Thanjavur travel information, Tamilnadu
Thanjavur (Tanjore) - 'Rice Bowl of Tamil Nadu', One time historic domain of the great Chola Emperor Raja Chola, Thanjavur or Tanjore bustles has high flow temples and monumental domes of architectural wonder. 55 km east of Tiruchirappalli, it is a highly fertile delta of the Cauvery River and is famous for its lush green paddy fields. As the centre of cultural development Thanjavur attracted master craftsmen, and it still continues to produce attractive handcrafted ware.
Its heritage as a centre of learning, culture and craft is reflected in the variety of handicraft work that goes on here. Thanjavur is still famous for its bejeweled, gold leaf Tanjore paintings, fine silk carpets, bell metal work, musical instruments, pith work and bronze sculptures. Tanjore is primarily a place for the art admirers.
Tourist Attractions The Brihadiswara Temple - Sri Brahadeeswarar Temple also known as Big temple and it is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The great Chola king Raja Raja I (985-1012 AD) built this temple. It is an outstanding example of the Chola architecture. Its unique architectural excellence has made the UNESCO to declare it a World Heritage Monument. The 64.8mts.Tall vimanam or the tower over the sanctum sanctorumis a testimony to the engineering skill of the Cholas.In keeping the immensity of the temple the gigantic mahalingam in the shrine measures 4 mtrs. in height. The monolithic Nandi,or the bull mount of Lord Shiva has been chiselled out of single rock. It is the second largest nandi in India. The beautiful Chola Fresco paintings on the inner walls of the temple are no way less than Ajanta paintings.
One of the best temples in South India, the Brahadeeswarar Temple is the Chola dynasty's finest contribution to Dravidian temple architecture. What makes the construction so unique is the diversion from the usual temple building norms of having a tall gopuram and smaller vimanams (the tower over the sanctum). At the big temple the vimanam soars high while the gopuram remains stunted.
The 64.8m tall, 14-tiered pyramid shaped vimanam rises from a square base and is topped by a huge monolithic cupolas carved out from an 81.3 tonne block of granite.It was installed with aid of a 6km long inclined plane. The tower is a testimony to the engineering skill of the Chola architects who planned its construction in a way that the shadow of the cupola never falls on the ground.
Palace -. The Palace Just 1 km.away from Brahadeeswarar Temple is the magnificent palace. This palace is surrounded with huge fort walls. it dates 14th century AD and was partly built by the Nayaks and partly by Marathas. The Nayaks and the Marathas ruled Thanjavur from 1400 - 1676 AD and from 1676 - 1855 respectively. Even now the royal family of the Marathas resides in this palace. It measures 110 acres in size. It is a grand pile of fascinating building with huge corridors, spacious halls decorated rooms, tall observation towers, beautiful stucco works, wonderful fresco painted walls and ceilings beautiful stucco works, wonderful fresco Painted walls and Ceilings underground tunnels, intricate carvings, royal family's sacred Chandra Mauleeshwarar temple are all worth seeing.
The Raja Museum and Art Gallery - The gallery has an excellent collection of Chola bronzes with different interpretations of the same figure from early to late Chola dynasty. The royal museum displays the royal costumes, cutlery, utensils and weapons.
Saraswati Mahal Library - The library has 8,000 rare palm leaf and paper manuscripts in many languages.
Thirubuvanam - 45 kms from Tanjore, it has a 13th century temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and is known for silk weaving.
Manora - 65 kms from Tanjore, Manora has an eccentric souvenir from the colonial times; an eight storey high Victory Tower built in 1814 by an Indian king to celebrate the British victory over Napoleon at Waterloo.
Kumbakonam - 36 km from Tajore, it hosts an important Mahamaham Fair every twelve years. It also has five important temples that are known for their semi erotic sculptures.
How to reach
By Air - The nearest airport is at Trichy (58 km). It serves planes from the Middle East, Colombo, Chennai and Madurai.
By Train - There are direct train connections from Trichy, Chennai, Nagore and Madurai.
By Road - Clean and efficient express buses from Thanjavur go all over the state. Local transport is available in the forms of three wheelers Tuk Tuk ( auto rickshaws), cycle rickshaws and taxis. From Trichy, Thanjavur is easily accessible by road. Thanjavur is also well connected by road to all the major towns in the state.
Tourist Destination
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