About Thuraiyur

Thuraiyur is a municipality in the Tiruchirappalli district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was upgraded to a III Grade Municipality from Town Panchayat on 17 January 1970, and to a II Grade Municipality in May 1998. It was upgraded to Selection Grade Municipality in the year 2008. It is also a taluka (administrative centre). It is located 310 km away from Chennai.

A total of 2,936 individuals were under the age of six, consisting of 1,493 males and 1,443 females. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 18.18% and .59% of the population respectively. The average literacy of the town was 78.96%, compared to the national average of 72.99%.

Arulmigu Prasanna Venkatachalapathy Thirukoil

Beautiful small hill very close to Thuraiyur near Trichy. You can drive up the hill or take the steps. There are close to 1500+ steps. On the main road, where you see the Arch and the entrance, there is a Govindaraja Perumal Temple. Both these temples are very ancient and believed to be built by King Karigal Cholan. Year not known, but believed to be built around 15th century. There is also the famous Karupanna Swamy temple and ancient Ilanda Tree ("Indian Jujube").

This is the very famous temple in the region "Prasanna Venkachalapathi Temple". This temple is also called "South Tirupathi" (Then Tirupathi). Whoever not able to visit Tirupathi due to any reasons, can visit this temple and worship the lord. It is believed that they get all blessings from Lord.

There are too many monkeys around, so you need to be extra careful. Once you park your car, they come and sit on top the car looking for something to eat. If you need to carry any Pooja items, carry them in backpack. Just carry a stick with you, they don't come near. You don't need to scare them, carrying a stick is good enough.

Puliyancholai

The area is rich in cultural heritage, being the centre of Chola architecture. Numerous temples, monuments, and other examples of architecture unique to that area dot the region. Lack of a proper shelter or basic facilities is the only limitation for long stays.

Apart from tourists, devotees come to trek up to a Shiva temple about 12 km into the forest in June and July. Apart from tourism, their main livelihood is in marginal agriculture and gathering the fruits that grow wild in the forest to sell to local markets.

A few hours travel by road would take one to Pachaimalai Hills, another hill range with a 150-ft waterfall. In the neighbouring Perambalur district there are areas like Vettakudi and Karavatti bird sanctuaries.

Kolli Hills are known for their medicinal herbs. A few kilometres into the forest, in the higher hills called Agaya Gangai (Heavenly Ganges), there are water falls, part of a river system that feeds the stream at Puliancholai. The stream is known locally as Iyyaar or Kallaar; it grows into a wild river during rains, and is believed to have medicinal properties.

Pachamalai

The Pachaimalai Hills, also known as the Pachais, are a low mountain range in the Eastern Ghats System. They are located in Tamil Nadu state, southeastern India. It is situated at a distance of 73 km from Trichy and 112 km from Salem. The Tamil Nadu Government is planning to develop the Pachaimalai as a tourist destination.

Rivers in the Pachaimalai Hills include the Sweata Nadi and Kallar River. Waterfalls include the Koraiyar Falls, Mangalam Aruvi falls, and Mayil Uthu falls.

Indigenous tribes such as the Malayalis (not to be confused with malayali of kerala) trade some of their surplus agricultural products they grow in the hills, at towns on the plains for items not available in the hills. Jackfruit is a popular seasonal agriculture product from the hills. Mostly they holding the majority of land in their town. They are cultivating Rice and Sugarcane. In the recent years, Coffee Plantation also sees up hand in the hills.

Kollimalai

The Kolli Hills are featured in several works of classical Tamil literature such as Silappathigaram, Manimekalai, Purananuru and Akananuru. Mahavidwan R. Raghava Iyengar in the research monograph Araichi Katturaigal has given exhaustive references to Kollipavai from early Sangam literature, concluding that the image is in Kolli Hills. The region was ruled by Valvil Ori around 200 CE, who is praised as one of the seven great philanthropists of ancient Tamil Nadu. His valor and marksmanship are sung by several poets, and his exploits are a popular part of folklore. Ori is said to have killed a lion, bear, deer and a boar with a single arrow.

The hills are said to be guarded by Kollipavai also called as "Ettukkai Amman", the local deity. According to legend, the sages chose Kolli hills when they were looking for a peaceful place to do their penance. However, the demons invaded the hills to disrupt the penance when the sages began their rituals

The mountain is a site of pilgrimage, because of the Arapaleeswarar temple, which is believed to have a secret path to the Shiva temple in Rasipuram. This Shiva temple is said to have been built by Valvil Ori in the 1st or 2nd century CE when he ruled this area. "Arappaleeswara sathakam" is a poem which praises Lord Arappaleeswarar.