Introduction to Tanjore: About a thousand years ago, Tanjore, or Thanjavur was the capital of the powerful Chola dynasty. Today, it is the little town set amidst the lush green rice fields of the Cauvery delta. Magnificent temples, still bear witness to the splendour of Chola architecture. Also called the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu, Tanjore is famous for many reasons since the time of Cholas. The name itself has many interesting legends related to it. According to one of them, Tanjore probably was called Tanjai. The other legends attribute the name of the city to Tanjam, a demon who was haunting the locality and was destroyed by God Vishnu. However, apart from these legends Tanjore also has a sound history of different dynasties that ruled over it. The Cholas conquered Thanjavoor in about 850 A.D. replacing the Mutharayar Chiefs and made it their capital. The Cholas ruled over Tamil Nadu for more than 400 years (850 to 1279) and have left an imperishable mark on its history. Besides the Cholas, the southern part of the Indian peninsula was also ruled by Pallavas, Pandyas and Cheras. The present day Tanjore is the headquarters of the Tanjore District.

Sightseeing:  Tanjore has a number of important places that attract the attention of many tourists all through the year. You can see the influence of history, religion and nature in all the places of attraction here. Tanjore is primarily a place for the art lovers, especially for those who love temple architecture and wonder about kings who erected these magnificent monuments. During their reign, the Cholas made significant contribution to the various fields of art and architecture. The famous Thanjavur style of painting was developed by Serfoji, the 19th-century Maharaja of Thanjavur. This distinguished art of Thanjavur is a combination of raised and painted surfaces. Krishna is the deity depicted here keeping his complexion as white, rather than the traditional blue. The Brihadeeswara temple, the wonderful Palace, Art Gallery and the Saraswati Mahal Library are some of the other things to see in Tanjore.

Excursions: Apart from the sites to visit inside the city, Tanjore also has some of the interesting excursion points that one must not miss. Being an important base point to visit the many nearby places, Tanjore also takes you to some of the exotic natural, religious and historical places nearby. Thirukandiyur (10 km away from Tanjore), Thiruvaiyaru (13 km), Swamimalai (32 km), Kumbakonam (36 km), Tiruvarur (55km) and Tirunallur (95 km) away are some of the many must see excursion points from Tanjore.