Thanjavur

Thanjavur popularly known as Tanjore, is situated on the banks of river Kaveri in Tamil Nadu. This royal city of the Cholas, the Nayaks, the Pandyas and the Marathas is known for its rich cultural heritage and earned title such as the 'Chola capital city', the 'Granary of South India', 'the Rice Bowl of Tamil Nadu'. This temple town is a centre of classical arts and music. It is also a home of the Dravidian art and architecture, besides being the centre of Tamil classical dance, Bharatha Natyam.

Getting There

By Air : The nearest Airport is in Tiruchirapalli (58 kms). Indian Airlines connect Trichy with Madurai and Chennai directly.

By Road : Thanjavur is connected with all major cities.

By Rail : Thanjavur is connected by rail with Trichy, Madurai and Chennai directly.

Related Accommodations

Hotels are known for the excellent hospitality and offer best service and rates to make the stay more comfortable and memorable.

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Did You Know?

• The city of Thanjavur was once the stronghold of the historic Chola dynasty.
• Thanjavur is one of the major political, literary and religious centres of southern India.
• Thanjavur is famous all across the globe for its Tanjore paintings.

Attractions

Bragatheeswarar Temple

Declared as World Heritage Monument this Big temple was built by Rajaraja Cholan, the great Chola king in the tenth century. The temple is dedicated to Nandi, the divine bull. The huge statue of Nandi made from a single granite block, 12 feet tall, 191/2 feet long and 81/4 feet wide weigh around 25 tons. There are three gateways with gopurams to enter the temple. The temples represent a brilliant work of chola architecture, sculpture, painting, and bronze casting. The Brihadeswara temple is 216 ft. tall and has been built in such a way that throughout the day its shadow never falls on the ground.

Tanjavur Palace

Renowned as The Great Fort, this palace was built by the Nayak rulers around 1550 A.D. and subsequently renovated and enlarged bt the Maratha rulers of Thanjavur. The palace houses the Mannar Saroboji Saraswathi Mahal Library, the Art Gallery and the Sangeetha Mahal. A wonderful Sivagangai Garden in the palace is recognized for the varied flora and fauna. Inside the palace could also be seen a Schwartz Church, it was built by Rajah Serfoji in honour of Rev. C.V. Schwartz of the Denmark.

Art Gallery

It is inside the palace. It has a superb collection of bronze and granite sculptures from the 9th to the 12th century. It was started in 1951in the Audience Hall or the Durbar Hall of the palace.

Saraswathi Mahal Library

The library is located in the palace and was built by the Nayak rulers. There are 30,000 palm leaf and paper manuscripts in this library on several subjects such as science, medicine, engineering, astronomy, painting, dancing, etc. Books on various languages such as Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi and European languages are preserved here.

Travel Facts

Area 36 sq. km
Population 22,05,375
Climate Summer : Max. 36°C, Min. 32.5°C :Winter : Max. 23.5°C, Min. 22.8°C
Languages Tamil, English and Marathi
Best Time to Visit Throughout the year
Excursion Tiruvarur ( 55 Kms ), Kumbakonam ( 36 Kms), Darasuram ( 34 Kms)

Must Try Out

Shopping

Thanjavur is famous for Tanjore plates(ornamented with brass, silver) and musical instruments such as veena, tambura and mridangam. Several art and craft items like paper mache dolls, models of temples, models made from unhusked paddy, bell metal products, silk carpets etc are available here in reasonable prices. Thanjavur is widely known for its beautiful paintings.

Cuisine

South Indian dishes are the speciality of Thanjavur especially idlis, dosas and sambhar . Hotels also provide different thalis such as Rajasthani, Gujrati, Bengali followed by many international cuisine like Continental, Chinese, Italian etc.