At first glance, it looks like any other small town with its bustling town, if not skyscrapers then small buildings, malls and well-made roads where its people walk free, but Thanjavur at its heart is the quintessential temple town of India that can easily quench the thirst of history buffs, archaeologists, pilgrims and regular travelers. This city which houses some of the magnificent temples that are World Unesco Heritage sites bears the testimony of the mighty king Raja Raja Chola of the invincible Chola Dynasty. There are architectural wonders to discover, lip-smacking culinary to taste, gold-hued Tanjore painting mythological stories to lend ears to, and some amazing heroic tales to relate to. Hold the hands of Frontiers Beyond as we take you for a temple run.

Thanjavur is located in the southern state of Tamil Nadu and can be reached from the state capital Chennai via road which will take around 6 hours. The nearest airport to Thanjavur is Trichy which is around 57 km away. Trichy is also the city to be in if you wish to travel via train.

Situated on the tranquil banks of river Cauvery, the Brihadesvara Temple is a famous and popular temple that attracts travelers and pilgrims alike. It has some gorgeous Gopurams, beautiful frescoes, and an overall ornate temple complex that is quite huge. The deity worshipped here is Shiva. The vimana tower above the shrine stands really tall and is built of granite. The 10th-century king Raja Raja Chola commissioned the temple and fondly named it Rajarajeshvara Temple.

71 km away from Thanjavur lies the Gangaikonda  Brihadesvara Temple. Its grand structure can leave all its onlookers totally bedazzled.  It’s a beauty by itself carved out of stone and houses some of the magnificent Chola sculptures and architecture.

You can head to the Thanjavur Royal Maratha Palace along with the Saraswati Mahal Library just a little away. If you want to witness some of the oldest and priciest Chola Bronzes, then we highly recommend this. It safeguards more than 60000 manuscripts that have been collected by the rulers of Thanjavur over many centuries.

If you are an art aficionado, we at Frontiers Beyond highly recommend watching the craftsmanship of the Veena makers, Tanjore painters, and Chola sculptors. Original Tanjore paintings are made from gold foil, and original teak wood frames and prices of the same can range from few thousand to some whopping lakhs. It draws its inspiration from the 16^th century from the time of the Nayaka rulers. It displays many styles like Deccan, Maratha, Vijaynagari, European and Company styles. Even if you can’t possess one, we highly recommend you see as many as possible with its vivid colors,  mythological characters, and something which we describe as the fine art of Southern India.

36 kms away and you can visit the Darasuram town to see the second Chola Temple which is the Airateshvara temple. This has a serene ambiance and is not frequented by many travelers unlike the Brihadeshvara Temple. The temple is amed after white elephant, Airavat which happens to be the divine mount of Lord Indra, the king of Heavens.

Another sweet temple town near Thanjavur is Kumbakonam famous for its small coffee shops where you can grab some filter coffee, tiffin centers and some temples as usual. Do try out their idlis, dosas, and vadas for your mid-day snacking urges.

The Sri Ranganatha Swamy temple which is 61 km away from Thanjavur is built in the classic Dravidian style and is regarded as the largest Vishnu temple in the world spread across 156 acres.  The gate or the Rajagopuram is 236ft high and is an awe-inspiring structure apart from the 1000-pillar hall structure. We absolutely recommend visiting this wonder.

It’s always good to visit these temple towns respecting the culture of the place. Always cover yourself modestly and maybe it’s a great idea to dress up traditionally as that will also allow you to have a taste of the Indian couture.

For gorging on some traditional vegetarian south Indian food, we highly recommend  Vasantha Bhavan, and if you are dying to sip on something cool then Badam Milk and Bombay Lassi from Anbu Lassi shop will definitely take care of your thirst. And if you miss some Mughlai food, then head towards Sathars Restaurant.

For some beach experiences, you can head towards Cuddalore, which is around 150 km away from Thanjavur. But one of the best seasons to visit Thanjavur would be October to March since at other times, the scorching heat can be quite gruesome and Monsoon rains thereafter can spoil your temple visits big time. So, in order to plan your trip perfectly, Frontiers Beyond recommends a great trip to this gorgeous temple town that has its own aura.