THANJAVURTRAVEL GUIDE

Tanjore or Tanjavur as it was earlier called, was the capital of the Chola empire from the 10th to the 14th centuries. Later it became part of the Vijayanagar kingdom, then passed into the hands of the Marathas and later still went to the British. For ages it has been the chief political, literary and religious centre of the south. The celebrated temple of Brihadeshwara, built by the Chola king Raja the Great during the 11th century, is its major attraction. The Saraswasti Mahal library, dating from the time of the Marathas, contains a rare collection of books and manuscripts on paper and palm-leaf.