Thanjavur

Thanjavur

 Thanjavur, formerly Tanjore, is a municipality and the headquarters of the Thanjavur District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.Thanjavur is one of the ancient cities in India and has a long and varied history dating back to the Sangam period. The town was founded by Mutharayar king Swaran Maran and rose to prominence during the rule of the Later Cholaswhen it served as the capital of the Chola empire. After the fall of the Cholas, the city was ruled by various dynasties like Pandyas, Vijayanagar Empire, Madurai Nayaks, Thanjavur Nayaks, Thanjavur Marathas and British. It has been a part of independent India since 1947.Thanjavur is an important center of South Indian art and architecture. Most of the Great Living Chola Temples which are UNESCO World Heritage Monuments are located in and around Thanjavur.  The foremost among the Great Living Chola temples, the Brihadeeswara Temple, is located in the center of the city. Thanjavur is also the home of the Tanjore painting, a painting style unique to the region. The city is an important agricultural center located at the heart of the region, known as the “Rice bowl of Tamil Nadu”. South Zone Culture Centre in Thanjavur is one of many regional cultural centres established by Indian Government to preserve and promote traditional cultural heritage of India. It had a population of a 2,90,732 in 2011.

Thanjavur is well-connected by roads and railways with other parts of India and with cities and towns in Tamil Nadu. The nearest airport is Tiruchirapalli International Airport located at a distance of 56 kilometres. The nearest seaport is Nagapattinam which is 84 kilometres (52 mi) from Thanjavur.

Important Places:

ப்ரஹதேஷ்வர கோவில்(Brahadeshwara Temple): 

      The Great Chola emperor Raja Raja Chola built this famous Brahadeshwara temple or the Big Temple. The sculptures who built this temple are Kunjaramalian and Raja Raja Perunthachan. This temple showcases the Indian architectural brilliance and is a favorite pilgrimage spot for many visitors visiting Tanjore. The Brahadeshwara Temple is protected by deep trenches filled with water on two sides and the Grand Anaicut River on the other side. 

Brahadeshwara temple is a unique one that has 216 feet tall tower over the inner shrine. The Chola and the Nayak periods wall paintings adorn the walls of the sanctum. A gigantic statue of Nandi the Bull is placed at the entrance of the sanctum sanctorum.

சங்கீத மஹால்(Sangeetha Mahal): 

    The Hall of Music or Sangeetha Mahal is located on the first floor of the Tanjore palace. This is the place where the musicians and dancers performed in front of the Chola and Nayak rulers and is an excellent piece of skilled craftsmanship that speaks volumes about the ancient builders and architects. The Sangeetha Mahal is a worthwhile place for anyone to visit, be it an adult or a child.

சந்திர பகவான் கோவில்(Chandran Temple):

The Chandra Bagawan temple or the moon temple is the second important navagrhangal temple situated in and around the temple town of Thanjavur. It is about 25 km towards the north of Thanjavur and is often visited by people who are under the bad effects of Chandra as per their horoscopes. 

மனோரா(Manora):

   This tower was built by the great Maratha King Serfoji. It was built in the year 1814, to praise and honour the victory of the British over Napoleon Bonaparte at the battlefield named Waterloo. The name Manora is derived form the word Minaret which means a small tower.

சரஸ்வதி மஹால் லைப்ரரி(Saraswathi Mahal Library):

   

   This Library was established around 1700 and contains 44000 manuscripts. There are 4500 foreign books autogaphed by Kings and Scholars. Nearly eighty percent of the manuscripts are in Sanskrit language. Some are very rare and unique. The Tamil works are of treatises on medicine and commentaries on the ancient Tamil works.

ராஜராஜன் மெமோரியல் ஹால்(Rajarajan Memorial Hall):

This memorial hall was built on the eve of the occasion of the World Tamil Conference, which took place in Thanjavur. This hall is decorated to a beautiful park.

சிவகங்க கார்டன்(Sivaganga Park):

This is a very beautiful park and is located on the North of the Big Temple in Thanjavur. The park contains many good varieties of colourful flowers, birds and animals too.

Thanjavur Photo's

Big Temple View	SivaGanga Park
Palace	Old Bus Stand
Rajarajan Manimandabam	City OverView
Big Temple	Palace
Palace	Big Temple
Railway Station	Railway Station
Agriculture	Agriculture
AirPort	Collector Office