Urayur is located in Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu. It was the capital of the early Cholas, who were one of the three main kingdoms of the ancient Tamil. Urayur was an ancient Chola city with a fortress and city wall on the southern banks of the River Kaveri. Inscriptions and rock edicts of Ashoka and the Satavahanas describe Urayur as "The Citadel and centre of the Cholas". Urayur was ruled by Karighazhan Cholan.

Etymology of Urayur
The word Urayur in Tamil means "The Residence". Urayur is also known as Thirukkozhi, Nikalaapuri, Uranthai and Kozhiyur. The reason why it is also known as Kozhiyur is due to the legend of a cock attacking 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.

History of Urayur
Urayur was the capital of the ancient great Chola King Karikalan before the 1st century CE until the dynasty was revived by Vijayalaya Chola in 850 CE. The Cholas were one of the three great Tamil dynasties, the other two being Cheras and Pandyas. They ruled over the Tamil country in South India, the Konkan coast, Deccan Plateau and during the peak reached beyond the Narmada up to the Ganges-Damodar delta from early antiquity. In the 9th century when the Imperial Cholas made Thanjavur, which is an important city in the South of Tamil Nadu their capital, Urayur slowly lost its importance in the Chola administration.

Places of Interest in Urayur
One of the important pilgrimage centres is the famous Sri Azhagiya Manavala Perumal Temple. There are several other notable temples that are situated in Urayur such as; Thanthoneeswarar Temple, Panchavarnaswamy Temple and Vekkali Amman Temple.

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