About Thanjavur

 One of the most picturesque districts in the State, Thanjavur has the reputation of being the ‘Rice Bowl’ of Tamil Nadu. The town owns the pride of being the location of some of the most exquisite manifestations of the Chola architecture.

The Brahadeeshwara temple at Thanjavur - a UNESCO World heritage monument, is an architectural marvel and reflects the artistic skills of the imperial Cholas who ruled peninsular India in the early medieval period. Built by the Chola King Rajaraja-I in the 11th century, it is one of the tallest temples in the world. It was so designed that the Vimana never casts a shadow even at noon throughout the year. The temple is celebrating its 1000th anniversary this year.

Thanjavur Palace and the Museum built by Nayaks and Marathas have an artistic elegance that speak of the town's heritage. The Palace houses an Art Gallery, a Library and a Hall of Music. The Art Gallery has an impressive collection of Chola bronze statues from the 9th and 12th centuries. The reputed Saraswathi Mahal Library houses over 30,000 Indian and European manuscripts written on palm leaves & paper and are meticulously preserved for posterity.

Thanjavur is famous for its distinctive art style in painting, which is usually a combination of brazed and painted surfaces. These paintings have the figures and the background richly embellished with gold leaves and gems as ornaments. The town is well known for its historic traditions in art, music, dance and culture and also offers the right blend of modern entertainment. There are various restaurants offering South Indian cuisine and other Indian delicacies that cater to the appetite of visiting tourists from all over the country and also from abroad.

Thanjavur was the ancient capital of the Chola Kings whose origins, ( like those of the Pallavas, Pandyas and Cheras with whom they shared the tips of the Indian Peninsula), go back to the beginning of the Christian era. Power struggles between these groups were a constant feature of their early history, with one or other gaining the ascendancy at various times. The Cholas' turn for empire building came between 850 to 1270 AD and, at the height of their power, they controlled most of the Indian peninsula south of a line drawn between Mumbai and Puri, including parts of Sri Lanka and, for a while,the Sri vijaya Kingdom of the Malaya Peninsula and Sumatra. Probably the greatest Chola Emperors were Raja Rajah, who was responsible for building the Brahadeeshwara Temple, and his son Rajendra I (1014-44), whose navy competed with the Arabs for control of the Indian Ocean trade routes and who was responsible for bringing Sri Vijaya under the Chola control. 

Thanjavur wasn't the only place to receive Chola Patronage. Within easy reach of Thanjavur are numerous enormous Chola Temples- mainly Thiruvaiyaru, Dharasuram near Kumbakonam and Gangaikonda Cholapuram. The Cholas also had a hand in building the enormous temple complex at Sri Rangam near Tiruchirapalli- Probably India's largest. 

Thanjavur is also famous for its distinctive art style, which is usually a combination of raised and painted surfaces. Krishna is the most popular of the Gods depicted. It is also known for weaving silk sarees.