Thanjavur is considered as ‘the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu’. The earlier name of the city was Tanjore. I along with my family had a great weekend trip to Thanjavur recently. Thanjavur once the royal city of Chola, Nayak and the Maratha rulers derived its name from a giant named Tanjan who was killed by goddess Sri Anandavalli Amman and Lord Vishnu. The elegant handicrafts, castings, pith craft and South Indian musical instruments of Thanjavur are very famous.
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Brihadeeswara Temple[/caption]
The Big temple ie; Brihadeeswara Temple here built in 1010 AD holds the supreme glory of Dravidian style of temple architecture. This is a UNESCO recognized world heritage site. In this temple we could see a blend of ritual and philosophic concepts flourished in Thanjavur. A palace built by the Nayaks can be seen near the temple informally known as the Thanjavur Palace. The two palace towers, the spacious halls, huge corridors, and the observation towers are visible from all parts of the city. There is a museum inside the palace with south’s best collection of bronzes, numerous stone carvings, and beautiful sculptures of Bhairava, Umasahita Siva, Kali, Somaskanda and Rama Lakmana. The beautiful park located on the north of the big temple is Sivaganga Gardens. We also visited Schwartz Church, built by Raja Serfoji as a token of affection for the Danish missionary Rev. C.V. Schwartz, the Raja's tutor in 1779 AD.
We stayed at Ideal River View Resort at Thanjavur. The sightseeing transportation was offered to us by the resort. We also enjoyed the traditional food of Thanjavur 'Thanjavur Elai Virundu'. Thanjavur is the best place for purchasing silk weaves, dancing dolls (nodding dolls made of clay), famous thanjavur paintings, and beautiful wooden craftworks. Being a pilgrim centre Thanjavur is visited by tourists throughout the year, but the best season to visit there is from October to March.