Trichy Malaikottai (Rockfort)

In the city of Trichy, also called Tiruchirappalli, you will find a brilliant fortification of a historic fort complex built in the ancient rocks, Trichy Malaikottai, aka Trichy Rock Fort. On looking at the structure of this Trichy Malaikottai, the first thing that will strike your memory is the ancient architecture in the olden days. The royalty of this amazing place begins right from the wide stares which are built in a different way than in any other temple. You will be able to locate the scenic beauty of the surrounding place while you climb. If you are wondering about the distance of temple from the ground, then it is 83 meters (272 feet) high on the ancient rock which is over one billion years old.

Trichy Malaikottai will let you see a temple at every junction, the Manicka Vinayagar temple foothills of this rock, Thayumanaswami Temple at the mid-hill, and Uchi Pillaiyar Temple at Hill Top.

Important Details

Location: Devathanam, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India

Architect: Various (Pallavas, Cholas, Madurai Nayaks)

Architectural Style: Dravidian

Timing: 6:00 am – 8:00 pm

Day: Every day in a week

History of Trichy Malaikottai

The name of this place Trichy Malaikottai comes from the frequent Military fortification; it was built twice, first by the Vijayanagara Empire and later by the British Empire during the Carnatic wars. These details are less explores and understood by the tourists but holds great importance. You will be able to visualize the beauty it has in the earlier days, the charm of the fort did fade a little but it still holds that attraction to drive the tourists on top of the hill for a close glance.

The early life of the fort is mostly around war and invasion, but in recent times the fort is well-maintained by the Chennai Circle of the Archaeological Survey of India. It is open for tourism and also known as one of the important destinations in Tamil Nadu.

Architecture

The architectural facts about this fort are pretty interesting because it is believed to be the oldest formation in the world. It is believed to be around 3,800 million years old which is equal to the rocks in Greenland and somewhat older than the Himalayas. The rock formation largely contributes to a lot of art-making like the Quartz is used in feldspar, glass making, and ceramics.

The stares built are a good climb of around 344 steps, and the most interesting part is that they are designed by rock-cut techniques practiced on stones by the ancient artisans. As mentioned earlier, you will love the brilliant climb to the top because on your way, you will also find three temples at important points on the way. Here are some of the details about the temples that are present in the fort complex.

•  The temple in the foothills of Himalaya is called Manikka Vinayakar temple, and it is dedicated to Lord Ganesha.
•  The temple that is situated at the top of the hill is called Ucchi Pillayar Temple is also dedicated to Lord Ganesha.
•  There is another rock-cut temple that is dedicated to Lord Shiva and has a lingam called the Thayumanaswami Temple that falls on the way to the temple on top of the hill.

Major Battles

Nayak Era:

One of the largest battles that this fort has witnessed is the Battle of Toppur between the Aravidu dynasty of Vijayanagara and the Madurai Nayaks. The history of this fort has a lot of bloodshed and brutality because it still stands after witnessing some of the fierce battles. The opponent of the Aravidu dynasty of Vijayanagara won the battle by getting first-hand support from the rulers of Mysore and Thanjavur around the 16th Century.

However, in the later years, the Nayaks witnessed and faced severe attacks from Imperial Maratha Troops and Adil Shah. The Nayaks ruled this region for over two centuries; however, they kept facing small tiffs with their neighboring rulers.   

Carnatic Nawab Era:

This story of the Carnatic Nawab Era is quite interesting in the mid-century the Chanda Sahib was aided by the French turned this fort into his home base for some time. However, he was defeated and was forced to hand over the fort to the British after the Carnatic wars.

British Era:

This era in the 18th century had Hyder Ali as a major threat to the British and the French struggling to win over the colonial supremacy of this region. However, this fort went through many other ups and downs and stood firm to the test of time.

Trichy Rockfort Complex

You will be surprised to know that the Trichy Malaikottai in the temple is over 3.8 billion years old. It is one of the oldest formations in the world, and it spellbound every visitor until today. Even after being at the height of 83-meter, this location attracts a large number of tourists around the year. The history and architecture explain some of the brilliant examples of how this fort stands tall after going through fierce battles and invasion. The Trichy Rockfort also consists of three temples at three different junctions.

Surrounding Temples

You will love to explore the temple complex in the fort that is a collection of three functioning Pallava Era Cave Temples and Hindu Temples called Manikka Vinayakar Temple, Thayumanavar Temple, UchiPillaiyar Temple, Pallava Cave Temples.

How to Reach?

This brilliant place is well-connected to all the major cities and transportation platforms. The stunning architecture of Trichy Malaikottai is located in around

•  5 km (3.1 miles) from Trichy Central Bus Stand
•  1.5 km (0.9 miles) from Chatiram Bus Station
•  5 km (3.1 miles) from Trichy Railway Station
•  4 km (2.4 miles)from Woraiyur
•  14 km (8.6 miles) from Thiruverumbur
•  4 km (2.4 miles) from Srirangam
•  7 km (4.3 miles) from Thiruvanaikoil
•  6 km (3.7 miles) from Trichy and 10 km (6.2 miles) from Trichy International Airport

You will get lots of buses from Central & Chathram bus stands in Trichy. Since this fort has a brilliant distance from most of the surrounding places, you won’t face any trouble with transportation.

See More:

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Trichy