Thanjavur (or 'Thanjai' or 'Tanjore') is 342 km from Chennai the capital of the state Tamil Nadu, India. Thanjai is considered to be the granary and 'rice bowl' of Tamil Nadu. It is the district headquarters by the same name.
Pronounce : Than-jaa-voor. It is sometime referred as Tanjavur (wrong) or Thanjavoor.
About
Thanjavur thrived as the ancient capital of the Chola kingdom, later of Marathas and Nayaks. Thanjavur was at the height of its glory during the Chola period between the 10th and the 14th century and became a great centre of learning and culture.
The important landmark in Thanjavur is the great Brahadeeswara Temple also known as the Big Temple, it was built by Raja Raja Chola - I. It is one of the most magnificent piece of South Indian temple architecture. Established in 1011 AD in celebration of victory of Chola kingdom that extended till Ceylon and some parts of the Malaya archipelago. Now it is a world heritage site.
Even today Thanjavur is not only considered as the rice bowl of tamil nadu but also as a cultural head quarters. Though the Thanjavur district is dominated by agriculture, the town is diverse in its own, Having a literacy percentage of more that 75% and a homogenous mix of population of all religions.
How to Reach
Nearest airport is Tiruchirapalli. There are direct flights from Chennai
Thanjavur is also reachable by train from other Indian cities. 'Thanjavur Junction' is the station to alight. There are daily trains from/to Chennai, Bangalore, Mysore, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Thrissur, Coimbatore, Tiruchirapalli, Madurai, Erode, Salem , Tirupur , Tirunelveli, Rameswaram and weekly trains to Tiruchendur, Bhubaneshwar, Varanasi , Allahabad , Jabalpur , Vijayawada , Vizianagaram and to all main cities. For train timings and on-line reservations (within India) visit the IRCTC's website.
There are several state and private buses that ply daily from Mannargudi, Pattukkottai, Kumbakonam, Pondicherry, Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai and Tiruchy. The journey from Bangalore and Chennai takes about 9 hours and there are over-night buses. Some buses (from Madurai or Trichy) arrive at Thanjavur a the new bus stand located at 3 km from the center. There you can take another bus for the center for Rs. 4, you can ask for the "old bus stand".
Reproduced from Wikipedia
