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.
History
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.
Punnai
Nallur Mariamman Kovil:
Its around 4 Kms from the
town.
Tamil
University: 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.
