The cultural capital and a major tourist destination in Tamil Nadu, Thanjavur or Tanjore is renowned for being the hotspot for pilgrims and thousands of tourists. Rising to fame with the Chola legacy in ancient times, Tanjaur is filled with numerous historic temples that usually feature in spiritual trips across the whole of Southern India. Among the prime tourist attractions in Tanjore, one must visit Brihadeeswara temple and fort, Annai Vailankanni Shrine, and Thanjavur Royal Palace and Museum.
Besides these three significant sites in Tanjore, you can add other attractions to the itinerary, like Siva Gandak Tank, Ganapati, Tholkappiyar Sadukkam, Shrine of Chandeeswara, Saraswati Mahal Library, Schwartz Church, Rajarajan Mani Mandapam, and Airavatesvara temple. Tanjore not only depicts the rich cultural history of Southern India but offers a leisure holiday as well. Owing to the topography of Tanjore, the city is blessed with numerous serene spots that are essential for a vacation in the lap of nature.
Here Are The Best Tourist Attractions in Tanjore
Brihadeeswara Temple
A testimony to the Chola dynasty’s Dravidian architecture, one of India’s largest temples and one of the main tourist attractions in Tanjore is Brihadeeswara Temple. Also called Peruvudaiyar Kovil and Thanjavur Big Temple, this temple is devoted to Lord Shiva a huge ‘Lingam’ is installed here.
Chola ruler Rajaraja Chola I built this temple around 1010 AD, now considered one of the three ‘Great Living Chola Temples’. This has earned Brihadeeswara Temple a place on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list. Nandi, the sacred bull of Lord Shiva, is a major highlight carved out of a single rock. Elaborate works can be seen throughout the temple. The main temple tower is the tallest of its kind in the world, with a height of 216 feet.
Swamimalai Temple
One of the greatest religious attractions in Tanjore, Swamimalai Temple, is one of the six main abodes of Murugan, each of which marks six varied life phases. The temple is where Lord Murugan is believed to have passed on knowledge of the universe to his father, Lord Shiva, as his Guru.
This temple commemorates that. A unique feature of Swamimalai Temple is that Lord Murugan’s shrine is installed above the rest, even his parents, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Besides, the temple displays the traditional Dravidian architecture of Tamil Nadu. Many legends are associated with the temple, which makes it a major tourist place in Tanjore for history buffs and pilgrims.
Mariamman Kovil Punnainallur
A Hindu temple dedicated to goddess Mariammam, Mariamman Kovil Punnainallur is one of the famous Thanjavur tourist attractions. According to the Sthala Pranam, before waging war with the demon Tanja of Tanjore, Lord Shiva places the eight powers or Akshta Saktis in eight directions, and the one at the east is now the deity of this Mariamman Kovil Punnainallur.
Besides, the temple is an architectural masterpiece that showcases the Dravidian style of architecture and represents the ideology of the Chola Kingdom and Tamil civilization. Also, Goddess Mariamman, a form of Shakti, was worshiped long before a temple was built here in the 18th century. And the seven-tiered gopuram was made in recent years. The descendants of Tanjore’s royal family maintain the temple to this day.
Darasuram Airavateswarar Temple
Among the UNESCO Heritage Sites in India, Darasuram Airavateswarar Temple stands proudly with its beautiful architecture, legends, and history. It is one of the popular Tamil Nadu tourist attractions. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, this temple is a part of the trio known as the Great Living Chola Temple.
Like other temples, this one was also built by a Chola King, Rajaraja Chola II, in the 12th century CE. Not just this, but this temple is among the eighteen medieval-era Hindu temples in the Kumbakonam area. Darasuram Airavateswarar Temple represents the Vaishnavism and Shaktism legs of Hinduism and the traditional Nayanars, the Bhakti saints of Shaivism. In addition, the temple has smaller shrines devoted to many Vedic and Puranic deities like Brahma, Surya, Vishnu, and Varuna.
Thanjavur Maratha Palace
Currently, the Bhonsle family that occupied Tanjore from 1674 to 1855 resides in the Thanjavur Maratha Palace, one of the best palaces in Tanjore. Locally, people call it Aranmanai. Nayaks began the construction of this temple in 1534 and completed it in 1535. But they got defeated by the Marathas, who eventually took over the region.
Once you step inside, you’ll see the eight sections into which the palace has been divided. They are called Royal Palace Museum, Saraswathi Mahal Library, Serfoji Memorial Hall, Darbar hall, The Art Gallery, Bell Tower, Sangeet Mahal, and Sarjah Madi. You will have to buy separate tickets for the palace, the Royal Palace Museum. and Serfoji Memorial Hall.
Mottai Gopura Vasal Athi Kumbeswarar Temple
Tanjore has many temples, and another Hindu temple of Lord Shiva is Mottai Gopura Vasal Athi Kumbeswarar Temple. Here, people worship Shiva as Adi Kumbeswar in the form of a lingam. His consort, Goddess Parvati, is depicted as Mangalambigai Amman.
The priests here perform six daily rituals between 5.30 am and 9.00 pm. Also, the Masi Magam festival is the biggest here, celebrated in the Tamil month of Maasi (February-March). The temple has many shrines, halls, and the notable sixteen-pillared hall that Vijayanagara Empire built with 27 stars and 12 zodiacs sculpted in a single stone.
Royal Palace Museum
Among the best Thanjavur tourist places, Royal Palace Museum is among the ancient museums in the city. It has a collection of sculptures, paintings, images, and other valuable items. You will find information about the earlier period in detail here. Also, the paintings of the old Chola age, the sculptures, and the statues of the Pallava and Chola dynasties make this museum significant.
There are stone and bronze sculptures in the Royal Palace Museum, along with the idols of Hindu gods and goddesses that take you back to the ancient era. Moreover, the museum holds glass paintings and sculptures of ‘Bhikshatana Murti,’ popularly known as Shiva, in the form of a beggar, an uncommon and unique feature of this museum.
Saraswathi Mahal Library
One of the oldest libraries in Asia, Saraswathi Mahal Library showcases a rare collection of paper and palm-leaf manuscripts written in different languages, including Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, English, and more. Also, over 60,000 volumes are preserved, and only a few are displayed. The library has some other rare holdings you can view on-site before visiting. Further, the Tamil manuscripts here are over 35,00,000, comprising literature, music, and medicine titles.
In addition, there are 3,076 Marathi manuscripts from South Indian Maharashtrian from the 17th to 19th centuries. Also, the collection of 846 Telugu manuscripts, 22 Persian and Urdu manuscripts, and 1,342 bundles of Maratha Raj records make Saraswathi Mahal Library “the most remarkable library of India,” as per Encyclopedia Britannica.
Now that you know the tourist attractions in Tanjore, it’s time to book a Tanjore tour package with Indian Holiday. We offer custom-made tours to Tanjore as per your requirements. So why wait? Drop a query and connect with our travel experts.
