Tanjore, India

Books by
Usha Alexander

Books by
Namit Arora

An early Chola capital from the 9th to the 11th century CE, Thanjavur, or Tanjore, again gained prominence during the Vijayanagar, Maratha, and British periods. Its attractions today include the spectacular Brihadishwara Chola temple (built by Raja Raja in 1010 CE, this pinnacle of Chola architecture is also a UNESCO world heritage site, and the palace of Serfoji (1798-1832), a Maratha prince. Industries include cotton mills, traditional handloom weaving, and the manufacture of vinas (South Indian stringed instruments). [Adapted from Encyclopedia Britannica]

Thanjavur is also home to a major collection of Medieval manuscripts-Maharaja Serfoji's Sarasvati Mahal library-with about 59,000 titles on both palm leaf and paper. A precious cultural resource today, it was fostered by the royals of both the Nayak (1535-1676) and the Maratha (1676-1855) dynasties of Thanjavur. Its eclectic collection includes 4,500 works in French, English, German, and Danish. Over 39,300 are in Sanskrit, written in Grantha, Devanagari, Nandinagari, and Telugu scripts (visit the library website for more).

Brihadishwara Temple
Temple in the evening (more)	Main temple (1, 2)	Main temple entrance (more)	Courtyard in temple complex
First gateway (from inside)			Inner sanctum
Second gateway (from inside)			Path to the inner sanctum
Subsidiary shrine (entrance)	Elephant staircase	Temple staff (more)	Western face detail (more)
Main temple closer view			North side entrance
South side entrance (more)			Giant Nandi (more)
Original paintwork	South side entrance	Courtyard puja	Original paintwork
An Odissi dance performance at the Brihadishwara temple by the Sutra Dance Theater of Ramli Ibrahim (Malaysia). Odissi is said to be over 2000 years old. It originated and developed in the temples of Orissa and later flourished in the courts too. One of the six recognized schools of classical Indian dance still practiced today (the other five being Bharata Natyam from Tamil Nadu, Kathak from North India, Manipuri from Manipur, Kuchipudi from Andhra Pradesh, and Kathakali from Kerela), many of its dance poses are sculpted on the exterior of the temples of Bhubaneswar, Konarak, and Puri.
Expressive eyes	Emotive gestures	Evocative vocals	Effective costumes (1, 2)
Thanjavur Palace & Museums
Royal palace (16th century)	Nayak durbar hall	Durbar hall wall detail	Another view of palace
Bhikshatanar (Shiva in beggar form) 1040 CE Provenance: Tiruvengadu	Kanappa Nayanar 10th cent. CE Provenance: Tiruvengadu	Vijayaragava Nayak 17th--18th cent. CE Nayak king, Thanjavur	Parvati (Amman) 11th cent. CE Provenance: Tiruvelvikkudi
Raja Raja II and his wife Late Chola, 12th cent. CE Provenance: Darasuram	Sri Rishaparudar and Amman (Shiva and Parvati)	Tanjore from a palace tower	Maratha durbar hall ▒
Courtyard from durbar hall...	...diagonally opposite view	Pillared pavilion / museum	Another courtyard