The City of Thanjavur is located in the south India in the state of Tamilnadu. It is also known as the city of temples. This place holds very rich historical heritage. People visit this place mainly because of its religious importance. There are so many temples in this city which are really worth taking the notice. World Famous Chola Temples are also situated in the Thanjavur only. These Temples are listed as the UNESCO’s World Heritage Monuments. If you are planning your Visit to the Thanjavur then following is the list of Temples Which you should definitely visit.

Tanjore temple

BRIHADEESHWARA TEMPLE

This is a very world famous temple. It is mainly famous for its Architecture. This Thanjavur big temple was built between the 1002 CE to 1010 CE by Raja Raja Chola 1st.  It is also One of the greatest temples among the Chola Temples. This temple is a great Example of the Dravidian Architecture. The temple is made of granite stones and the best part is this was built without the use of any cement or similar adhesive. the entire Temple is very huge. The Temple’s Vimanam or the temple tower is almost 55 meters in height which means it is approximately 216 feet. and it is the tallest in the world. The Kumbam or the Structure on top of the temple tower is entirely carved from a single rock and it weighs around 81 tons. The Whole temple is built to worship Lord Shiva. There is also a sculpture of Nandi or which is known as the Sacred Bull of Lord Shiva. That Sculpture is also entirely carved from a single rock. it measures around  16 ft (4.9 m) long and 13 ft (4.0 m) high at the entrance. If you are wondering there might be nearest resources of granite from which the materials were used to build the temple well then you are really wrong, The nearest source of Granite is about 60kms west of the temple.

The whole Periya kovil temple is built using the Puzzle technique. Meaning the stones of the temple are carved in such way that they fit together. This Temple is more than thousand years old and it is still a mystery to a lot of the Scientists and Architecture about how they have managed to build such masterpiece way back in time when there were no exact instruments or tools.

The architecture of this temple is what attracts most of the tourists from around the world.

GANGAIKONDA CHOLAPURAM

This is another one of the temples in the Greatest Chola Temples. This temple is also dedicated to Lord Shiva and it is situated just beside the Brihadeeshwara Temple. It is also regarded as the reproduction of the Brihadeeshwara Temple. this temple was built by the Rajendra Chola who was the Son of Raja Raja Chola, it was erected to outshine the Brihadeeshwara Temple which was made by his father. This temple is also mainly famous for having the biggest Shivalingam in South India. This Temple has a Lingam of Lord Shiva or in general terms the Shrine of Lord Shiva which is almost four meters high. This temple was built by a king so to provide safety and special as well as private areas for the Royal Family Members the Sanctum has encircled with two walls. The entrances of the Sanctum are also adored by the beautiful images of Goddess Saraswati. In this temple, the influence of Chalukyas can be seen easily as it is reflected in the sculptures such as Suryapita which stands for sun worship and Navgrahas which means nine planets.

This temple is also a great example of architecture. The Vimanam the temple tower is almost nine stories high which make its height approximately 185 feet. The temple follows the architectural style of the Brihadeeshwara Temple. You will be able to see so many mind-blowing Architectural designs, so many sculptures on the walls and on the ceilings which increase the beauty of the temple even more.

Above mentioned are the two main temples which you should definitely visit when you are going to visit the Thanjavur. Now if you are planning to stay a little bit longer than just one or two days there are so many other temples which are just a few kilometres away from the Thanjavur and which you should totally take a look at

• Thirunallar Temple
• Swami Malai Temple
• Alangudi Temple
• Punnainallur Mariamman Koil
• Naganathaswamy Temple
• Chandra Sthalam Thingalur (Kailasanthar) Temple
• Thiruvalanchuzhi
• Thirumananjeri Temple
• Ramaswamy Temple
• Keelaperumpallam Temple
• Sukkiran Temple
• Raahu Navagrahasthalam

Above mentioned temples are also a very great example of the Architecture. Thanjavur holds a special place in the ancient India and in the Modern India as well. It is one of the Holiest cities in India. If you ever get a time then you should visit this city and feel connected to the spirituality and be amazed by the advanced architecture of the Temples.