Thanjavur Temple – Place for Religious Destination

Thanjavur Temple – Adobe of Lord Shiva

Thanjavur Temple is one of the most spectacular pieces of Indian Architecture and holy places. It is a magnificent temple in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the Adobe of Lord Shiva, the important worshipping place of Hindus. Hindu devotees worship God with the utmost respect. It is not only a holy place but also a world heritage site and attracts Tourists from all over the world. The city is an important agricultural centre in the Cauvery Delta known as the “Rice bowl of Tamil Nadu”.

Tanjore Temple History

During the Chola Kingdom (10-11AD), king Raja Raja Chola-1 extended his kingdom by defeating the enemy kings. To honour his victories in his reign, he intended to build a big Thanjavur temple to honour Lord Shiva. This duty was given to the famous architect Sama Varma. The architect designed the Thanjavur temple according to the ideas of Raja Raja Chola. Cholas were great patrons of Art,  so king Raja Raja Chola-1 supported him in every way to construct the Tanjore big temple. It took 12 long years to complete, and Raja Raja Chola performed the first Kumbhabhishekam.

Brihadeeswara Temple Architecture

The Brihadeeswara temple is enormous, and the boundary walls are very high. The entrance of the temple leads to huge rectangular encloses. The Inner part of the temple was divided into regions, and each piece was allotted to the musicians, workers, priests and the public. There are long corridors around the main temple. At the eastern and western ends of the aisles, 108 Shivalingas were arranged.

The main attraction of the Thanjavur temple is Vimana, built over the sanctum, which is 216 feet high. This is made with black granite and weighs around 80 tons. How did the workers bring to that height is still a surprising doubt. Another interesting sculpture is Nandi, which weighs 25 tons, are 12 feet in height, 19.5 feet in length and 18.25 feet in width. The Nandi seated place is called Nayak Mandapam, the holy place.

Interesting Facts about Brihadeeswara Temple

The chief architect Samavarama designed the unique structure of Brihadeeswara temple; no shadows of the temple are cast on the ground at any season of the year. The temple is a significant contribution of the Chola dynasty to the Dravidian style of temple architecture. The temple is famous for its Art on the ceilings, and you can see the Fresco paintings at the top of the corridors. Cholas invented the painting style, and the images are still brightly coloured. Surprisingly they did not fade out after 1000 years also.

How to get to Thanjavur Temple

By Road – Hindu place of worshipping Thanjavur is connected with all central Tamil Nadu and Karnataka cities.

Nearest Railway stations – There are many trains to Thanjavur from Chennai. It is a Journey that takes 9 hours and three trains daily. From Rameswaram, 6 Hours, two trains every day. From Rameswaram, it is six an hour’s journey and two daily trains.

Nearest Airport: The nearest Airport, Tiruchirapalli, is 58 kilometres away from Tanjavur. Indian Airlines also connected Tiruchirapalli with Madhurai and Chennai.

Other Tourist places around Thanjavur Temple

Vijaya Nagar Fort

It is 2 kilometres away from Brihadeeswara temple. It is wonderful. Started by King Vijaya Raghava and completed by the Marata rulers. You can see Thanjavur palace, Sangeetha Mahal, Sarfogi Saraswathi Mahal library, Shiva Ganga garden and an art gallery within the fort.

Opening hours of Vijaynagara Fort :

January to December: Open all days from 10:00 am to 08:45 am

Entry fee for Visiting Vijaynagara Fort:

The entry fees for Vijaynagara Fort are mentioned below. We have listed the entry fees for Indians, the entry fees for foreigners, camera fees and other charges if applicable.

Domestic Adult: 20

Child: 10

Senior: 20

Foreigner: 100

Foreigner Student: 100

Schwartz church:

Thanjavur ruler Raja Serfoji built the church in 1779 to honour Reverend Frederhonourhristian Schwartz. The church building with white Marble and carved Marble depicts the final moments of Schwartz.