Urayur (Tamil : உறையூர்) (Currently in Tiruchirappalli) was the capital of the
early Cholas from the BC Era and it has found wide mention in the inscriptions and rock edicts of Ashoka, his subordinates the Satavahanas as 'the citadel and centre of the Cholas'. It definitely has a history dating it back prior to 2 BC. There is definite mention of the Cholas and their capital in Asokan inscriptions in Orissa pushing back the antiquity of the Cholas as well as Uraiyur to 272-232 BC which was the period of Ashoka who was ruler of the Maurya Dynasty of Pataliputra (modern Patna).
Uraiyur is also mentioned as the capital of the ancient great Chola King Karikalan, before the first century CE until the dynasty was revived by
Vijayalaya Chola c.
850 CE. The
Cholas were one of the four great Tamil dynasties (
Pallavas,
Cheras, and
Pandyas being the other three) who ruled over the
Tamil country in
South India, the Konkan coast, Deccan Plateau and during the peak reached beyond the Narmada up to the Ganga-Damodar delta from early antiquity.
Urayur is located near the city of
Tiruchirapalli in
Tamil Nadu.
The word
Urayur in
Tamil literally means "the residence". Urayur was an ancient Chola city with a fortress and city wall on the southern banks of river
Kaveri. The Imperial Cholas of the 9th century CE and later made
Tanjavur as their capital. Urayur slowly lost its place in the Chola administration.
Urayur is also known as Thirukkozhi / Nikalaapuri / Uranthai.
The famous temples as mentioned below are situated here:
