Thanjavur

On our way from Puducherry to Thanjavur, our next stop was Gangaikonda Cholapuram. Gangaikonda Cholapuram is about 120km which takes 2-2.5 hours. The temples are shut between 1-4 PM. So we had lunch in the restaurant near the temple. The restaurant was big with Family AC chambers serving only meals in the afternoon. It was like a home cooked meal and the staff treated us like guests in a home. Although neither of us were able to understand each other’s language, we felt the love through the food. We took unlimited helpings for each dish. We specially loved the buttermilk.

Gangaikonda Cholapuram

Gangaikonda Cholapuram is a quaint town in Ariyalur district of Tamil Nadu. The Chola King Rajendra I had a successful expedition of the Gangetic plain by defeating the Palas of Bengal. So after his victory he came back to the place and built an elaborate temple to celebrate his victory. Scholars of his court gave him the title Gangaikonda (winner of the Ganges). Hence the name of the city. This place was the capital of Chola dynasty for around 250 years.

We entered the temple at 4PM when it opens. The main attraction here is the Shiva temple with a huge a single rock-cut statue of Nandi. The statue of Nandi is on a separate platform to that of the temple. The entire temple is built on a single stone platform. There are 3 doors to the temple. The main being the eastern entrance where Nandi is located.

The temple vimana (tower) is huge with very intricate carvings. A vast garden surrounds the temple and offers lounging place for visitors. It is one of the living examples of what is the Chola architecture unique in its style for its sculpture and towering gopurams. This temple is yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site in Tamil Nadu. It took us about 40 minutes to explore the temple completely. We wanted to stay longer but it was getting late for Kumbakonam.

Kumbakonam

Kumbakonam is another town in Tamil Nadu on way to Thanjavur. It is also close to Chidambaram and Thanjavur. An hour drive from Gangaikonda Cholapuram, we reached here around 5:30PM. A neighbourhood in Kumbakonam called Darasuram is specially popular for another UNESCO World Heritage Site which is Sri Airavateshvara Temple.

Airavateshwara Temple

It forms one of the three temples under the Great Living Chola Temples. The Airavateshvara Temple receives its name from a popular belief that the Airavat Lord Indra’s elephant got its magical white appearance when washed in a nearby lake. Hence, this name although there is no statue or shrine dedicated to Airavat, the elephant.

Architecture and Design

This was the most beautiful of all the temples in Tamil Nadu. The temple is not huge or even the complex is not big like Gangaikonda and Brihadeshwara temple. But every single piece of stone has delicate engravings on it. The pillars, stairs, ceilings and even the boundaries have numerous carvings on them. Entire design of the temple is like a chariot with wheels on the sides and horses and elephants pulling it. Similar to the Sun temple at Konark, Puri in Odisha. The carvings in the mandapam area have stories of Shiva and Parvati. Stones at the base on the exterior have carvings of stories of the Nayannar saints and representation of deities in the main sanctum wall. The art and architecture in this temple is exquisite to say the least.

We wanted to stay and explore this temple more. Unfortunately, we were getting late to Thanjavur and had to leave without spending even an hour here. It took us about 1 hour from Kumbakonam to arrive at Thanjavur. It was already past 7 PM so we checked in at the hotel and decided to visit the temple in the morning.

Thanjavur is an important historical city in India. As the capital city of many empires of Southern India, it was a major centre of art, culture and religion. The Cholas, Nayakas, Marathas and many other dynasties have ruled Thanjavur and contributed in its heritage. It houses one of the largest temples in India, the Brihadeshwara temple.

Brihadeshwar Temple

Brihadeshwar temple is another UNESCO World Heritage Site and forms part of the Great Living Chola Temples. Built by Chola king Rajaraja I, it is a Lord Shiv temple. Structurally it is similar to the other two Chola temples. The temple campus has double walls. The first wall is a fortification from attacks and the second inner wall is the original temple wall. There are two gopurams one on each of the walls. The inner gateway is more boldly decorated than the outer one. The Marathas built the entrance gate of the temple.

Architecture

The courtyard of the temple is vast taking about 2 or more hours to fully explore. Nandi, the bull, is right opposite to the main shrine entrance. This Nandi statue is also of a single stone. It was built after the temple. The roof of the Nandi shrine has colourful frescoes. The frescoes were too bright to be over 1,500 years old. Similar to the other Dravida style temples, this also has a raised platform. The Vimana (main tower) is steep and highly engraved all along the length and breadth. The carvings have huge depth and images appear as they can come alive any moment.

Shrines

The main shrine is beautifully decorated and houses one of the largest Shivling in India. There are many smaller shrines of other deities like Parvati, Ganesh and Kartikeya as well. The cloister mandapam on both sides of the temple (refer the map) houses some statues of the temple as treasures. The columned corridor of the temple is huge and houses many deities and other artefacts. There is a dedicated Natraja temple where the brass Natraja was first installed. There are sculptures and statues of other deities in the mandapam.

To be honest, I for one have interest in exploring ancient Indian temples for the architecture and history of it. The stories, the beliefs and the local culture around the temples allure me very much. Ever since I had read about the dynasties and their contribution to Indian history, I imagined exploring each of those places. In my mind I try to recollect whatever I have read and known about these places and try to create a picture in my mind of the times when, now history, was the present times. It helps me understand India better hence, fascinating me. I can decipher what actually is the fabric of India. Traveling teaches us so much.

At all the UNESCO sites mentioned above, try to take a guide to take you around the temples if you are not aware of the history and importance of the places. It would help you understand the structure, architecture and the importance of that temple at that place.  

Maratha Palace

1.5 km away from the Brihadeshwara Temple is the Maratha Palace or the Thanjavur Royal Palace. The Nayakas built the palace initially, but was later the Marathas captured and expanded it. It was intended to be a fort as can be analysed by the construction of the building. The stairs are narrow, circular and with short steps. The corridors have frequent turns and are like a maze. There are many chambers and underground stairs as well. The palace has many decorated halls with beautiful murals adorning each and every wall. The paintings of the rulers decorate the halls as well. The grandeur of the rulers of the times can be well assessed from the grandness of the palaces. There are total of eight sections in the palace- the Durbar Hall, the Serfoji Hall, Palace Museum, Saraswati Mahal library, Bell Tower, Art Gallery, Sangeet Mahal (Auditorium) and Sharjah Madi.

There is an entry ticket of ₹50 per person. Each ticket allows access to either of the Art Gallery, Saraswati Mahal or the Durbar Hall. To visit all the three parts, you need to purchase three tickets. The entry ticket counter is just at the entrance. An additional parking fee of ₹20 is charged for cars. The upkeep of the place is not upto the mark with reference to the ticket price. There are no proper markers in place guiding you to the different sections. You are kind of on your own to explore. If you have no idea of the place, you can easily miss some places in hurry.

Bell Tower, Art Gallery and Natraj Hall

An art gallery and a sculpture museum are also present in the palace. The sculptures are ancient and have very well carved features and peculiar styles. There is a separate Natraj hall where varieties of Natraj statues are present. It describes the meaning and importance of Natraj in our culture. The palace has a watch tower with several floors (eight). It was used to store the arsenal and training of the king. Included in the campus is a bell tower which is said to be very tall but now worn down to only 7 storeys. Again, this tower gives a view of the temple and the city of Thanjavur.

The campus is a combination of ruins and preservation. It deserves a visit to understand the tides and times of those days and explore some masterpiece of architecture of those times. There is a whale skull and part skeleton on one of the floors of the palace. It is not every day that you get to see a real whale skeleton. There are photographs in the galleries of several areas of Thanjavur and the people of the time.

Saraswati Mahal Library

This is one of the oldest existing libraries in Asia. Houses around 50,000 books including old palm manuscripts and scriptures. The manuscripts are in various languages like Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu and Marathi. There is a museum attached to the library with many statues. Going with the prevalence of those times and the architecture of the palace, the library halls are painted with colourful murals as well. The library forms a part of the Maratha Palace.

We were not able to explore the palace thoroughly as it started raining heavily and we did not have much time at hand. After visiting these two places we set off on our journey to Rameshwaram as it was to take good 4-4.5 hours from Thanjavur.