Tanjore Art Gallery

If you think that Tanjavur is only its temples, then you are wrong. There lies beyond the temple a palace or as it is locally called ‘Tanjavur Aranmanai’ which housed two different reigns, the Nayaks and the Marathas.

Maratha Darbar Hall

Tanjavur is also called the “Rice bowl of Tamil Nadu” because of the huge cultivation of rice in the land. If you love art and historical architecture Tanjavur is the place for you. Tanjavur was the capital of the Chola kingdom that ruled most of the southern regions and even flourished under the Marathas and the British rule.

The Tanjavur Aranmanai was built by the Tanjavur Nayaks and later enhanced by the Marathas according to their needs. The palace was not built for luxury but as a fort to stay in during an attack. Hence, you will notice that it is slightly different from other palaces you find all over the country.

Art connoisseurs flock to this place throughout the year as you will find that the palace has intricate and vividly stroked paintings.These paintings are called as the Thanjavur paintings.The place consists of three different venues such as the palace, art gallery and the Saraswati mahal which is a library.

The city of Tanjavur smiles with its colorful dancing dolls called “Tanjavur Thalaiyatti Bommai” and the Tanjavur paintings. The Tanjavur paintings are famous for their gold plated paintings and figurines between the plates where the plates are hammered in order to engrave the designs on them.

The Tanjavur dolls which can be found anywhere in the city is one of its kind and are made using plaster of Paris. When you shake the heads of the dolls, they keep dancing for a long time and serve as beautiful souvenirs to take back home.

Apart from all these Tanjavur is also famous for its bronze productions and the many contributions of the Chola kings who ruled Tanjavur as their capital.

Tanjavur Palace is renowned for its exquisite stonework, including two Dubar halls featuring exquisite artwork. The Saraswathi Mahal Library, which holds approximately 30,433 Sanskrit books, some of the rarest palm scriptures, and several more journals in various languages, is the palace's principal draw.

Saraswathi Mahal Library - Tanjore

One of Asia's oldest libraries is this one. There are over 60,000 volumes in the collection, although only few of them are on display. Here you can view the rare palm manuscripts written in many different languages, such as Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, English, and so on.

This library was built for the royal Nayak family, who governed Tanjore from 1535 to 1675 AD. Maratha monarchs later developed this library. The name of the library has been changed to "The Thanjavur Maharaja Serfoji's Saraswati Mahal Library" in honor of Maharaj Serfoji, who has greatly contributed to it.

The library has computerized its activities and supports publishing rare manuscripts from the collection while ensuring the preservation of all volumes on microfilm. The majority of the manuscripts (39,300) in total are written in Sanskrit and include works in the fields of music, literature, and medicine. They are written in scripts like Grantha, Devanagari, Nandinagari, Telugu, and Tamil. The majority of Marathi manuscripts are written on paper, while some were written on palm leaves in Telugu script. The collection includes 22 Persian and Urdu manuscripts, most from the 19th century, and 846 Telugu manuscripts, the majority of which are on palm leaves. Scholars of Ayurveda have medical records in the library as well, including case studies and interviews with patients included in manuscripts under the Dhanvantari division.

This museum has sections for each category, like highlighting ancient manuscripts, illustrated manuscripts, printed copies of the original drawings, Thanjavur-style paper paintings, canvas paintings, wooden paintings, glass paintings, and so on.

The Saraswathi Mahal Library is not only noteworthy for its historical and cultural importance but also as a hub for maintaining and encouraging India's rich intellectual history.

The Sivaganga Park created as a people’s park in Tanjavur is situated next to the ancient Brihadeeshwarar temple. It also makes for a popular tourist destination in the area. It is a favourite picnic spot for tourist and locals alike. Sivaganga Garden, Tanjore, is one of the quietest retreats known for lush greenery, and vibrant flora, along with a very peaceful ambiance. It is a well-maintained garden with a historic water tank nearby. It is a spot for families nature lovers, and those seeking to relax in picture-perfect surroundings—a wonderful place for a picnic and ambling stroll in the quiet ways of the gardens. Shaded benches, beautiful views, and tranquillity all surround you. Combining natural beauty with historical value, Sivaganga Garden offers visitors refreshing experiences in Tamil Nadu's cultural hub.

Sivaganga Garden - Tanjore

The Garden lies in the Siva Ganga Fort and house a tank which is believed to be built by king Raja Raja Cholan. The park also consists of a motor boat facility and a pool for kids and adults. The garden consists of a zoological park, toy train and water sledge. The park makes for a great place to relax and unwind among the tranquil of the trees and birds.

Nearby Places To Visit

Brihadeeshwarar temple, Maratha Darbar Hall and Gangaikonda Cholapuram

How to reach ?

By Air : The Tiruchirapalli international airport is the nearest airport to Tanjavur at a distance of 59 kilometers.

By Train : The nearest railway station is located at Tanjavur.

By Road : Tanjavur is well connected by bus services from all other places of the country.

Make sure to visit the Tamil University of Tanjavur during your journey to South India. The university's buildings are designed to resemble the Tamil letters that together create the phrase "Tamil Nadu." The only centre for Tamil studies in the world, this university was founded in 1992 with the goal of doing advanced research on the language.

Tamil University - Tanjore

The origins of the Tamil language stretch back thousands of years, and the first known use of the language is from Tholkappiyam, which was written in the first century BC. The credit for developing and establishing Tamil literary works goes to the Pandya kings for organizing Tamil Sangams. Some sources suggest that the etymology of Tamil comes from ‘Tam-mil’ meaning “self-speech”.

Tanjore's name comes from the demon "Tanjan," who, after being killed there by Lord Neelamegha Perumal, a manifestation of Lord Vishnu, desired that the city bear his name.

The vibrant Tanjavur Thalaiyatti bommai, a terracotta doll whose head dances for a long time when pushed, is a common sight on the city's pavements as you go around. Handmade dolls like this are a specialty of the area. These can be purchased as mementos for your loved ones back home.

As you stroll through the streets of the city, you'll see that the pavements are adorned with colorful Tanjavur Thalaiyatti bommais, which are clay dolls whose heads move in time when pushed. These handmade dolls are among the area's specialties. You can buy them as keepsakes for your family members back home.

You wouldn't want to Miss Tanjavur, so make plans to visit and take in its culture, way of life, and historical legacy.