Trichinopoly District (Madras Presidency)
Encyclopedia
The Trichinopoly district was a district
of the erstwhile Madras Presidency
of British India. It covered the present-day districts of Tiruchirappalli, Karur
, Ariyalur
and Perambalur in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu
. The administrative headquarters was the town of Trichinopoly, Trichy or Tiruchi, now known as Tiruchirappalli. The district covered an area of 2632 square miles (6,816.8 km²) in 1907. It was bound by the districts of South Arcot
to the north, Salem
to the west, Coimbatore
to the west and north-west, Tanjore to the east and Madura
to the south. The princely state of Pudukkottai remained within the juridsiction of Trichinopoly district from 1865 to 1947.
Trichinopoly was one of the oldest inhabited regions in South India. Archaeological excavations have revealed Stone Age sites. The town of Uraiyur, the capital of the Early Cholas, was a part of Trichinopoly district. The region was annexed to Madras Presidency in the late 18th century and a separate district was created in 1801. When India became independent in 1947, the name of the district was de-Anglicized as Tiruchirapalli.
Stone age implements discovered in Trichinopoly district indicate that it might have been inhabited as early as the 3rd millenium BC. During the Sangam Age, Trichinopoly was the site of Uraiyur, the Early Chola capital. At about the same time, the western part of the district was under the rule of the Cheras under whom Musiri
flourished as an important riverine port indulging in trade with Rome
and Egypt
. Trichinopoly was a part of the kingdom of the Pallavas who laid the foundation of the Rockfort Uchchi Pillaiyar temple and left their marks in the numerous other temples in and around Trichy town. After the demise of the Pallavas, the district was ruled by the Medieval
and Later Cholas, Later Pandyas, Delhi Sultanate
, Madurai Sultanate
and the Vijayanagar kingdom. The city of Trichy served as a capital of the Madurai Nayaks who succeeded the Vijayanagar kingdom. After the Madurai Nayak kingdom fell in 1736, Trichinopoly was occupied for short periods by Chanda Sahib
of the Carnatic, the Thanjavur Marathas
, the French East India Company
and Tipu Sultan
of Mysore before it was finally conquered by the British East India Company
and made a district of Madras Presidency in 1801. Trichinopoly was an important British stronghold during the Carnatic Wars
and a number of skirmishes were fought there.
, Srirangam
and Trichinipoly - and four taluk boards - Trichinopoly, Ariyalur, Karur and Namakkal - which looked after the administration of rural areas. The Trichinopoly taluk board handled the revenue administration of Trichinopoly taluk, the Karur board of Karur and Kullittalai taluks, Ariyalur board of Udaiyarpalaiyam and Perambalur taluks and the Namakkal taluk board of Namakkal and Musiri taluks. Under the taluk boards were 23 unions: three under Trichinopoly board, six under Ariyalur, two under Karur and twelve under Namakkal.
The Trichinopoly municipality was the oldest municipality in the district, established in 1866, followed by Srirangam in 1871 and Karur in 1874.
Perambalur taluk was initially a part of South Arcot district but was transferred to Trichinopoly. Namakkal taluk was transferred to Trichinopoly from Salem
in 1910.
Tamil
was spoken by a majority of the populace. Telugu
was spoken by 12 percent of the population and Kannada was spoken by 2 percent of the population. Around 1 percent of the population spoke Hindi. Over 93 percent of the population were Hindus, 4 percent Christians and 3 percent Muslims. Most Christians were Roman Catholics.
District
Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...
of the erstwhile Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
of British India. It covered the present-day districts of Tiruchirappalli, Karur
Karur District
Karur District is located center along the Kaveri & Amaravati rivers in the Indian State of Tamil Nadu. The main town in Karur District is the city of Karur, which is also the district headquarter. It had a population of 935,686 as of 2001. It is 33.27% urbanized as per Census 2001...
, Ariyalur
Ariyalur district
Ariyalur is an administrative district in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. The district headquarters are located at Ariyalur...
and Perambalur in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
. The administrative headquarters was the town of Trichinopoly, Trichy or Tiruchi, now known as Tiruchirappalli. The district covered an area of 2632 square miles (6,816.8 km²) in 1907. It was bound by the districts of South Arcot
South Arcot
South Arcot is a former district of India, located in the state of Tamil Nadu.South Arcot was the southern portion of the Mughal province of Arcot. Arcot came under the control of a local Nawab after Mughals lost control southern India in the 18th century...
to the north, Salem
Salem District
Salem District is a district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The city of Salem is the district headquarters. Other major towns in the district are Mettur, Omalur and Attur...
to the west, Coimbatore
Coimbatore
Coimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India"....
to the west and north-west, Tanjore to the east and Madura
Madura
Madura is an Indonesian island off the northeastern coast of Java. The island comprises an area of approximately 4,250 km². Madura is administered as part of the East Java province. It is separated from Java by the narrow Strait of Madura.-History:...
to the south. The princely state of Pudukkottai remained within the juridsiction of Trichinopoly district from 1865 to 1947.
Trichinopoly was one of the oldest inhabited regions in South India. Archaeological excavations have revealed Stone Age sites. The town of Uraiyur, the capital of the Early Cholas, was a part of Trichinopoly district. The region was annexed to Madras Presidency in the late 18th century and a separate district was created in 1801. When India became independent in 1947, the name of the district was de-Anglicized as Tiruchirapalli.
History
Musiri
Musiri is a panchayat town in Tiruchirappalli district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Musiri is located at . It has an average elevation of 82 metres . It is the site of an ancient inland port on the Kaveri River also called Pseudostomus or 'one with false mouths'.-Demographics: India...
flourished as an important riverine port indulging in trade with Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. Trichinopoly was a part of the kingdom of the Pallavas who laid the foundation of the Rockfort Uchchi Pillaiyar temple and left their marks in the numerous other temples in and around Trichy town. After the demise of the Pallavas, the district was ruled by the Medieval
Medieval Cholas
Medieval Cholas rose to prominence during the middle of the 9th century C.E. and established the greatest empire South India had seen. They successfully united the South India under their rule and through their naval strength extended their influence in the Southeast Asian countries such as Srivijaya...
and Later Cholas, Later Pandyas, Delhi Sultanate
Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate is a term used to cover five short-lived, Delhi based kingdoms or sultanates, of Turkic origin in medieval India. The sultanates ruled from Delhi between 1206 and 1526, when the last was replaced by the Mughal dynasty...
, Madurai Sultanate
Madurai Sultanate
The Madurai Sultanate or the Ma'bar Sultanate was a short lived independent Muslim kingdom based in the city of Madurai in Tamil Nadu, India during the 14th century CE. It lasted from 1335 until 1378...
and the Vijayanagar kingdom. The city of Trichy served as a capital of the Madurai Nayaks who succeeded the Vijayanagar kingdom. After the Madurai Nayak kingdom fell in 1736, Trichinopoly was occupied for short periods by Chanda Sahib
Chanda Sahib
Chanda Sahib was the Nawab of the Carnatic between 1749 and 1752. His birth name is Husayn Dost Khan. He was the son-in-law of the Nawab of Carnatic Dost Ali Khan, under whom he worked as a Dewan. He belonged the Muslim Nait community which had ruled the Carnatic under the Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Khan...
of the Carnatic, the Thanjavur Marathas
Thanjavur Marathas
Thanjavur Marathas were the rulers of Thanjavur principality of Tamil Nadu between the 17th to the 19th century C.E. Their native language was Marathi...
, the French East India Company
French East India Company
The French East India Company was a commercial enterprise, founded in 1664 to compete with the British and Dutch East India companies in colonial India....
and Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan , also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the son of Hyder Ali, at that time an officer in the Mysorean army, and his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-Nissa...
of Mysore before it was finally conquered by the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
and made a district of Madras Presidency in 1801. Trichinopoly was an important British stronghold during the Carnatic Wars
Carnatic Wars
The Carnatic Wars were a series of military conflicts in the middle of the 18th century on the Indian subcontinent...
and a number of skirmishes were fought there.
Administration
The Trichinopoly district was constituted in 1801 with Mr. Wallace as its first Collector. As of 1907, the district had three municipalities - KarurKarur
Karur is a large town and a municipality in Karur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu situated on the banks of Amaravati. Karur district was formed on 30 September 1995 by trifurcating Tiruchirappalli district. It is the administrative headquarters of Karur District. Karur has a very long...
, Srirangam
Srirangam
Srirangam , Old name is Vellithirumutha gramam and Tamil name is Thiruvarangam , is an island and a part of the city of Tiruchirapalli , in South India....
and Trichinipoly - and four taluk boards - Trichinopoly, Ariyalur, Karur and Namakkal - which looked after the administration of rural areas. The Trichinopoly taluk board handled the revenue administration of Trichinopoly taluk, the Karur board of Karur and Kullittalai taluks, Ariyalur board of Udaiyarpalaiyam and Perambalur taluks and the Namakkal taluk board of Namakkal and Musiri taluks. Under the taluk boards were 23 unions: three under Trichinopoly board, six under Ariyalur, two under Karur and twelve under Namakkal.
The Trichinopoly municipality was the oldest municipality in the district, established in 1866, followed by Srirangam in 1871 and Karur in 1874.
Sub-Divisions
As of 1901, Trichinopoly district was made up of seven taluks.- Karur
- Kullittalai (930 sq. miles) - largest taluk in the district
- Musiri (667 sq. miles)
- Namakkal
- Perambalur (690 sq. miles)
- Trichinopoly (519 sq. miles)
- Udaiyarpalaiyam (777 sq. miles)
Perambalur taluk was initially a part of South Arcot district but was transferred to Trichinopoly. Namakkal taluk was transferred to Trichinopoly from Salem
Salem District
Salem District is a district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The city of Salem is the district headquarters. Other major towns in the district are Mettur, Omalur and Attur...
in 1910.
Demographics
Trichinopoly had a population of 1,444,770 in 1901. In 1901, it was the seventh most densely populated district in the Presidency with a population density of 400 per square mile compared to the density of the Presidency which was 270 per square mile. The population of the district increased by 21 percent between 1871 and 1901.Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
was spoken by a majority of the populace. Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
was spoken by 12 percent of the population and Kannada was spoken by 2 percent of the population. Around 1 percent of the population spoke Hindi. Over 93 percent of the population were Hindus, 4 percent Christians and 3 percent Muslims. Most Christians were Roman Catholics.