Thanjavur District is the Rice Bowl of Tamil Nadu. The Big
Temple and the other famous temples in the district are known all over the
world. Thanjavur was the cultural capital of the country in 1790. Thanjavur
gained prominence during the period of Chola Kings, who made it as their
capital. Thereafter, it was ruled by Nayaks and Maratta Kings, who nurtured art
and culture. The cultural, the architectural and the scholarly pursuits of
these rulers are reflected in the great monuments like Grand Anaicut, Big
Temple and Serfoji Mahal Library etc. in the district.



Histor
Thanjavur district stands unique from time immemorial for its agricultural
activities and is rightly acclaimed as the Granary of the South India lying in
the deltaic region of the famous river Cauvery and criss-crossed by lengthy
network of irrigation canals, this coastal district abounds in green paddy
fields, tall coconut groves, vast gardens of mango and plantain trees and other
verdant vegetation. Various testimonials available in the ancient Tamil
literature referring to the Cauvery as possessing the sanctity of the Ganges in
conformity with the legendry and mythological stories attributed to its divine
origin, rightly point out why the river is popularly called the ' Mother
Cauvery' and its sacredness is evident from 'Kaviri-Thala-Puranam'. The river
has also been named 'Ponni' because it is yielding 'pon' -Gold in the form of
paddy. That is why it is said with pride that every iota of the earth of
Thanjavur is equal to an iota of gold. The tillers in Tamil literature have
been rightly called as 'Kauvirippudhalvars' - the sons of the Cauvery as they
alone are worthy of this title for the rich production of grains in this
fertile soil.



Main Attractions of Thanjavur

Bragatheeswarar
Temple: The Big Temple. Rajaraja Cholan, the Great Chola
king built Bragatheeswarar Temple. Big Temple is an example for the Indian
sculptural architecture greatness. Temple is surrounded by moat on two sides
and Grand Anaicut river on the other side. This temple is unique to have the
tallest tower over the sanctum sanctorum unlike the other temples. It is 216
feet tall. The stupa at the top is made of bronze.The walls of the sanctum are
covered, with the wall paintings of Chola and Nayak periods, comparable to the
famous Ajanta cave frescoes.

 

Guarding the
inner shrine of the temple, is the gigantic statue of Nandi, the Bull. The
Nandi is 12 feet tall, 191/2 feet long and 81/4 feet wide. And it weighs around
25 tons. Nayaka kings constructed a Mandapam for the Nandi to protect it from
sun and rain.

 

Saraswathi
Mahal Library: This library has one of the
most important oriental manuscripts collections, in India. Established around
1700 AD, the library contains a collection of over 44,000 palm leaf, 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. The Tamil works includes treatises on medicine, and commentaries on
works from the Sangam period.

Palace: The Palace, on the east main street is a series
of large and rambling 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 and it
is the Goodagopuram. Madamaligai is the tower which rises from the palace roof
beyond the Goodagopuram. It has six storeys.

 

Sivagangai
Garden: A very beautiful park, located north of the big
temple. It has a good collection of beautiful flower plants and birds and
animals.

PunnaiNallur Mariamman Kovil: Its around
4 Kms from the town.

TamilUniversity: Established in 1981, the university is engaged in
research and advanced study in Tamil. Tamil University Museum has a collection
coins and musical instruments.

Rajaraja Cholan Manimandapam:
Constructed on the eve of the World Tamil conference held at Thanjavur. It is a
beautiful park.

Schwartz Church: In the palace garden, this church was built in
1779 A.D by Rajah Serfoji in token of his affection for the Rev. C.V. Schwartz
of the Danish Mission.

 

Museums: Archeological Museum :- houses an interesting
collection of sculpture.

Tamil University Museum :- contains coins and musical instruments.

Saraswathi Mahal Library Museum :- one of the most important oriental
manuscript collections in India, closed to the public, but by scholars from all
over the world. Over eighty percent of its 44,000 manuscripts are in Sanskrit,
many on palm-leafs, and some very rare or even unique.

Nayak Durbar Hall Art Museum and Rajaraja Chola Museum :- contains magnificent
collection of Chola Bronzes-all discovered locally -fills the Nayak Durbar Hall
Art Museum and next door, the Rajaraja Cholan Museum houses Chola stone
sculpture etc.