Maratha Darbar Hall
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.