Stone age implements discovered in Trichinopoly district indicate that it might have been inhabited as early as the 3rd millennium BC. During the Sangam Age, Trichinopoly was the site of Uraiyur, the Early Chola capital. At about the same time, the western part of the district was under the rule of the Cheras under whom Musiri flourished as an important riverine port indulging in trade with Rome and Egypt. Trichinopoly was a part of the kingdom of the Pallavas who laid the foundation of the Rockfort Uchchi Pillaiyar temple and left their marks in the numerous other temples in and around Trichy town. After the demise of the Pallavas, the district was ruled by the Medieval and Later Cholas, Later Pandyas, Delhi Sultanate, Madurai Sultanate and the Vijayanagar kingdom. The city of Trichy served as a capital of the Madurai Nayaks who succeeded the Vijayanagar kingdom. After the Madurai Nayak kingdom fell in 1736, Trichinopoly was occupied for short periods by Chanda Sahib of the Carnatic, the Thanjavur Marathas, the French East India Company and Tipu Sultan of Mysore before it was finally conquered by the British East India Company and made a district of Madras Presidency in 1801. Trichinopoly was an important British stronghold during the Carnatic Wars and a number of skirmishes were fought there.
Administration
The Trichinopoly district was constituted in 1801 with Mr. Wallace as its first Collector. As of 1907, the district had three municipalities - Karur, Srirangam and Trichinipoly - and four taluk boards - Trichinopoly, Ariyalur, Karur and Namakkal - which looked after the administration of rural areas. The Trichinopoly taluk board handled the revenue administration of Trichinopoly taluk, the Karur board of Karur and Kullittalai taluks, Ariyalur board of Udaiyarpalaiyam and Perambalur taluks and the Namakkal taluk board of Namakkal and Musiri taluks. Under the taluk boards were 23 unions: three under Trichinopoly board, six under Ariyalur, two under Karur and twelve under Namakkal. The Trichinopoly municipality was the oldest municipality in the district, established in 1866, followed by Srirangam in 1871 and Karur in 1874.
Sub-Divisions
As of 1901, Trichinopoly district was made up of seven taluks.
Karur
Kullittalai - largest taluk in the district
Musiri
Namakkal
Perambalur
Trichinopoly
Udaiyarpalaiyam
Perambalur taluk was initially a part of South Arcot district but was transferred to Trichinopoly. Namakkal taluk was transferred to Trichinopoly from Salem in 1910.
Demographics
Trichinopoly had a population of 1,444,770 in 1901. In 1901, it was the seventh most densely populated district in the Presidency with a population density of 400 per square mile compared to the density of the Presidency which was 270 per square mile. The population of the district increased by 21 percent between 1871 and 1901. Tamil was spoken by a majority of the populace. Telugu was spoken by 12 percent of the population and Kannada was spoken by 2 percent of the population. Around 1 percent of the population spoke Hindi. Over 93 percent of the population were Hindus, 4 percent Christians and 3 percent Muslims. Most Christians were Roman Catholics.
Education
The literacy rate of Trichinopoly was higher than the average literacy rate of the Madras Presidency. According to the 1901 census, 13 percent of the male population and 0.8 percent of the female population were literate. As of 1907, there were two colleges, St. Joseph's and SPG in Trichinopoly town.
Economy
As of 1907, more than three-fourth of the total population was involved in agriculture. Trichinopoly was also an important silk-weaving centre while cotton clothes were manufactured at Karur, Udaiyarpalaiyam and Perambalur. Metal utensils were manufactured at Kullittalai, Permbalur and Jayamkondacholapuram.
