On the backstreets of Tiruchirappalli.

The start to our visit here was inauspicious. Running the gauntlet of touts from the bus station to the hotel, laden with two weighty suitcases, while dodging mounds of rat-infested waste on the “pavements“ was not a good idea. Then there was the somewhat frosty reception at the check-in desk, where a bewildering half hour debate took place about the integrity of our reservation. The non-functioning air conditioning in the room was the icing on the cake!

               The following morning we opened the curtains and gazed out at the building site across from the car park, wondering about the possibility of catching the next flight out.  But we stayed and a few days later we looked back at the wisdom of this decision for Tiruchrappalli, or Trichy for short, is full of hidden delights.

The Rock

         Later that day we caught a rickety bus into town and ambled through a bustling market in the mid-afternoon heat. As we walked we caught site of the Rock Fort which towered over the town, eagles circling around the temple which sat on the rock’s summit. With its bulbous, ochre flanks the rock seemed to have been made out of plasticine by some giant toddler. Intriguingly the rock itself is said to be one of the oldest on the planet, dating back some 3.8 billion years. We climbed its slopes up to the small shrine at the top and took in some fabulous views of the colourful yet simple houses below which stretched away into surrounding forests and fields of Tamil Nadu.





Children pose for a photo in the backstreets of Trichy

The true attraction of Trichy however was to be found not on the rock but in the warren of streets below. In the shadow of one side of the rock the streets were full of fascinating multi-coloured villas, markets and squares where daily life was played out before us in beguiling detail. By accident more than design we stumbled on this part of town and uncovered its charm. Here we found tiny, peaceful temples; sleepy elephants tied to posts in the back yards of some of the larger houses and squares filled with uniformed children playing happily on their way home from school. Peeking through narrow alleyways invariably gave you an impressive view of the rock framed between colourful houses and the deep blue of the sky above. We also came across quirky remnants of the past, such as a neglected plaque behind a lamppost honouring a visit of the Prince of Wales in 1922.  This was a different India than we had found before, away from the chaotic traffic and crowds of the town centres and tourist hotspots.



The wonderful sweets at Suriya

Back at the other side of the rock fort, we rounded off the day with a Masalla chai at a little cafe thronged with locals.  Suriya was basic in appearance but the tea was out of this world and the sweets made from coconut, almond and milk were truly divine.

On the way back to the hotel we remarked on how glad we were to have decided to stay.  Trichy had got us hooked.