Thanjavur, India Reviews and Ratings

I recently took my family to Thanjavur and we spent about 5 days visiting all the important tourist destinations in and around. Thanjavur has many historical monuments reflecting the culture and arts of ancient South India. Chola dynasty ruled southern India until the 13th century. They left behind a lasting legacy – their zeal in building temples have resulted in some magnificent works of architecture. My family really enjoyed the trip and personally for me it was a deep dive into the Chola history architecture and culture.Though there are several temples important ones not to be missed are the Great Living Chola Temples – Brihadeeswarar temple Darasuram temple and Gangaikonda Cholapuram all built between 10th to 13th Century AD.Brihadeeswarar temple is one of the most prized architectural sites and it was built by Rajaraja Chola. A marvelous example of the outstanding efforts and workmanship of ancient Indian sculptors. The Vimana of the temple is 70 meters long (tallest of its kind) and the octagonal shikharan on top is a single stone weighing 81 tons! It is believed that a 6 kilometer ramp was built to carry this stone and place it above the Vimana! The sheer size of the temple and its architecture will blow your mind away!Darasuram and Gangaikonda Cholapuram temples were built by successors of Rajaraja Chola and are slightly away from Thanjavur. Darasuram temple is much smaller to the Brihadeeswarar temple but has some of the most exquisite carvings that you will ever see. The great temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram is next only to the Brihadeeswarar temple in its monumental nature and sculptural quality.Thanjavur paintings are world famous for their unique style – paintings with gold and precious and semi-precious stones. There are places where you could watch these painting being done by the artists.Month of February/March is the best as you can enjoy the dance festival which is held in Chidambaram (another magnificent Chola temple).