Tiruchirappalli

City on the Cauvery River in the central
part of the state of Tamil Nadu, and the
capital of the district with the same
name. The city’s strategic position
meant that it was contested by various
southern Indian dynasties, of which the
most recent were the Nayaks of
Madurai, who built an imposing fort
on a stone outcrop in the center of the
city. It is most famous, however, for
the great temples of Shrirangam and
Jambukeshvar, both of which are on an
island in the Cauvery, north of the city.
The former is a temple to the god
Vishnu, which has important symbolic
associations with southern Indian kings
and kingship; the latter is dedicated to
the god Shiva in his aspect as “Lord of
the Rose-Apple (jambu) Tree.”