no picture on Wikidata:  | ||
| Thanjavur | ||
| Country | India | |
|---|---|---|
| The search for a province ends with the state | ||
| Residents | 222.943 (2011) | |
| height | 88 m | |
| no tourist info on Wikidata: | ||
| location | ||
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Thanjavur (the old name is Tanjore) is a city in the east of Tamil Nadu in the Kaveri Delta. Thanjavur is 74 km east of Tiruchirappalli.
background
Thanjavur was once the capital of Chola-Richs. Today it is a fairly well-arranged city with many sights in and around the city. Everything in the shade is the Brihadishvara Temple, which, along with 2 other temples not too far away, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site "Great Temple of the Chola Dynasty"heard. In the small neighboring town of Thiruvaiyaru every year at the turn of the year there is a festival of Carnatic music instead of that Who's who this genre appears as well as many up-and-coming artists.
getting there
By plane
By train
Thanjavur's main train station called "Thanjavur Junction Station" is very centrally located in the town 10 ° 46 ′ 42 ″ N.79 ° 8 '23 "E. It is well connected to the local public transport system and it is easy to find buses that go to either the old or the new bus station. The Brihadishvara Temple is about 1 km to the northwest.
By bus
The new bus station is located in the southwest of the city at 10 ° 45 ′ 0 ″ N.79 ° 6 ′ 45 ″ E. In the western part are the long-distance buses, in the eastern part the city buses. There are many buses that go past the train station to the old bus station in the city center 10 ° 47 '14 "N.79 ° 8 ′ 16 ″ E drive.
In the street
mobility
Thanjavur has a well-functioning system of city buses. With the outlying destinations, it can sometimes be difficult to decide which bus station to start from. Here it is advisable to ask in advance at one of the bus stations, the tourist information, in the hotel or with a friendly resident. A rickshaw wallah will also know which bus station you have to go to and will also take the passenger to the correct bus or bus platform.
Tourist Attractions
Churches, mosques, synagogues, temples
- The Visit Brihadishvara Temple is one of the absolute highlights not only for South India, but also a world-class building. So it is not surprising that it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There's a nice Wikipedia page about that temple and the English site has a lot more information about the temple. In addition, here are some recommendations and practical information:
- As usual in Tamil Nadu, the interior of the temple is closed in the early afternoon. Opening times: 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.
- You can discover so much if you look closely! Consequently, you should bring a lot of time and - the temple is over 60 m high - binoculars so that you can appreciate the artistic reiefs located higher up. In addition to the main temple from the Chola period, there are beautiful smaller temples, some from later epochs, the gigantic monolithic ones Nandi and the interesting gopurams.
- The Schwartz Church from the 18th century is also located on the site.
- There is a small archaeological museum in the southwest corner of the temple courtyard.
Castles, chateaus and palaces
Palace complex: This is a larger palace area with several buildings, each of which has to be paid for individually. There may be a combined ticket for some of the exhibitions. The palace is a hodgepodge of buildings, some of which can be visited, some of which are not, and which contain outstanding to pathetic collections. Most of the buildings are about 500 m north of the old bus station.
- The highlight is certainly the sculpture and bronze collection (Gallery of Chola Bronzes). Some of the stone sculptures go back to the 8th century and some are extremely well preserved. Particularly noteworthy is a Shiva who dances an elephant demon with extraordinary lightness and playful elegance. Among the bronzes, most of which are excellent, one of Shiva's 11th century with an unusual snake turban stands out. He stands completely relaxed with the ease of a youthful Bacchus and smiles boyishly. Open: except Wed 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. 1.30 p.m. - 5.30 p.m.
- Saraswati Mahal Library & Museum. The Sarasvathi Library exhibition is a bit small and cramped, but interesting and entertaining.Open: daily except Wed 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. 1.30 p.m. - 5.30 p.m.
- Main Palace with Durbar Hall & Bell Tower. The Durbar Hall is a bit worn, but still impressive and beautiful to look at.Open: 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.
- The Saarja Maadi, located outside the main terrain, is mainly nice to look at from the outside and pretty empty inside.
- The other exhibitions have nothing outstanding to offer: the exhibits, where present at all, are quite ordinary and not very artful. Some of the rooms have also been modified so badly and in such bad condition that princes elsewhere would be bitterly ashamed of such a figurehead. An inner courtyard is covered in old rubble. The tiles of a demolished bathroom adorn the wall. Here, the apparently impoverished sidelines of the former ruling families want to exhibit old junk and collected trinkets and make a few tired rupees with them.
various
To the northeast of the palace stands the large Rajagopal Cannon on the eastern city fortifications 10 ° 47 '37 "N.79 ° 8 ′ 20 ″ E.
activities
The Aradhana Festival is one of the most important carnatic music festivals. It is held annually in honor of Tyagaraja Aradhanas, perhaps the most important composer of this musical genre, in the small town of Thiruvaiyaru, 13 km north of Thanjavur celebrated. The festival usually takes place in January. It takes several days. The official website http://thiruvaiyaruthyagarajaaradhana.org/ provides more detailed information on this. Even if you haven't heard much about the Carantian music before, you can get an impression here. Maybe you will find pleasure in it. It differs fundamentally from traditional classical North Indian music, it certainly takes getting used to because of its complexity and its difference to the music known in the West, but will please one or the other very much once they have listened to it. Usually you can admire the best acts around 8pm. Experience has shown that it is then the busiest. You just sit in the sand. You can “upgrade” your space with a sleeping mat you have brought with you. If you have bought a program booklet for little money, you should ask another festival participant - here the majority of the mostly very educated visitors speak good English - what they recommend for the next day. There is no entry fee. There are food stalls and in a house not far away the festival organizers provide free food (with an appropriate donation being appropriate). There are many shuttle buses between Thiruvaiyaru and the old bus station of Thanjavurs, even at a later hour. The festival site is at 10 ° 52 '47 "N.79 ° 6 ′ 36 ″ E on the north bank of a Kaveri tributary. The shuttle buses start about 300 m west. Recommendations for the festival:
- Only die-hard fans will want to spend the whole day at the festival. Since the highest level artists usually perform in the evening, it may be attractive to use the day for sightseeing and not come until the evening. You can also have dinner at the festival site.
- On the last day of the festival, the artists will be together with those present 5 Ragas sing in honor of Tyagaraja Aradhanas, who is also venerated as a saint, in the morning. This is considered the highlight of the festival and you should be there early enough.
- Take earplugs with you. Almost half of the artist groups play Nadaswaram (a kind of oboe) ind Thavil (a drum partly played with a baton). This combination is much louder than the performances with other instruments. However, the same amplifier system is used and not adapted in between.
- On Youtube you can hear beforehand whether you like this type of music at all.
- You can also find a place to stay in Thiruvaiyaru. The organizing committee will probably help with this. But you should inquire early enough before the festival. Thanks to the well-organized shuttle service, Thanjavur is also a very suitable domicile to follow the festival.
shop
kitchen
nightlife
accommodation
Cheap
medium
- Hotel Valli. The hotel is a clean, well run, middle class hotel with good English speaking, friendly staff. The price-performance ratio is good. It can be booked through hotel booking portals, is located near the train station and is easily accessible.
Learn
Work
security
health
Practical advice
- Tourist information office, on Gandhji Road on its east side, about 300 m north of Thanjavur Junction Railway Station. Gandhiji Road is the main road that connects the train station and the old bus station. It is located on the side of a large public building. Here you can find competent help in English.
trips
- In Thiruvaiyaru, which is about 12 km north of Thanjavur, you can visit the relatively large Panchanadeeswarar Aiyaarappar temple - a Shiva temple. It is a Vijaynagar-style chola temple with a chola-side shrine. There is another temple to the north, the interior of which is made of black stone and the surrounding area in fine Vijjaynagar style. The temples are located about 500 m northeast of the small bus station, which in turn is 200 m north of the bridge over the Kaveri.
- Kumbakonam is suitable as a day trip from Thanjavur, but also has overnight accommodation itself. It is 32 km northeast of Thanjavur. Its bus station is east of the sights. It is therefore advisable, like most passengers, to get off in the city center. There are mainly temples to see here.
- The (A) iravateshvara temple is the most important attraction in Kumbakonam. It was built from 1146 to 1163 and can be visited from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Like the Brihadishvara Temple in Thanjavur and the temple of the same name in Gangaikonda Cholapuram, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site Great Temple of the Chola Dynasty. It is not as big as the Brihadishvara Temple in Thanjavur, but has very filigree relief figures and has some well-preserved paintings. Its name goes back to the legend that Airavatha, the white elephant of God Indras, the god Shiva worshiped, which is undoubtedly meant to illustrate the superiority of the new over the old gods. The English Wikipedia page has details and shows lots of nice photos. The position of the temple is 10 ° 56 ′ 54 ″ N.79 ° 21 '22 "E. It is located in the western suburb of Darasuram, where the buses between Thanjavur and Kumbakonam pass. If you go on a day trip from Thanjavur, you should visit the temple at the beginning or at the end of the trip so as not to drive back and forth between Darasuram and Kumbakonam unnecessarily.
- To the north of the Airavatheshvara Temple is another old temple from the same period, which is also worth seeing.
- The Mahamahan tank is about 1 km southwest of the bus station 10 ° 57 ′ 20 ″ N.79 ° 22 ′ 56 "E. He is surrounded by some shrines.
- The old one located about 700 m northwest of the Mahamahan Tank Nageshwara-Swami is a gem of the Cholas and was built around the year 910. It is clearly a Chola style temple, although Pallava allusions can be found. The figurative representations are very filigree.
- From the Nageshwara-Swami it is about 400 m north-northwest to the Sarangapani temple, a beautiful and original temple from the time of the Nayaks.
- Another 400 m further west is the larger one Kumbeshwarar Templewhich is also worth seeing.
- The place is about halfway from Thanjavur to Kumbakonam Pasupathikovil. The bus goes through this place. Interesting is the Alandhurai Temple (or named after Pullamangai, Tirupullamangai or Pasupathi) from the Chola period. At the bus stop you have to keep northwest and go 10 ° 53 '46 "N.79 ° 11 '5 "E walk. Pullamangai is used here from the many temple names. If the temple is locked, it's best to ask around. There is a lady who can unlock the gopuram door. The inside of the temple remains closed. But the most interesting thing can be seen on the outside: The temple is very similar to the Nageshwarar Swami in Kumbalkonam.
- Located 8 km east of Pasupathikovil Papanasamthat is particularly proud of its temple 108 Sivalayam with its 108 Shiva lingams. It is located directly (south) on the NH45C 10 ° 55 ′ 29 ″ N.79 ° 15 ′ 27 ″ E. Architecturally it is moderately interesting, but it has an important religious significance. 2km further east is the Palaivanathaswamy Temple at 10 ° 55 ′ 51 ″ N.79 ° 16 ′ 14 ″ E. It is a medium-sized temple, the oldest parts of which date from the Chola period. Compared to the excellent temples in its vicinity, it is a bit simplistic and unfortunately partly overpainted, even inscriptions. Nevertheless, a traveler who is enthusiastic about the temple can make a stopover while passing through, especially since the temple is just 100 m away from the NH45C. The motley painted Chola ceiling figures are interesting. A round brick rice granary from the beginning of the 17th century has also been preserved - a rather inconspicuous, round building.
- About 35 km north-northeast of Kumbakonam and about 75 km northeast of Thanjavur is located in the tiny town Gangaikonda Cholapuram Another very worth seeing temple, which is also part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Great Temples of the Chola Dynasty. Its name is like the main temple of Thanjavur: Brihadishvara Temple. The opening times are 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Photography is prohibited inside the temple. Its position is 2 km west of the confluence of the NH227 with the NH45C. Getting a bus at this junction is usually not a problem. The NH45C is very busy, the NH227 less. There is a small archaeological museum near the temple (open except Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.). His position is 11 ° 12 '23 "N.79 ° 27 ′ 0 ″ E.
literature
Web links
- http://www.municipality.tn.gov.in/thanjavur - Thanjavur official website
