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Thanjavur, India



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About Thanjavur


Formerly known as Tanjore, this city is located in the state of Tamil Nadu in the southern part of India. Founded by Swaran Maran, one of the Mutharayar kings, this city is among the very old cities in the country. Being the location of many of the Chola temples that are declared as World Heritage Monuments by U. N. E. S. C. O. (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), this place is considered to be one of the important hubs of the art and architecture of south India. The famous Tanjore painting originated from this city.

Demographics of Thanjavur


According to the latest Census report published in the year 2011, following are some of the basic information regarding the demography of this south Indian city:

  • Total population: 2, 90, 732
  • Percentage of male population: 50 %
  • Percentage of male population: 50 %
  • Percentage of child population (Below the age of 6 years): 8.9 %
  • Rate of average literacy: 80 %
  • Rate of male literacy: 85 %
  • Rate of female literacy: 76 %
  • Spoken language: Tamil
  • Religion: Hinduism, Islam and Christianity

Tourist places in Thanjavur



The age old Chola temples of the city attract tourists for their primitive architectural style. Some of the famous places of visit in this city of south India are as follows:

  • Akshayapureeswarar Temple: Known by the name of the "Poosam Star Temple", this place of worship is located in Vilangulam that is around 65 km from the city.

  • Brahadishwara Temple: Even called the "Big Temple", this World Heritage Site dates back to the 11th Century. Located at the heart of the city, this Murugan temple was constructed by Rajaraja Chola. Surmounted by a tower, the temple has got 2 courts.

  • Manora Fort: This fort, constructed by Serfoji II, is one of the monumental towers in the city.
  • Puliyur Vyagrapureeswarar Temple: Popularly known as the "Dhakshina Chidambaram", the specialty of this temple is that the worship of God Nataraja is done here every evening on priority basis.

  • Raja Rajan Manimandapam: This is among the major tourist attractions in this south Indian city.

  • Sangeetha Mahal: This palatial structure has now been transformed to an exhibition centre, where different kinds of exhibitions on the handcrafted items of the local artisans are held.

  • Sikkal Singaravelavar Temple: This is among the few Tamil Nadu temples, which houses the idols of both God Siva as well as God Vishnu in the same premises.

  • Sirkazhi: This is the location of the much known Thirumulaippal Festival.

  • Swamimalai: Dedicated to God Murugan, this temple is featured with 60 steps that indicate Tamil calendar's 60 years. Diamond Vel is used to decorate the idol of Lord Swaminathan on every Thursday.

  • Vijayanagara Fort: This ancient fort includes a palace, a bell tower as well as the Saraswathi Mahal Library. This library has got a collection of more than 30, 000 European and Indian manuscripts, which were written on paper and palm leaves.

Resources of Economy in Thanjavur


The economy of this city is mostly agriculture based. With high deposition of alluvial soil, the land is favorable for the cultivation of crops such as rice. Thus, this city is even called the "Rice bowl of Tamil Nadu". To name a few other crops grown in the region are banana, coconut, black gram, gingelly, green gram, maize, ragi, red gram and sugarcane. 58 % of the land of this place is used for cultivation. Apart from acting as a main point of food grains, this city has even got some small and medium scale industries. Tourism is another major contributor in the earnings of this city of Tamil Nadu.

How to Reach Thanjavur

Besides the various towns and cities of this state of south India, the city is quite well connected to the rest of the country by rail and roadways. This city can be reached by airways as well. Some detailed information about the varied modes of transport, through which the place can be reached are given below:

  • By Air: Tiruchirapalli International Airport, which is around 56 km away from Thanjavur is the nearest airport to the city. However, Thanjavur Air Force Station has even started its full fledged operation recently. It stations numerous fighter aircrafts that include Sukhoi Jets as well.

  • By Train: Thanjavur Junction is one of the important railway stations of the Southern Railways. Daily trains to and from some of the major cities of the nation like Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Dharmapuri, Ernakulam, Erode, Karur, Madurai, Mysore, Palakkad, Rameswaram, Salem, Thrissur, Tiruchendur, Tiruchirapalli, Tirunelveli and Tirupur are available from this station. Apart from that even some weekly trains help the city connect to the other Indian cities of Allahabad, Bhubaneshwar, Goa, Jabalpur, Nagpur, Tirupati, Varanasi, Vijayawada, Vishakapatnam, Vizianagaram and many more.

  • By Road: Proximity to a number of National Highways like N. H. - 45 C, N. H. - 67, N. H. - 226 and N. H. - 226 (Extn.) help the city maintain a link with the other neighboring as well as distant places located all over the country. Regular buses ply to and from the cities of Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Ernakulam, Erode, Kumbakonam, Madurai, Mysore, Nagercoil, Ooty, Pattukkottai, Pudukkottai, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirappalli, Tirunelveli, Tirupathi and Tirupur.



Last Updated on 3/9/2012