Trichinopoli, the capital of a district in Madras Presidency, with an area of 3561 sq. m., on the right bank of the Kaveri, 56 miles from the sea.
At least seventeen villages and hamlets are included in the municipal limits. The fort, which includes the old town, is dominated by a mass of gneiss 273 feet above the level of the street. There are two temples upon it. The walls of the fort, which are now demolished, had a circuit of two miles, and this area is inhabited by a dense population. The moat has been laid out as a boulevard, and the Nawab's palace, which was restored in 1873, has been utilised for courts and offices. Beyond the walls is St John's Church, containing the tomb of Bishop Heber, who was buried here in 1826. The troops are stationed mile south of the fort. There are a market (1868), military hospitals, municipal hospitals, and an observatory. Cheroots are manufactured in large quantity, chiefly from excellent tobacco grown at Dindigal. Manufactures of hardware and jewellery, especially gold chains, are extensively carried on. A railway to Madras was opened in 1875, while there is connection south to Madura. It has two railway stations. It is the residence of a Roman Catholic bishop, with a Catholic college affiliated with Madras University; and the Lutherans, Wesleyans, and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel have missions. Pop. (1881) 84,450; (1891) 90,730.