Places to visit in the city Tanjore
BRIHADEESWARA TEMPLE - Tanjore The Brihadeeswara Temple is the main attraction of
Tanjore. The massive temple built by Rajaraja Chola
reflects the Cholas’ contribution to the development
of arts in this area. It is also regarded as the Chola
dynasty's finest contribution to the Dravidian temple
architecture. Listed as a World Heritage site, the
temple is visited by a large number of people for
the regular worship here. The temple is characterised
by its unique structure. Unlike the usual South Indian
temples, the Brihadeeswara temple has a soaring vimana
and a stunted gopuram. It was constructed from a single
piece of granite weighing an estimated 80 tonnes and
the dome was hauled into place along a 4-km earthwork
ramp in a manner similar to the Egyptian pyramids.
A huge Nandi, about 6 m long and 3.7 m high, faces
the inner sanctum. The statue of Nandi was created
from a single rock piece and weighs 25 tonnes. It
is in fact one of the largest statues of Nandi bulls
in India. The temple also has a spacious ground, number
of pillared halls, shrines and 250 lingams.
THE PALACE - Tanjore The Palace of Tanjore also makes an important tourist
destination. The royal Palace near the massive Brihadeeswara
temple is characterised by its vast corridors, large
halls, shady courtyards and observation and arsenal
towers. Built by the Nayaks in the mid-16th century,
the Palace was completed by the Marathas. The Durbar
Hall of the palace still retains the grandeur of the
bygone era. The palace also functions as a Royal Museum
housing a diverse collection of royal remnants, compilations
of the early 19th century, the king’s slippers, head
dresses and hunting tools.
ART GALLERY - Tanjore The Art Gallery is another must see of Tanjore. It
has a rich collection of 250 Chola Bronze statues
and 150 stone statues dating from the 9th to 12th
century. These statues belong to the many groups namely
the Bhairava, Umasahita Shiva, Kali and the Rama Lakshmana.
You can have a look at all these wonderful collections
by paying a nominal entry fee.
SARASWATI MAHAL LIBRARY - Tanjore Located just by the side of the art gallery, the
Saraswati Mahal Library has a huge collection of about
30,000 palm leaf and paper manuscripts in Indian and
European languages. It also has some Tamil works including
treatises on medicine, and commentaries on works from
the Sangam period. It was built during 1700 AD. You
can visit the nearby museum that houses some interesting
exhibits like the entire range of the Ramayana written
on palm leaf. Checkout the time and entry fee before
you visit the Saraswati Mahal library.
|
