Woraiyur Woraiyur Urayur | |
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| Nickname: Capital of Trichy | |
  Woraiyur  Woraiyur  Woraiyur | |
| Coordinates:10°49′51″N78°40′48″E / 10.8308°N 78.6799°E /10.8308; 78.6799 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| Elevation | 316.86 ft (96.58 m) |
| Time zone | UTC+5.30 (IST) |
| Chola kings and emperors | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Interregnum (c. 200 – c. 848 CE) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Related dynasties
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Uraiyur (also speltWoraiyur)pronunciationⓘ is a locality inTiruchirapalli city inTamil Nadu,India. Uraiyur was the ancient name ofTiruchirappalli City. Now, it has become one of the busiest areas inTrichy City. It was the capital of theearly Cholas, who were one of the three main kingdoms of theancient Tamil country. Sometimes spelt asUrayur, this location is also known asThirukkozhi,Nikalaapuri,Uranthai, andKozhiyur orKoliyur.
There is definite mention of the Cholas, and their capital in Ashokan inscriptions inOrissa pushing back the antiquity of the Cholas as well as Uraiyur to 272–232 BCE, which was the period ofAshoka (ca. 304–232 BCE) who was ruler of theMaurya Dynasty ofPataliputra (modernPatna). Inscriptions and rock edicts of Ashoka and theSatavahanas describe Urayur as "the citadel and centre of the Cholas".[citation needed] Uraiyur was ruled byKarikala Cholan. A revered Digambar Jain Acharya,Samantabhadra, was born here in the later part of the second century CE.[citation needed] His notable works include Ratnakarandaka Shravakachara, Aaptamimamsa and Swambhu Stotra.
Uraiyur is also mentioned as the capital of the ancient greatChola King Karikalan before the 1st century CE. It remained the capital until it was revived byVijayalaya Chola around 850 CE. TheCholas were one of the four great Tamil dynasties; (Pallavas,Cheras andPandyas are the other three). At their peak, theCholas ruled over theTamil country inSouth India, the Konkan coast, Deccan Plateau and extended their empire beyond the Narmada up to the Ganges – Damodar delta from early antiquity.
The nameUrayur inTamil literally means "the residence". Urayur was an ancient Chola city with a fortress and city wall on the southern banks of the riverKaveri. The Imperial Cholas of the 9th century CE and later madeTanjavur their capital, and Urayur slowly lost its place in the Chola administration.[citation needed]During the Sangam age, Uraiyur was also known as Koḻi lit., ‘Rooster’. The name is explained by the myth of a rooster boldly confronting the elephant of the king. He was taken aback for a moment but then decided to build his empire around that place after he realized the cause for the boldness was the soil. The myth appears on a Chola square copper coin of the Sangam Age assigned to ca. 1st Century BC and also in Purananuru.
Several notable temples are situated here: