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| Tanjavur |
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Places To See | Around
Tanjavur
| How to get there
| Festival |
Contact |
Where to
stay | | |
|  The
rice bowl of Tamil Nadu, Tanjavur, is a bustling country town, 55 km east of Trichy.
Tanjavur rose to glory, during the later Chola reign, between the 10th and 14th
centuries, and became a centre of learning and culture. It is also the headquarters
of the district of the same name.
Tanjavur is well known for its
traditional handicrafts - art plates, bell metal castings, silk carpets, pith
work, bronze icons, and classical Indian musical instruments. Out of the 74 temples,
the finest is the Sri Brihadeswara temple.
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Places
To See | | Sri
Brihadisvara Temple
Built by the great Chola king, Raja Raja I in the
10th century AD, this temple is an outstanding example of the Chola architecture.
Guarding the inner shrine of the temple, is the gigantic statue of Nandi, the
Bull, while the walls of the sanctum are covered, with the wall paintings of Chola
and Nayak periods, comparable to the famous Ajanta cave frescoes.
The
Palace
The Palace, adjacent to the temple is a vast structure of fine
masonry, built partly by the Nayaks around 1550 AD, and partly by the Marathas.
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.
Tamil University
Established in 1981, the university is engaged in research and advanced study
in Tamil.
Art Gallery
A superb collection
of bronze statues from the 9th to 12th centuries. | |
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Around
Tanjavur | Thiruvaiyaru
13 kms from Tanjavur is Thiruvaiyaru, where the famous saint Thyagaraja lived
and attained samadhi. The famous temple at Thiruvaiyaru is dedicated to Shiva,
and is known as Panchanatheswara. An eight day music festival is held here, every
January, in honour of the saint.
Thirukandiyur
The temples at Thirukandiyur (10 kms away), are dedicated to Brahmasirekandeswarar
and Harshavimochana Perumal, and are noted for their fine sculptural work.
Tiruvarur
Tiruvarur(55 km) has the
Thyagarajaswami Temple famous for the largest temple chariot in Tamil Nadu. Tiruvarur
is also the birth place of saint Thyagaraja.
Swamimalai
Located 32 kms away, Swamimalai has one of the six abodes (Arupadaiveedu)
dedicated to Lord Subramanya.
Kumbakonam
Famous for the Mahamaham festival held
every 12 years, Kumbakonam, 36 kms from Tanjore, also boasts of five temples.
The important ones among them are Sarangapani, Kumbeswarar, Nageswara and Ramaswamy
temples. These temples are noted for their semi erotic sculpture.
Darasuram
Darasuram, 34 kms away, has a
temple dedicated to Lord Shiva which was built by Rajendra Chola. It also boasts
a silk weaving centre.
Tirubuvanam
45 kms away, Tirubuvanam has a 13th century Chola temple dedicated to Lord
Shiva.
Nagore
Nagore, 88 km, is
a famous Muslim pilgrimage site, which is frequented by people of all faiths.
Velangani
90 kms away,
noted for the church dedicated to 'Our Lady of Health', attracts devotees of all
faiths.
Point Calimere
Point Calimere (112
kms) is famous for its migratory water birds, especially flamingoes. The best
time to visit is the period from November to January.
Vedaranyam
Vedaranyam (104 km) is renowned for the festivals
held on full moon day, in July-August and January-February.
Manora
Manora, 65 kms away, has a 8 storey victory tower which was built by Raja Serfoji
in 1814 AD.
Tirunallar
Tirunallar (101 km),
is famous for its temple dedicated to Lord Saneeswara. | |
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Festivals |
| The great Mahamaham festival
is held at Kumbakonam, every 12 years, last held in 1992. To commemorate the saint
Thyagaraja, the Thyagaraja Aradhana Music festival is held every year, in the
month of
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| How
to get there | | Road
links to all major cities. Connected by rail with Trichy, Madurai,
Nagore, and Madras directly. The nearest airport, Tiruchirapalli, is 58 kms. |
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Where
to stay | | Hotel
Tamil Nadu, TTDC Unit I, Gandhiji Road. Hotel Tamil Nadu, TTDC Unit II, Trichy
Road. Hotel Valli, M. K. M. Road, Near Railway Junction. |
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Contact
| | Government
of Tamil Nadu, Tourist Office, Jawan Bhavan,
Head Post Office, Tanjavur.
Tourist Information Centre,
Hotel Tamil Nadu Complex, Gandhiji Road, Tanjavur. | |
|
Winter: October to March.