Tourism > India > Tamilnadu > Temples in Tamilnadu > Fort temple, Trichy

Rock Fort temple, Trichy

Rock fort or Ucchi Pillayar koil, is a combination of two famous 7th century Hindu temples, located atop of a small rock in Trichy, India. Geologically the 83 m high rock is said to be one of the oldest in the world, dating over 3 billion years ago, and mythologically this rock is the place where Lord Ganesh ran from King Vibishana, after establishing the Ranganathaswamy deity in Srirangam.

The smooth rock was first cut by the Pallavas but it was the Nayaks of Madurai who completed both the temples under the Vijayanagara empire. The temple complex is composed of two parts: a Shiva temple (Thayumanaswamy) carved in the middle of the rock and a Pillayar (Ganesh) temple at the top portion of the rock. The Shiva temple is the bigger one, housing a massive stone statue of Shiva in the form of Linga along with a separate sanctum for goddess Parvati. The Ganesh temple is much smaller with an access through steep steps carved on the rock and provides a stunning view of Trichy, Srirangam and the rivers Kaveri and Kollidam.

How to Reach

Trichy has an international airport about 8 km from the city. Trichy Railway Junction has routes to Madurai, Rameswaram, Erode, Tanjore and Chennai. Currently there are 4 platforms in operation.