By road
~60 km from Trichy, ~350 km from Chennai
South India · Tamil Nadu
Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu
Chola grandeur and bronze-casting lanes · ~60 km from Trichy, ~350 km from Chennai
Getting there
By rail
Thanjavur Junction, in the city
By air
Tiruchirappalli (Trichy) International Airport, ~60 km
Best time to visit
November to February — comfortable temple-circuit weather
Don't miss
Brihadisvara Temple (UNESCO)
Thanjavur Palace
Saraswathi Mahal Library
Things to do
Big Temple at sunrise
Art gallery visits
Veena workshop stops
Where to eat
Sources: wikimedia, Photo: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra from Paris, France · CC BY 2.0
What to pack
Modest wear, sun protection for open temple courtyards
A quieter corner
Bronze casters at work in Swamimalai workshops nearby
Before you go
Chola heartland: the Great Living Chola Temples and, at Kumbakonam, the Mahamaham festival held once every twelve years.
About Thanjavur
- Inland
Where it is
Thanjavur is a city in the Kaveri delta of Tamil Nadu, the fertile plain long called the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu, about 56 km east of Tiruchirappalli and inland from the Bay of Bengal.
History
Thanjavur rose to greatness as the capital of the Chola empire, whose king Rajaraja I completed the Brihadisvara Temple in 1010. It was later ruled by Nayak kings from the 16th century and by a Maratha dynasty from the 1670s, whose rulers, above all Serfoji II, enriched its music, painting and library, until the British annexed the kingdom in 1855.
People
Thanjavur's people speak Tamil, and the delta villages around the city grow rice on Kaveri water. The city is a cradle of Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam, and its craftspeople make veenas, gold-leaf Tanjore paintings, bronzes and the swaying thalaiyatti bommai dolls.
Known for
- The Brihadisvara Temple, a UNESCO site
- Tanjore paintings with gold leaf
- Thanjavur dancing dolls
- The Saraswathi Mahal Library
- Veena making and bronze casting
Did you know?
Inscriptions on the Brihadisvara Temple list more than 600 people in its service, from priests and lamp lighters to dancers, musicians, washermen and tailors.
Shrines and sites
- Brihadeeswarar Temple
- Kumbakonam's temples and the Mahamaham tank
- Gangaikonda Cholapuram and Darasuram
- Thanjavur Palace and Saraswathi Mahal library
Traditions
- Hindu
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.