Tiruchchirappalli, also Tiruchirapalli, city, southern India, in Tamil Nadu State, capital of Tiruchchirappalli District, on the Kaveri (Cauvery) River. It is a road and rail center in an area where cotton, grain, tobacco, and rice are grown and that has mica, gypsum, and limestone deposits. Large railway plants and locomotive works are found in the southeastern section of Golden Rock, an industrial suburb of Tiruchchirappalli. Other industries include cotton-textile milling, tanning, and the manufacture of cement, filigree work, and tobacco products. Located here are the Seshasayee Institute of Technology (1952) and several colleges affiliated with the University of Madras. In the northern section is Rock Fort, the city's most famous landmark. This monument contains excavated 7th-century Pallava cave temples, a ruined 17th-century fort, and a Vinayaka temple. Capital of Tamil kingdoms from the 10th to the 17th century, the area was the site of several Anglo-French battles in the 18th century and was ceded to the British in 1801. The former name was Trichinopoly, sometimes shortened to Trichy. Population (1991) 387,223.
