Thanjavur - The chola legacy

Thanjavur rose to glory during the later Chola period between the 9th and 14th centuries A.D. It also flourished later during the rule of the Nayaks and Mahrattas. The headquarters of this district has the same name as the district. It has been the treasure house of art for centuries. It is called the Rice Bowl of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is well-known throughout the world for being the home of the Brahadeeswara temple, the magnificent palace, Rajah Serfoji's Saraswathi Mahal Library, Art Gallery and also for its exquisite handicrafts like the Art Plate, pithwork, bronze icons, Thanjavur paintings and the classical South Indian musical instruments.

Sri Brahadeeswarar Temple This is also called the Big temple and it is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The great Chola king Raja Raja I (985-1012 A.D) 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. (Temple Office No.274476)

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 A.D and was partly built by the Nayaks and partly by Marathas. The Nayaks and the Marathas ruled Thanjavur from 1400 - 1676 A.D 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.