Thanjavur Travel Guide

Thanjavur the most enchanting districts in the state lies to the east of Trichy and also reconized as the Rice Bowl of Tamil Nadu. The great Cholas chose Thanjavur as the location of some of their most magnificent creations. Despite the fact that the history of Thanjavur is far older than the Chola period itself, it is during their reign between the 10th and 14th centuries that the city rose to glorious heights & becoming the centre of Tamil learning and culture.

One of the best temples in South India, the Brahadeeshwarar temple or the Big Temple built by the greatest Chola emperor Raja Raja Chola, is that dynasty's finest contribution to Dravidan temple architecture. What makes the construction so unique is the diversion from the usual temple building norms of having a tall gopuram (gateway) and a smaller vimanam (the tower over the sanctum). At the Big temple the vimanam soars high while the gopuram remains stunted. The 64.8 mtr tall, 14 tiered pyramid shaped vimanam rises from a square base and is topped by huge monolithic cupolas carved out from an 81.3 tonne block of granite that was installed with the aid of a 6km long inclined plane. The tower is a testimony to the engineering skills of the Chola architects who planned its construction in such a way that the shadow of the cupola never falls on the ground.

In keeping with the physical stature of the temple is the gigantic Mahalingam (A symbol of Lord Shiva) in the shrine and the massive Nandi (Lord Shiva's Bull) at the portals. Measuring 6m in length, 2.6m in breath and 3.7m in height, it is the second largest monolithic Nandi in the country.

The Raja Chola Art Gallery has some fine pieces of stone and bronze sculptures from the 9th and 12th centuries. Over 30,000 Indian and European manuscripts written on palm leaf and paper are preserved in the Saraswathi Mahal Library. The Sangeetha Mahal is an acoustically perfect musical hall that testifies to the skill of its boundaries. East of the palace is the Schwartz Church which was built in 1779 by Raja Serfoji in honour of Revered Schwartz of Denmark.

Area : 29.24 sq. kms
Climate : Max. Min.
Summer : 36.60C 32.50C
Winter : 23.50C 22.80C
Rainfall : 111.37 mm average
Languages: Tamil, English and Marathi.

Access
Air - Tiruchirapalli is the nearest Air-port(58 km).
Rail - Thanjavur is well connected by rail with Trichy, Madurai, Nagore and Chennai directly.
Road - Thanjavur is well connected with all major cities of Tamil Nadu.

Places of Interest
Sri Brihadeeswarar Temple, Saraswathi Mahal Library, Royal Museum, Schwartz Church, Sivaganga Tank, Sharja Madi, Rajarajan Mani Mandapam, Rajarajan Museum, Tholkappiyar Sadukkam, Mariamman Temple, Thiruvidai Maruthur, Thirunageswaram, Uppliyappan Koil, Patteswaram, Poondi Madha Shrine.