Thanjavur (or 'Thanjai' or 'Tanjore') is 342 km from Chennai the capital of the state Tamil Nadu, India. Thanjai is considered to be the granary and 'rice bowl' of Tamil Nadu. It is the district headquarters by the same name.
Pronounce : Than-jaa-voor.
It is sometime referred as Tanjavur (wrong) or Thanjavoor.
Understand
Thanjavur thrived as the ancient capital of the Chola kingdom, later of Marathas and Nayaks. Thanjavur was at the height of its glory during the Chola period between the 10th and the 14th century and became a great centre of learning and culture.
The important landmark in Thanjavur is the great Brahadeeswara Temple also known as the Big Temple, it was built by Raja Raja Chola - I. It is one of the most magnificent piece of South Indian temple architecture. Established in 1011 AD in celebration of victory of Chola kingdom that extended till Ceylon and some parts of the Malaya archipelago. Now it is a world heritage site.
Even today Thanjavur is not only considered as the rice bowl of tamil nadu but also as a cultural head quarters. Though the Thanjavur district is dominated by agriculture, the town is diverse in its own, Having a literacy percentage of more that 75% and a homogenous mix of population of all religions.
Get in
By plane
Nearest airport is Tiruchirapalli. There are direct flights from Chennai
There are several state and private buses that ply daily from Mannargudi, Pattukkottai, Kumbakonam, Pondicherry, Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai and Tiruchy. The journey from Bangalore and Chennai takes about 9 hours and there are over-night buses. Some buses (from Madurai or Trichy) arrive at Thanjavur a the new bus stand located at 3 km from the center. There you can take another bus for the center for Rs. 4, you can ask for the "old bus stand".
Get around
Auto Rickshaws - negotiate a rate with the driver beforehand. Any Place with in city doesn't cost more than 40 rupees and minimum is 20 rupees.
Tourist Cabs - Are the best choice in case you want to tour the temples around Thanjavur. Drivers don't follow a fixed method for charging. But its wise to negotiate at least the rates that are applicable in Chennai
Cycle rickshaws - Though not popular among the locals, foreign travellers usually hire cycle rickshaws to go around Thanjavur. One can inquire the hotel's service desk for help.
The stopping name is cholan silai where you can see the raja rajan statue
See
Brihadeshwara Temple
Brihadishwara Temple (Rajarajeswaram or Big Temple), Hopital road (Behind old bus stand). This is the most important place to see in Thanjavur. This is a must see. One can enjoy the architecture of the whole temple and also the cute little garden on the temple's backyard. The temple is dedicated to Shiva, hundreds of lingam are in the pillared cloister.Free entrance.
Palace & Saraswathi Mahal Library - Possesses very old manuscripts mostly in Tamil and Sanskrit. The library is situated inside the Saraboji Palace which contains many rare paintings depicting various Indian cities during the reign of King Saraboji.
Palace tower
Siva Ganga Garden - A cute little park sandwiched between the Brihadeshwara Temple and the Schwartz Church. There are children playing area at the heart of the park and it is very pleasant to watch the innocent laughs and smile. The park has a cute little train and also a theppakulam ( a temple in the middle of pond). Boating is also available in the pond.
Art Gallery, East main road (Inside the palace). 09:00-13:00 and 15:00-18:00 (closed on holidays). Art exposition of bronzes and statues of the Chola period. The ticket gives also access to a construction of the palace with a nice view on the town.Entrance: Rs. 30 for foreigners, Rs. 7 for Indians..
Sangeetha Mahal
Schwartz Church - This church was constructed by Rev. Schwartz more than 200 ago. Though there is nothing much great about the artistic work, the church is still operational under the CSI Trichy-Tanjore Diocease. It is good to attend the morning service which is conducted in English, every Sunday at 7:00am.
Ragavendra Temple
In and around Thanjavur there are other ancient temples like Vellai Pillaiyar Temple, Thiruvanajozhi, Lord Murugan Temple, Swami Malai, Chandra Bagawan Temple, Thingalur Moon temple,
Sukkiran Temple, Kanchanur, Kethu Temple,Keelaperumpallam, Sani Bhagawan Temple, Thirunallar, Mercury Temple, Thiruvenkadu, Raaghu Temple, Thirunageshwaram, Guru Baghawan Temple at Alangudi,
Thirumananjeri.
Navagraha Temple Tour Route Map
Here is the link to temple route map for the travellers visiting Navagraha temples in Tamilnadu.
[1]
Do
Thanjavur.
Buy
Thanjavur is famous for its 'Thanjavur dancing doll' (Thanjavur thalai attu bommai), Tanjore Paintings (Lord Krishna paintings are the best) and Tanjore art plates (Lord Balaji are the best).
There is an outlet inside the palace where old and new art works are sold. You can pay with your credit card too.
There is a Phoompuhar art Gallery, which exhibits and sell wide range of artistic bronze idols, Thanjavur paintings and artistic plates.Its been a hot spot for the foreign travellers.
Eat
Budget
Sree Aariya Bhavan, (Old bus stand), ☎ +91-9042026277. Very good traditionnal, Authentic vegetarian restaurant. Morning delicious dosas & idly are served, for lunch, the thali is served on a banana leaf.Rs. 45 for the thali.
Mid-range
Raja's curry, Court road, ☎ +91-4362270007. Very good veg, non-veg and halal restaurant. Inidan and Chinese food.Rs. 40 for the thali.
Hotel Sangamam
Sathars, Gandhiji road. They are good at Mughal dishes. Very rich gravies.'Best North Indian food in town'. Try this out if you are not too worried about your waist line!Rs. 50-100 for a curry.
Thevars- The best biriyani in town
Dheen garden - The only place where you can get grilled chicken. The food is decent. Tandoori chicken is delicious and the portion they serve is very good. Check out their murthapa.
Rice Bowl (pla) - They serve awesome Chinese food and their starters also pretty good.
Popular - This is the cheapest among the lot and the Chinese dishes are nice.
Splurge
Mullai (Hotel Oriental Towers), Srinivasam Pillai Road. 12:00-15:00 and 19:00-23:00. Multicuisine, one of the few places place here where you get continental food but the food is overpriced.
Marutham (Hotel Oriental Towers), Srinivasam Pillai Road. 07:00-23:00. Vegeterian South Indian cuisine.
Hotel Karthik has double rooms at 370rs and single at 200rs. Air conditioned rooms cost 600rs. This is somewhat old hotel and cleanliness is about 3 on the scale of 5, but it is just a 5 minute walk away from Bridhadeeswara Temple and 10 minute walk from the palace. Has a restaurant in the ground floor where food is good south Indian vegetarian cuisine.
Mid-range
Hotel Sangam - Near Ramanadhan Hospital
Hotel Ramnath, South Rampart (Old bus stand), ☎ +91-4362272567 (fax: +91-4362271139). checkin: 24 hours. Between the Big temple and the palace, it allows to walk to all major attractions of the town. Clean and modern it offer a good price quality ratio. A/C and non-A/C rooms are available with TV and hot water.from Rs. 500 to 900 (and Rs. 100 tax).
Splurge
Oriental Towers, Srinivasam Pillai Road (South of Thanjavur Junction), ☎ +91-4362-230724 (tnj_hotowers@sancharnet.in, fax: +91-4362-230770), [2]. From US $ 50 to 100.
Tanjore Hi Hotel, No.464, East Main Street (Oppsite of Palace), ☎ +91-9364455440 (booking@tanjorehihotel.com), [3]. Tanjore Hi is an « Heritage Boutique Hotel » designed to welcome people that aspire to find a place where culture and elegance are everywhere. In this 1920 “Hotel Particular” that hosts 15 contemporary sleekly designed rooms, allow yourself a treat by eating at the rooftop restaurant. Its central location in Tanjavur (next to the palace and the temple) makes it the perfect place to stay and visit the famous whereabouts of the region such as Trichy, Kumbakoonam and Chettinad. A truly HIP Hotel.Traiff - INR 7,950/- to 9,750/-.
Parisutham a perfectly adequate hotel with a nice pool area and good food.
Temple Tower near Membalam
Ideal River View Resort A little out of town but well kept and quiet.
Hotel Gnaman, Anna Salai (Market road), ☎ +91-4362-278501 (aysp@hotelgnanam.com, fax: +91-4362-235536), [4]. checkout: 24 hours. Located in the center of the town. Only A/C rooms.Rs. 1200 to 3500.
