Ucchi Pillayar Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Tiruchirappalli International Airport (TRZ) is 5 km from the city centre.

• By train

  Tiruchirappalli Junction is one of the busiest railway stations in India.

• By road

  The temple is 5 km from Central Bus Stand and 1 km from Chathiram Bus Stand.

On the way

• The climb is 437 steps cut into the rock.
• Halfway up is the Sri Thayumanaswamy temple, dedicated to Shiva.

Why devotees come here

Ucchi Pillayar is a 7th-century Hindu temple dedicated to Ganesha, on top of the Rock Fort in Trichy, Tamil Nadu. In legend, Ganesha ran from a king on this very rock. Steep steps cut into the stone lead up to the shrine.

Legend says Ganesha ran from King Vibhishana on this rock. Vibhishana had set up the Ranganathaswamy deity in Srirangam. While he bathed, the boy carrying the idol put it down and dashed toward a hill nearby. Angered, Vibhishana chased him and struck him on the forehead. The boy then revealed himself as Ganesha.

The Pallavas cut the smooth rock first and built the Ucchi Pillaiyar temple and the Thayumanaswamy temple on the hill. The Nayaks of Madurai completed both temples under the Vijayanagara Empire. Inscriptions in these temples date back to the 3rd century BC.

The Rockfort is a set of monolithic rocks holding many rock-cut cave temples. Halfway up stands the Sri Thayumanaswamy temple, dedicated to Shiva, with a 100 pillared hall and a vimana. The city of Trichy is built around this rock, on the banks of the Cauvery. The Ganesha temple is much smaller, and it sits at the top.

Tips for your visit

• Devotees pray to Manicaka Vinayagar at the foothills before they visit Ucchi Pillayar, as a general practice.
• From the top you can see Trichy, Srirangam and the Kaveri and Kollidam rivers.
• Rockfort Temple is the most famous landmark of Tiruchirappalli.

Questions people ask