Thiruchirapalli derived its name due to jain association with this place. Buddhism and Jainism thrived in Tamilnadu before the renaissance of Hinduism in the form of the Bhakti cult which popularised saivism and vaishnavism and exterminated these anti-Hindu religions. So we find numerous Jain and Buddhist traces scattered in remote and unapproachable spots throughout Tamilnadu. ‘chira’ is actually the name of a jain monk and once this rock was his ‘palli’ (abode). Therefore, it came to be known as chirapalli and Thiru was added to it as it is an adjective of reverence in the Tamil Language.

  Even before its association with Jains, it was  a famous place in the sangam Age and the capital city of cholas, called ‘uraiyur’. It has a prime place in the history of Tamilnadu. The cheras, the cholas and the pandyas have all held sway and after them, the pallavas, the later pandyas, the later cholas, the vijayanagar rulers, the marathas, the nawabs, the french and finally the british- all of them coveted to possess this strategic place which is more or less centrally located place in Tamilnadu. This was the scene of the decisive carnatic war which enable british to emerge as the future undisputed masters of the Indian subcontinent. It is at present the fourth major city of Tamilnadu and the Headquarters of the Trichy district.