Introduction

The structure was built during the 8th World Tamil Conference in the heart of Thanjavur. It has a small, but well-manicured garden with slides and swings, and a museum on the ground floor of the main mandapam. Today, its maintenance and upkeep is under the State Archaeological Department. This museum was set up in 1984 to mark the 1000th birth centenary of Raja Raja Chola, the greatest Chola king of all time. Raja Raja Chola I (985-1014 CE) is looked up with awe for his military conquests, administrative prowess, religious tolerance, and penchant for art, culture and architecture. He was the man behind the unprecedented success of the Chola dynasty, and paved the way for its continued glory for another two centuries. He built one of the world’s grandest temples, the all-stone Brihadeeswara Temple thick with sculptures (in stone and bronze), calligraphy and paintings.

Pan through the antiques on display at the museum. You will come across a rare array of stone sculptures of deities from Hindu mythology such as Yoga Dakshinamoorthy, Nataraja (the dancing form of Lord Shiva), Jyestha, Gajalakshmi, Vishnu, Brahma, Murugan, Bhairava, Vinayaka (Lord Ganesha), Surya (the Sun god), Nandi (the holy bull of Lord Shiva), and Rishi Agasthya among others. Outside of sculptures, the museum also houses interesting exhibits, charts and maps on the history of the Chola Empire.

Special Attributes

Look out for ancient stone sculptures of Hindu deities at the museum.

Nuisance

The site is very peaceful and free of irritants.

Dressing restrictions

Open through the year

Connectivity

You can take an auto-rickshaw, cycle-rickshaw or a tourist cab from the city center.

Enjoyed by

History Lovers, Kids

Exposure

You will mostly be indoors.

Avoidable Season

Open through the year

Facilities

Basic, plan accordingly

Things Not Allowed

No such restriction

Tip

An early morning visit to the shrine is preferable, before the pilgrims/tourists begin to trickle in. And don’t forget to take lots of pictures!

Type of site

Hindu shrine/ temple site