Urayur (Tamil : உறையூர்) is a area of
Tiruchirapalli in
Tamil Nadu, India. It was the capital of the
early Cholas, who were one of the three main kingdoms of the
ancient Tamil country. Sometimes spelled as
Uraiyur, this location is also known as
Thirukkozhi,
Nikalaapuri,
Uranthai, and
Kozhiyur. It has a history dating back to before 2
BCE. There is definite mention of the Cholas, whose founder was Vijayalaya and their capital in Ashokan inscriptions in
Orissa pushing back the antiquity of the Cholas as well as Uraiyur to 272–232 BCE, which was the period of
Ashoka (ca. 304–232 BCE) who was ruler of the
Maurya Dynasty of
Pataliputra (modern
Patna). Inscriptions and rock edicts of Ashoka and the
Satavahanas describe Urayur as "the citadel and centre of the Cholas".Uraiyur was ruled by karighazhan cholan.