Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India
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)
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Courtyard in
temple complex
|
First gateway
(from inside)
|
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Inner sanctum
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Second gateway
(from inside)
|
Path to the
inner sanctum
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Subsidiary
shrine (entrance)
|
Elephant
staircase
|
Temple staff
(more)
|
Western face
detail (more)
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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
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Effective
costumes (1, 2)
|
Thanjavur Palace & Museums |
Royal palace
(16th century)
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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
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Vijayaragava Nayak
17th--18th cent. CE
Nayak king, Thanjavur
|
Parvati
(Amman)
11th cent. CE
Provenance: Tiruvelvikkudi
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Raja Raja
II and his wife
Late Chola, 12th cent. CE
Provenance: Darasuram
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Sri
Rishaparudar and Amman
(Shiva and Parvati)
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Tanjore from a
palace tower
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Maratha durbar
hall
▒
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Courtyard from
durbar hall...
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...diagonally
opposite view
|
Pillared
pavilion / museum
|
Another
courtyard
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