itz thanjavur |
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 Brihadeshwara temple in Thanjavur
Thanjavur is 342 km from Chennai the capital of the stateTamil Nadu, India. Thanjai is considered to be the granary and 'rice bowl' of Tamil Nadu. It is the district headquarters by the same name.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 |
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getting into thanjavur
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By Plane
Nearest airport is Tiruchirapalli. There are direct flights from Chennai By Rail Thanjavur is also reachable by train from other Indian cities. 'Thanjavur Junction' is the station to alight. There are daily trains from/to Chennai, Bangalore, Mysore,Ernakulam, Palakkad, Thrissur, Coimbatore, Tiruchirapalli, Madurai, Erode, Salem , Tirupur , Tirunelveli, Rameswaram and weekly trains: Tiruchendur, Bhubaneshwar,Varanasi , Allahabad , Jabalpur , Vijayawada , Vizianagaram and to all main cities. For train timings and on-line reservations (within India) visit the IRCTC's website. |
By Bus
There are several state and private buses that ply daily from Mannargudi, Pattukkottai, Kumbakonam, Pondicherry,Thiruvarur, 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". By Taxi
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Get Around
PLACES TO VISIT
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
Sleep. Stay Safe
Budget
- 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.
PLACES TO VISIT
- Brihadishwara Temple (Rajarajeswaram or Big Temple), Hopital road, Thanjavur (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.
- 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
- Punnainallur Mariamman Temple. 40 min. Powerful shrine of Mariamman located in a distance around 20 km from Thanjavur.
- Punnainallur Mariamman Temple.
- Navagraha Temple
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
- Bombay Sweets, Near Railway Station. All the sweets and chats available here are so much delicious. Try Dry Gulab Jamun and Bhadam Gheer. Approx 100 for 2.
- Nandhis Homely Restaurant, (Old bus stand), ☎ +91-9362415900. Located near Big Temple, and Sivagangai Garden. Real homely taste, no mixing in food like Chinese salt, food soda. they use only original pure home mixing, the all food is served on a banana leaf. Rs. 50 for the Meals.
- 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.
- Raja's curry, Court road, ☎ +91-4362270007. Very good veg, non-veg and halal restaurant. Indian 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.
- 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.
- Banam pub, Srinivasam Pillai Road (Oriental Towers). 11 am - 10 pm.
Sleep. Stay Safe
Budget
- 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.
- Royal Lodge, 1280 Mandaba Lane. Enter the small laneway from Hotel Ramnath. Basic Single Rs 210, shared bathroom.
- 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).
- Oriental Towers, Srinivasam Pillai Road (South of Thanjavur Junction), ☎ +91-4362-230724 (tnj_hotowers@sancharnet.in, fax: +91-4362-230770), . From US $ 50 to 100.
- Tanjore Hi Hotel, No.464, East Main Street (Oppsite of Palace), ☎ +91-9364455440 (booking@tanjorehihotel.com), . 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 Gnanam, Anna Salai (Market road), ☎ +91-4362-278501 (aysp@hotelgnanam.com, fax: +91-4362-235536),. checkout: 24 hours. Located in the center of the town. Only A/C rooms. Rs. 1200 to 3500.
