THANJAVUR | BRIHADEESWARAR TEMPLE | PLACES TO VISIT & TRAVEL GUIDE TO THANJAVUR

At a distance of 56 km from Trichy, 86 km from Nagapattinam, 112 km from Chidambaram, 170 km from Madurai, 326 km from Chennai, Thanjavur, also known as Tanjore, is a city and district headquarters in the state of Tamil Nadu. Situated on the banks of River Cauvery, Thanjavur is one of the popular places of heritage in Tamilnadu, and among the must include places in Tamilnadu tour packages.

Thanjavur is famous for the Brihadeeswarar Temple built by Rajaraja Chola in the year 1010 AD. Also known as the Big Temple, it is one of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India and also one of the popular places to visit as part of Thanjavur tour packages.

The city was once the stronghold of the historic Cholas, and became the most important city in the Chola Empire and remained its capital till the emergence of Gangaikonda Cholapuram in about 1025. Since then, Thanjavur has been one of the chief political, cultural and religious centers of South India. During the first decade of the eleventh century, the Chola king Raja Raja Chola I (985-1014) constructed the Brihadeeswarar Temple. The temple is considered to be one of the best specimens of South Indian temple architecture.

Thanjavur is one of the older cities in Tamil Nadu and has a lot of significance in Dravidian history. Thanjavur was eventually annexed along with the rest of the Chola kingdom by the Pandya king Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I in 1279. Later it went into the hands of Delhi Sultanate from whom Vijayanagara rulers have conquered. It was governed by Thanjavur Nayaks under Vijayanagara suzerainty. Thanjavur was successfully conquered by Ekoji I in 1674, the Maratha feudatory of the Nawab of Bijapur and half-brother of Shivaji. Ekoji founded the Thanjavur Maratha kingdom which ruled Thanjavur till 1855. The kingdom was eventually absorbed into British India in 1855 by the Doctrine of Lapse when Shivaji II (1832-55), the last Thanjavur Maratha ruler, died without a male heir.

Besides Brihadeeswarar Temple, Thanjavur Palace, Kumbakonam, Darasuram, Gangaikonda Cholapuram, Thiruvaiyaru, Thirubuvanam, etc are some of the prominent places to visit in Thanjavur. Thanjavur is also famous for metal sculptures molded with great facial expressions and beautiful finish. Thanjavur can also be visited as part of Madurai tour packages.

About 57 km from Thanjavur, Tiruchirapalli is both the nearest International Airport and the railway station. Regular taxis and a few bus services run between the two cities, making the travel comfortable and hassle-free. Thanjavur is well-connected by bus with major nearby cities and towns like Bengaluru, Chennai, Madurai, Bhubaneshwar, Coimbatore and Tiruchirapalli.

Located in the state of Tamil Nadu, Thanjavur experiences the typical tropical climate throughout the year. The summers are usually experienced with scorching sun and periods of high humidity, while monsoon is accompanied by light showers. Hence, the best season to visit Thanjavur is during the winters from October to March.

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