TANJAVUR

Known as the granary of Tamil Nadu, Tanjavur was the ancient capital of the Chola kings. This city was also known to have served as the royal city for the kingdoms of Marathas and the Nayaks. Tanjavur was at the height of its glory during the Chola period between the 10th and the 14th century and became a great centre of learning and culture. Tanjavur is still the center of all the classical arts and music. It has produced many classical musicians and bharatnatyam dancers and is also well known for its unique painting style called Tanjore Painting.

Places of interest in and around Tanjavur Town

Brihadeeswara Temple

Also known as the Big Temple, it was built by Raja Raja Chola - I. One of the most spectacular piece of South Indian architecture, the temple took 12 years to complete, and King Raja Raja Chola - I, performed the Kumbhabhishekam (consecration ceremony) in 1011 AD. The temple was built in honour of his victorious reign, during when the Chola kingdom (10th to 14th centuries AD) extended till Ceylon and some parts of the Malaya archipelago.

Guarding the inner shrine of the temple, is the gigantic 12 feet tall statue of the Nandi (the divine vehicle of Lord Shiva). It is 191/2 feet long and 81/4 feet wide, it weighs around 25 tons. Sivagangai Garden A very beautiful park, located north of the big temple.

Tamil University

Established in 1981, the university is engaged in research and advanced study in Tamil.

Saraswathi Mahal Library

One among the few surviving medieval libraries of the world it has been mentioned as "the most remarkable library in India" in the Encylopedia Brittanica's survey of Libraries of the World. Established around 1700 AD, the library contains a rich collection of over 44,000 palm leaves and paper manuscripts in Indian and European languages. Over eighty per cent of its manuscripts are in Sanskrit, many on palm leaves, some very rare or even unique.

Palace

The Palace on the east main street, is a series of large and sprawling buildings of fine masonry, built partly by the Nayaks around 1550 AD, and partly by the Marathas.On the southern side of the third quadrangle is a Vimana like building, 190 feet high with eight storeys, which is called the Goodagopuram. Madamaligai is the tower which rises from the palace roof beyond the Goodagopuram. It has six storeys.

Rajarajan Manimandapam

The Rajarajan Manimandapam was constructed on the eve of the World Tamil Conference held at Tanjavur.

Schwartz Church

The Schwartz Church is located in the palace garden, this church was built in 1779 AD by Serfoji Maharaj as a token of his affection for the Rev C V Schwartz of the Danish Mission.

Museums

Tanjavur has its own set of Museums displaying an interesting collection of bronze sculptors, coins and musical instruments from the Chola period, namely the Archeological Museum, the Tamil University Museum, the Nayak Durbar Hall Art Museum and the Rajaraja Chola Museum.

Other Places of Interest near Tanjore include, located around 100 Kms away is, Gangaikondacholapuram, which was built by King Rajendra Chozhan, the son of Raja Raja Chozhan, who built the Brihadeeswara Temple at Tanjavur. The temple was built during the golden period of the Cholas, when they were invading the northern territories, and wealth was overflowing as a result of their successful war campaigns

Kumbakonam, which is some 36 Kms away from Tanjavur. It is famous for the Mahamaham festival held every 12 years. The important temples in Kumbakonnam are Sarangapani, Kumbeswarar, Nageswara and Ramaswamy temples. Another pilgrimage centre around Tanjavur is Mayiladuthurai, also called Mayuram, is situated on the banks of river Cauvery. Mayuranatha Swami temple, Parimala Ranganatha Swamy temple, Kasi Vishwanatha Swamy temple, Punukeeswarar temple, Vadhanyeswarar temple and Ayyarappar temple are some of the famous temples in Mayiladuthurai. Located about 112 Kms away from tanjavur is Point Calimere, a famous bird sanctuary, known for its migratory water birds, especially 'flamingos'. The best time to visit Point Calimere is between the period of November to January.

Nagore, which is some 88 Kms away from Tanjavur, is a famous Muslim pilgrimage centre. Howeverm people of all faiths visit the Nagore durgah. Another important heritage centre around Tanjavur is Poompuhar was once upon a time, the capital and port city of the Cholas, it was also called Kaveeripumpattinam, as it is here that the river Cauvery flows into the Bay of Bengal. The great epic 'Silapathikaram' is aid to have originated here.

Swamimalai, located some 32 Kms away, is one of the six abodes (Arupadaiveedu) dedicated to Lord Murugan. The 60 steps to the temple indicate the 60 years of the Tamil calendar. On every Thursday, Lord Swaminathan, the residing deity, is decorated with a diamond vel (spear).

Thirubuvanam, located 45 Kms away, has a 13th century Chola temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. This place is also well known for its silk weaving industry.

Thirunallar is situated 101 Kms away, and is famous for its temple dedicated to Lord Saneeswara.

Thiruvaiyaru, located some 13 Kms from Thanjavur, it is the place where the famous saint Thyagaraja lived and attained samadhi. The famous temple at Thiruvaiyaru is dedicated to Shiva, and is known as Panchanatheswara. An eight day music festival is held here, every year in January, in honour of the saint.

Thiruvarur, 55 Kms away from Thanjavur is Thiruvarur. Famous for the Thyagarajaswami Temple, it is known for the largest temple chariot in Tamil Nadu. This vast temple houses saint Thyagaraja, Kamalamba and Vanmikanathar. Rajaraja Cholan was an ardent devotee of Thyagarajaswami. Thiruvarur is also the birth place of saint Thyagaraja.

TheVaitheeswaran Kovil, houses Lord Vaitheeswaran, Thaiyal Nayaki and Muthukumaraswamy (Shiva, Parvathi, Subramanya Swamy) An ancient temple dedicated to Shiva - Vaitheeswaran literally meaning, 'the divine provider of cures'.

Shrine Vellankanni, Shrine of Our Lady of Vailankanni, is situated 90 Kms away, and is noted for the church dedicated to 'Our Lady of Health'. It attracts devotees of all faiths.

Tanjavur is around 350 Kms south of Chennai.

Access By Air: The nearest airport is at Tiruchi. Tanjavur falls 65kms east of Tiruchi.

By Train: The railway station at Tanjavur is well connected with Tiruchi, Chennai and Nagore.

By Road: Tanjavur is well connected with all the major towns in TamilNadu. It is also connected with Kochi, Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala and Bangalore in Karnataka.

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