THANJAVUR

Thanjavur, formerly Tanjore, is a municipality and the headquarters of the Thanjavur District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The name Thanjavur is derived from "Tanjan", a legendary asura in Hindu mythology. 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 Cholas when 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 and British. It has been a part of independent India since 1947.

            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 kilometers. The nearest seaport is Nagapattinam which is 84 kilometers (52 mi) from Thanjavur.

PLACES TO VISIT

           

Thanjavur is famous for the Brahadishwara Temple (or Brahadishwara temple) built by Raja raja Chola during the 11th century. The Brahadishwara Temple, also known as the Big Temple, is one of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.^[15] The temple is enclosed in two courts, surmounted by a lofty tower and including the exquisitely decorated shrine of Murugan. Among the other historic buildings is the Vijayanagara fort, which contains a palace that was expanded by the Maratha king Serfoji II with an armory, a Bell Tower and the Saraswathi Mahal Library, which contains over 30,000 Indian and European manuscripts written on palm leaf and paper.^[16] Also built bySerfoji II is the Manora Fort, a monumental tower and The Akshayapureeswarar Temple(Poosam star Temple), Vilangulam (Near by East Coast Road) these are situated about 65 km away from Thanjavur. The then "Sangeetha Mahal" has been converted to ahandicrafts exhibition centre now which has handicrafts from local artisans. Raja Rajan Manimandapam is also one of the tourist attractions in Thanjavur. Thanjavur is only second to Chennai in attracting more tourists (foreign tourist).

            THE first sight that greets a visitor to Thanjavur is the majestic vimana (the tower above a temple's sanctum sanctorum) of the Rajarajesvaram temple. The vimana and the gopurams (towers above the gateway) soaring skyward add to the temple's resplendent glory in the early morning sun.

            The Rajarajesvaram temple is dedicated to Siva, and the main deity is a massive cylindrical linga in a double-walled, box-like sanctum. The monolithic linga is 1.66 m in diameter and is mounted on an “Avudaiyar” ( yoni-pitha), which is 5.25 m in diameter. The linga rises to a height of two storeys.

            The temple continues to fascinate both the serious researcher and the layperson. It is a virtual gallery of inscriptions, sculptures, frescoes, dance panels, bronzes, and so on. The entire history of how the temple came to be built is available in the inscriptions.

            The hollow interior of the vimana, a view from below. Built of interlocking stones without any binding material, the vimana has not developed a crack or tilted even a few centimeters in all these years despite six earthquakes.

vimanam

THE TANJORE DOLLS

A tanjore doll is a type of traditional Indian bubblehead or roly-poly toy made of terracotta material. Its centre of gravity and total weight is concentrated at its bottom-most central core all the time so as to present a dance-like continuous movement with slow-damping oscillations. Hence it comes back to its normal seating position automatically after being tilted/ disturbed anyway. Round-bottomed toys are unique , but other standing types are available too. Traditionally these toys are handmade and their exteriors are painted to an intrinsic sense of humor. Nowadays, they are also being made in plastics.

TANJORE PALACE

            The Thanjavur Maratha palace was originally constructed by the rulers of Thanjavur Nayak kingdom. After the fall of the Thanjavur Nayak kingdom, it served as the official residence of the Thanjavur Marathas. When most of the Thanjavur Maratha kingdom was annexed to the British Empire in 1799, the Thanjavur Marathas continued to hold sway over the palace and the surrounding fort. The Bhonsle family continued to hold on to the palace even after the last king Shivaji II was deposed as per the Doctrine of Lapse.

The palace complex consists of the Sadar Mahal Palace, the queen's courtyard and the Durbar Hall. The Raja Serfoji Memorial Hall and the Royal Palace Museum are situated in the Sadar Mahal Palace. There is also a small bell tower. The Saraswathi mahal library is situated with the Thanjavur palace complex.

TANJORE PAINTINGS

Tanjore painting  Thanjavur Oviyam) is an important form of classical South Indian painting native to the town of Thanjavur (anglicized as Tanjore) in Tamil Nadu, India. The art form dates back to about 1600 AD, a period when the Nayakas of Tanjavur encouraged art—chiefly, classical dance and music—as well as literature, both in Telugu and Tamil. Tanjore paintings are known for their surface richness, vivid colors and compact composition. Essentially serving as devotional icons, the themes of most of these paintings are Hindu gods and goddesses, as well as saints. Episodes from Hindu tradition are drawn upon as elaborations of the main figure or figures placed in the central section of the picture. Tanjore paintings are panel paintings done on solid wood planks.

tanjore painting