dea of India@75 – learn more about India, its aspects & culture
In celebration of IndiaAt75, the Consulate General of India Hamburg is featuring stories from each state and every corner of India every week on Wednesday, taking you on a journey into irresistible India and its diverse and captivating beauty, art, culture, cuisine, people and places.
Week 74 – Thanjavur
Thanjavur, in the State of Tamil Nadu, is an important center of South Indian religion, art, and architecture with most of the Great Living Chola Temples, which are UNESCO World Heritage Monuments, located in and around it.
The Chola king Vijayalala made Thanjavur the capital of his empire in the middle of the 9th century. It experienced its heyday under Rajaraja I, who had the famous Brihadishvara Temple built. Completed in 1010, the granite temple with its more than 60 m high Vimana (temple tower) has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. It is considered one of the most magnificent temples in India and is an outstanding example of medieval Hindu temple architecture in the Dravidian style. The Vimana is crowned by a dome resting on a single block of granite weighing around 80 tons, said to have been transported over 6 km with the help of a ramp towards the end of the 10th century. The sanctuary of the temple is guarded by a Nandi, Shiva’s mount in the form of a bull, 6m long and 3.7m high and the third largest of its kind in India.
In the 13th century the city fell to the Pandya dynasty and and then to the Sultans of Madurai the following century, before finally falling to the British East India Company in 1799. The Nayaka Palace, of which only ruins remain, is one of the main buildings of the great fort built by the Nayaka in the 16th century and later completed by the Marathas. From the two towers, visitors have a wonderful view of the fort and the surrounding area. The Nayaka Palace houses the Art Gallery and the Saraswati Mahal Library. The latter was founded around 1700 and contains a collection of rare palm leaf manuscripts. In addition, the library has a stock of around 40,000 books with religious, philosophical and other aesthetic content.
Today, Thanjavur is considered one of the most important political, literary and religious centers in South India. The city is best known for its contribution to music and dance and has produced many classical musicians and Bharathanatyam dancers. Thanjavur is also home to Tanjore painting, a painting style unique to the region.
Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India
India in Germany (Embassy of India, Berlin)
Indian Council For Cultural Relations
Amrit Mahotsav
Incredible India
Ministry of Tourism, Government of India
Azaadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav IndiaAt75 incredible india indian tourism dekhoapnadesh bharatdarshan Thanjavur tamilnadu tourism
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