THE EVOLVING BACKPACKER: THANJUR (THANJAVUR), TAMIL NADU

Thanjur (Thanjavur), Tamil Nadu - Chola Grandeur

I arrived Thanjavur from Rameshwaram as a continuation of my backpacking trip in Tamil Nadu. ( Refer earlier posts and note below).

There is no direct bus connecting the above two places. I had to change bus at Ramnad (Ramnathpur). The entire journey was about 6.5 hours.

Mandapam to Ramnad – Depart – 0700 Hrs / Arrive – 0800 HRs / Ticket price – Rs. 22/-

Ramnad to Thanjore – Depart – 0820 Hrs / Arrive – 1330 Hrs / Ticket price – Rs. 114/-

Buses pull into the new City bus stand, inconveniently located about 4 kms away from the centre. Hired a rickshaw (Rs.70/-) to Hotel Valli on MKM street. Found it to be a decent place with clean rooms and an attached restaurant.

FOR THE ENTIRE POST AND PHOTOS VISIT : http://theevolvingbackpacker.com/Thanjur

ALSO DO VISIT MY NEW WEBSITE : www.theevolvingbackpacker.com FOR OTHER BACKPACKING STORIES!!!

The main places of interest here are the Brihadishwara (Brahadadeswara) temple also known as the Big Temple whose huge tower dominates the city skyline, the Royal palace compound and within it’s environs, the Art gallery (which houses the famous Chola bronzes) and the Saraswati Mahal Library.

The Brihadishwara (Brahadeeswara) temple (Daily 6am to noon, and 4-8pm. Entry free) is an absolutely breathtaking structure and is worth a couple of visits especially during dawn and dusk to catch the play of light on the sandstone edifices.

Once inside the gigantic courtyard you have great vantage points to appreciate the beauty of the temples, inner courtyards and also to just find a quiet spot and reminisce.

I hired a guide (Rs.450/- which I feel was a bit too much) who took me around the temple premises and shared some history about the temple.

The Royal Palace compound is on the East Main street, 2 Kms Northeast of Brihadishwera temple (Rickshaw – Rs. 40/-). The palace building and the watch tower by itself are not so much worth seeing and sadly seems to be in a sort of a neglected state. The courtyard is dotted with exhibition of various statues dating from the earliest dynasties.

The watch tower is just a series of very narrow staircases leading up to the top and devoid of any significant artefacts and sculptures. There is however a very unusual, out-of-place, yet jaw dropping display of the skeleton of a mammoth 90 feet whale which had washed up on the shores some time back.

The main attraction here is the art gallery museum and the Durbar hall.

The Saraswati library situated within the same premises (Open: 10:00am-1:00pm to 2:00-5:00 pm (except Wednesday)- Entry free / Photography not allowed) houses a range of rare manuscripts from around India. The library is closed to public but there is a small museum attached displays a collection of books and pictures. Most well know amongst the exhibits is definitely the graphically illustrated 'Punishments in China' describing various forms of tortures for prisoners and dissidents.

SOME FACTS ABOUT THE BIG TEMPLE:

1) The entire temple was built within seven years from 1003 A.D to 1010 A.D under the reign of King Rajaraj I.

2) 3,000 elephants and 4,000 labourers were employed for the construction.

3) As Thanjavur has no sandstones, same were transported from Trichy and other areas, a distance of nearly 60 kilometers.

4) During the raising of the structures, sand was used to level up, make a working platform and move to the next ascending layer. All this sand was later used to prepare the surrounding outermost wall.

5) The stoned dome which tops the Sanctum Sanctorum is made of a single stone and weighs eighty tonnes. It is believed that, using sand a gradual inclined ramp was created , about 12 kilometers long and the stone was dragged into place by elephants.

6) The Nandi bull facing the Sanctum Sanctorum, weighs 25 tonnes and is the third largest in India.

TIPS :

1) Laptops and camera tripods are not allowed inside and same has to be deposited at the footwear stand. If you want to use tripod for your camera you need to take prior permission from ASI department office.

2) The archaeological museum on the south west perimeter houses some artefacts and you can also pick up the excellent ASI book on Chola temples which gives further insight on Brihadishwara, Gangaikondacholapuram and Darasuram temples.

Do catch the photo post elsewhere in this blog for more photos.

PRACTICALITIES :

GO THERE FOR : Brihadishwara (Brahadeeswara) temple, Royal palace which houses the Saraswati library and the famed art gallery for Chola Bronzes

HOW TO GET THERE :

Well connected by flights to Chennai and Mumbai and by train to all major cities within Tamil Nadu and India.

Approach by road:

Buses arrive at either the old State Bus-stand opposite the City bus stand or the New Bus-stand, inconveniently located 4 kms from the centre and this is precisely where the bus that I arrived in (Rameshwaram-Mandapam-Ramnad-Thanjur) landed.

Rickshaws from here into town cost Rs. 70/-

STAY :

Range of options from absolute basic rooms to the high end hotels.

I stayed at Hotel Valli, MKM road. Call – 04362/231580 (See photo post for picture of the room). Singles (Non A/C)- Rs. 420/- per day. Doubles 650/-. Restaurant attached (Veg and non Veg). Room service available.

Try the TTDC hotel, a former raja’s guesthouse which has lovely gardens and spacious rooms.

Call – 04362/231325, 231421. Double (A/C) – Rs. 1,200/-

GETTING AROUND :

Hotels mentioned above and most of other hotels as well are within a 10 minutes walking distance from the railway station and old city stands. Buses and rickshaws are available to the temple and the museum.

EATING :

Both the hotels mentioned above have attached restaurants offering Veg or Non-Veg meals.