Thanjavur - Rice Bowl Of Tamil Nadu

Call it Thanjavur or Tanjore, it won't affect the ancient charm and glory of the place. Located in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the city was once a great centre of learning and culture. Thanjavur rose to tremendous heights during the reign of later Chola kings. It is said to be the Granary of Tamil Nadu. The city was also ruled by Nayaks and Maratha kings, who nurtured the art and culture and took it to the zenith.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.

Thanjavur At A Glance
Brahadeeswara Temple, also called as Brihadeeswara temple was built by Rajaraja Chola, the first sailor king of India. The temple is large and has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. The temple is an outstanding example of Chola architecture.

Vijaynagara Fort - The Fort contains a palace which is close to the temple. The Palace was partly built by the Nayaks around 1550 A.D and partly by the Marathas.

Saraswathi Mahal Library - This library contains over 30,000 Indian and European manuscripts written on palm leaves and papers.
Thanjavur Art Gallery
The former palace of the Nayaks of Thanjavur once viceroys of the Vijaynagara rules and later hereditary rulers, is a wonderful and extravagant piece of architecture, built in 1600. The huge enclosed compound encompasses a complex which includes the Art Gallery, the Saraswati Library and the Sangeetha Sabha or Music Hall.

A gigantic tower, the arsenal, decorated with bands of arches form the external facade. One enters into a hall which is the sculpture gallery where examples of south Indian stone sculptures dating from the Pallava to Nayak period are exhibited.

Scoop
Place -Tamil Nadu
Area - 3397 sq . km
Population - 22, 16138
Altitude - 59 metres
Best Season To Visit - October to April
Languages Spoken - Tamil, English and Marathi
Local Transport -Tongas and city bus service
STD Code - 04362

Climate
Thanjavur experiences a fairly healthy weather. Summer is hot and humid, where the maximum temperature is 36 degree C and the minimum temperature is 32.5 degree C. The winter here is also not that cool and the maximum temperature lowers down to 23.5 degree C and the minimum falls is seen up to 22.8 degree C.
Accommodation Options
The hotels in Thanjavur have the exceptional hospitality services and provide the world-class accommodation. The hotels in Thanjavur are the perfect havens for the tourists and offer modern facilities as required by the tourists in the hotels of Thanjavur. Some of the famous hotels of Thanjavur are:

• Hotel Sangam
• Hotel Gnanam
• Hotel Parisutham
• Oriental Towers

Stomach Stimulator
There are certain good places in Thanjavur where one can satisfy one's appetite. Like:
Golden Restaurant - This restaurant provides good vegetarian meals.

Sathars - It is a good non-vegetarian restaurant which has an extensive range of dishes and is open until midnight.

Hotel Yagappa - It has a large restaurant with reasonable and palate pleasing food.

Hotel Parisutham - It has the best restaurant in town- the non veg Les Repas serves Indian and Chinese dishes and the Geetham offers vegetarian food.

Shopper's Delight
Thanjavur is not a perfect shopping destination but it won't permit you to return back home empty handed. Certain handicraft items are quite popular here like:

Poompuhar ( A unit of Tamil Nadu Handicrafts )
Tanjore Paintings - Thanjavur is famous for a special style of decorating the paintings which are done both on glass and board. In both types, the figures and the background are richly embellished with gold leaf and gems as ornaments. The relief work on board is achieved by applying gesso, a mixture of gypsum or plaster of Paris and glue. Krishna in various poses has been the main theme, but there are also various paintings in temples, of all the other Gods and Saints.

Major Highlights
Sri Thyagaraja Aradhana Musical Festival
January.

Pongal (Tourist) Festival
14th to 16th January.

Maham Festival in Kumbakonam
February & March once in 12yrs ( Last Held - 1992 )

Arulmigu Thyagarajaswamy Car Festival
March.

Muthupallakku Thiruvizha
May.

Annai Velankanni Festival
August & September.

Raja Raja Chola's Birthday Sathaya Thiruvizha
October every year.

Nagore Kandoori Festival
December.

Thanjavur Times
http://www.hindu.com/2006/11/23/stories/2006112306490300.htm
http://www.hindu.com/2006/11/23/stories/2006112304030200.htm

Thanjavur Map
http://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/tamilnadu/thanjavur.htm
Getting There
By Air : The nearest airport from Thajavur is situated about 65 kms east of Tiruchi. It serves planes from the Middle East, Colombo, Chennai and Madurai. The next closest airport is at Madurai about 200 Kms away. Another airport is Chennai airport about 350 kms away from Thanjavur.
By Train : There is a railway junction in Thanjavur. It is well connected with Tiruchi, Chennai and Nagore.
By Road : Thanjavur is well connected with all the major towns in TamilNadu. It is also connected with Kochi, Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala and Bangalore in Karnataka