total Literates 16,73,478 7,87,843 8,85,635 6 Male Literates 9,26,354 4,55,246 4,71,108 7 Female Literates 7,47,124 3,32,597 4,14,527 Source : Records of Directorate of Economics and Statistics, -6

Education

Tiruchirappalli is one of the leading educational centres of the State of

Tamil Nadu. It has two Universities called Bharathidasan and Anna University of Technology offering various courses and research opportunities, more than

20 engineering colleges and arts and science college; 115 Higher Secondary

Schools; one each law, medical and agriculture colleges; four technical 82

institutes and several management institutes including Bharathidasan Institute of Management.

Schools

Literacy is the ability of a person to read and write and communicate with the outside world where as education is the systematic instruction, schooling or training given to young persons in preparation for the work of life. The facilities available for the education of the people in the district are shown in the table below:

Educational Institutions in Tiruchirappalli District

Sl. Name Of the No. of Students Teachers No Institution Inst. Boys Girls Total Higher Secondary 1 115 80432 83492 164039 3835 Schools 2 High School 89 14432 23721 38153 1184 3 Middle School 273 53339 52246 105585 3817 4 Primary School 1054 72884 70207 143091 3934 AGRONOMIC PROFILE

Land Utilization:

The total geographical area of Tiruchirappalli district is 4,40,383 hectares, of which net sown area occupy 1,78,076 hectares and this accounts for 40% of the total area in the district. Area under „not available for cultivation‟ accounts for 21% of the total land in the district, i.e. 93,492 hectares. Nearly 26% of the area is classified under fallow lands and six per 83

cent of the land is under forest coverage. The remaining lands are classified under groves and orchards category.

Details of sources of irrigation

(i) Net Area Irrigated by (Hectares) 91,549 a. Government Canals 31,920 b. Private Canals NIL c. Tanks 6,337 d. Tube Wells 10,281 e. Other Wells 43,011 f. Other Sources - Total Net Area Irrigated 91,549 (ii) Gross Area Irrigated 1,03,792 Source: District Statistical Office, Tiruchirappalli. Cropping pattern in Tiruchirappalli District

Crops Area cultivated in “000 hectares Percentage 1. Paddy 72,426 70.89 2. Grains 1.039 1.02 3. Pulses 1,682 1.65 4. Sugarcane 4,772 4.69 5. Groundnut 7.825 7.69 6. Sesame 0,782 0.76 Source: District Statistical Office, Tiruchirappalli Statistics on Horticulture Crops in Tiruchirappalli District

Crops Area cultivated in “000 hectares Production in MT. 1. Fruits 11672 405759 2. Vegetables 8014 244643 3. Perfume Crops 5489 10285 4. Flowers 713 5704 5. Hilly Crops 1048 6025 Source: District Statistical Office, Tiruchirappalli

84

The horticulture crops have been introduced purely for commercial purposes. The crops mentioned in the above table have potential export marketing and there is well-connected transport and communication system, which enables the farmers to market their horticultural products easily.

Hospitals

The city has numerous hospitals. Apart from the Government hospital, several multi-speciality 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 been performed in some of the hospitals in the city. The polio eradication programme is heavily assisted by various NGOs and clubs in the city. It has also many sidhdha/unani/ayurveda/homeopathic clinics.

ECONOMIC INFRASTRUCTURE:

Transportation and Communication

Tiruchirappalli district is well connected with major cities in Tamil Nadu by rail and road network. By virtue of its central location, Tiruchirappalli city has become the meeting place of transportation lines (both road and rail) from north to south and east to west while travelling across the State.

Tiruchirappalli, Srirangam and Goldenrock are part of Tiruchirappalli urban agglomeration and also developing as regional metropolis, extending its 85

influence over the entire Tiruchirappalli and Thanjavur districts. The influence of Tiruchirappalli extends up to , Villupuram, ,

Tiruchirappalli, , Dindigul and Pudukottai Districts. Tiruchirappalli city is one of the most progressive industrial areas of the state. Tiruchirappalli,

Manapparai, Srirangam (part of Tiruchirappalli), Thuraiyur and Ponmalai (part of Tiruchirappalli) are the important urban centres in the district and are well connected by roads. The important roads traversing in the region are as follows.

 The National Highway No.5 (Chennai – Dindigul N.H.)

 The Madurai road (N.H)

 The Pudukottai road (S.H)

 The Thanjavur road (N.H)

 The Tiruchirappalli road (S.H)

 The Chennai road (N.H 45)

 The Karur road and (N.H.47)

 The Dindigul road.(NH)

The other important roads are the by-pass roads, which connect Chennai and Madurai roads along the eastern side of the city boundary and

Kumbakonam road along the banks of the river Cauvery. Tiruchirappalli district has a well-developed system of communication network, nearly 86

105.4Kms of National Highways and 172.03 km of state highways were being maintained by highways department. The local bodies maintain 2,816.92 km of roads under the classification of major and other district roads.

Railways

Tiruchirappalli is an important railway junction and is also a divisional head quarters of the Southern Railways. There are broad gauge lines radiating from Tiruchirappalli junction via. main line, a broad gauge line to Chennai,

Madurai and and a broad gauge line linking Erode, and Bangalore. Tiruchirappalli junction is the main station for passenger as well as goods movement

Airways

Tiruchirappalli has airport facility and is located on the Pudukottai road at a distance of 6 km from Tiruchirappalli railway junction. Airline services are being operated to Chennai, Madurai, Thiruvananthapuram, and other

Gulf countries.

Post and Telegraph in numbers

The number of post offices doing postal business alone is 358 and the post offices doing post and telegraph business is 152 and the district has

1,34,955 number of telephones in use and the number of public local call offices is 11,301. 87

Banking

There are 250 bank branches in the district. Among them 132 are urban banks, 39 semi-urban banks and 79 are rural banks. The Indian Overseas Bank is the lead bank with 47 branches in the district.

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 constitutency, parliamentary constituency has been merged with

Trichy and few regions are merged with other constituency for administrative reasons. Both Tiruchi (East) and Tiruchi (West) assembly constituencies are part of Tiruchirappalli ( 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. 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. 88

TOURISM

 Temples of Historical Importance

A number of temples of historic importance stands here in

Trichy include Sri Rangam, Rock Fort, ,

Thiruvanaikkaval, Vekkaliyamman, Iyappan Temple, Vayalur

Murugan Kovil, Somarasam Pettai Mariyamman Kovil,

Uyyakondan Thirumalai, Erumbeeshwar Temple, Rettai Malai

Sami Kovil, Bikshandar Kovil, etc.

 Planetarium/ Science centre

The Anna Science Centre-Planetarium is located at Guttapet, 5

km from Trichy-Central bus terminus on Pudukkottai Road,

close to Trichy Airport.

 Zoo

A zoological Park has been proposed to be set up in Trichy,

along the River Cauvery.

 Picnic spots

Grand Anaicut at Kallanai (24 km) is an ancient dam built

(according to legends) by Karikala Chola across the River

Cauvery in the 1st century CE. It still is in use as part of the

district‟s irrigation system. 89

Mukkombu or (18km) is a wonderful picnic spot

where the River Kollidam or Coleroon branches off from the

River Cauvery.

Viralimalai (30km) a hillock has a peacock sanctuary at the

foothills.

Sittanavasal (58km) is the site of an ancient Jain monastery with

exquisite fresco paintings in a cave. It is also noted for its

prehistoric burial grounds.

Puliancholai (72km) is a waterfall in the foothills of the Kolli

Hills. It is a nice picnic spot.

Musiri (20km) here Thiruengoimalai Maragatha Lingeswar

temple is nice place and also cavery river is looking nice, when we

see from the Thiru-engoi-malai.

Important Churches

The architecture of the St. Lourd’s Church situated within the

St.Joseph College Campus is awe inspiring.

The Poondi Madha Basilica is one of the famous churches near Trichy.

It is approximately 25km from Trichy Junction and around 12km from the

Grand Anaikut, Kallanai.

90

Important Mosque

There are numerous other churches, temples and mosques in and around the city.

The first mosque of Tamil Nadu is in Trichy near fort station. The

Nadhar Shah mosque is rumored to be over a 1000 years old.

Khanmian Masjidh and Nanamuna Masjidh are in Plakkarai where muslims are living bulk.

MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION

 Dailies

The city has two major English dailies, and The New Indian

Express. dailies include Dina Malar, , Dina

Mani and with two other dailies Tamil Murasu and Malai

Malar published in the evening.

 Radio Station

A short wave radio station in operated by All 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), 91

Gyan vani ( Educational) FM 104.8Mhz and Holy Cross (Educational)

90.4Mhz operated in this city.

 Television

Television relay started in 1985 from Delhi Doordarshan. In 1986, after

inception of a repeater tower at , 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), Relicance, Vodafone, Airtel, Aircel and BPL available

are by Landline, CDMA and GSM. Fiber optic cables were laid in 2001,

improving internet access.