Tanjore: Feasting With True Chola Culture

As I headed from Mahabalipuram to Tanjore, I observed the entire city busy in celebrating the birthday of King Raja Cholan. Tanjore or Thanjavur, the erstwhile capital of the Chola dynasty, welcomed me with full warmth. After a long journey of about 300 km in a Deluxe Coach of Tamil Nadu Transport Corporation, I enjoyed my favourite Masala Dosa with a chilled Coke at the restaurant Marutham at Hotel Oriental Towers. A waiter told me that Hotel Oriental Towers also offers high-end luxurious accommodation at a reasonable price. Fortunately, I got a cozy room on the 11^th storey of the hotel from where I could have splendid views of the colourful Tanjore city.

I started off with my 'hunt' in the evening. I asked an autowala to take me to the major attractions of the city. He charged me Rs. 300 for 3 hours and in the meanwhile he shared very interesting facts about the city with me. He told me that the city was named after a demon king 'Tanjan' who was assassinated by Sri Anandavalli Amman, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The guy told me that the city is home to over 75 temples. He took me to places like Airavatheeswara Temple and Brihadeswara Temple, which are the most prominent religious sites and are declared as world heritage monuments by the UNESCO. The temples, designed during the Chola kingdom, were amazing architectures.

Anna, the autowala, was a wonderful guide. He insisted me to visit the Tanjore Palace as well. This superb structure was a unique blend of the Chola, Nayakas and the Maratha architectural patterns. Anna told me that the palace houses a library, an art gallery and an interesting museum. I was surprised to see the display of items from the past rulers and the rarest collection of artifacts of the 8^th and 9^th century, belonging to the Chola dynasty. The library has an amazing collection of manuscripts written on palm leaves and paper. There are over 44,000 palm leaf and paper manuscripts in Indian and European languages inside the Saraswathi Mahal library. After a short but interesting historic journey, Anna dropped me to my hotel. I asked Anna if he could show me the other attractions of the city the next day. He smiled and said that he would charge Rs. 500 for that.

The very next morning, I had my breakfast in my room only. Anna was waiting for me outside the hotel since 8:30 am and I did not want to make him wait for a long time. Therefore I had a quick shower, put some snacks in my bag and got down of the hotel at 9 am. He first took me to Kodaikkarai or Point Calimere. It is a famous bird sanctuary, located about 90 km from Tanjore. We spent about two hours there and spotted several migratory waterfowls such as Flamingoes. While returning from the Point Calimere, Anna offered me glimpses of Swamimalai (abode of Lord Subramanya), Darasuram temple (dedicated to Lord Shiva), Thirubuvnam temple (dedicated to Lord Shiva), Naageswaran temple etc. Being more inclined towards historic monuments, I insisted Anna to take me to some fort or palace. He took me to 'Manora', the largest and tallest of the monuments built by the Tanjore Marathas. This eight-storey hexagonal fortress was constructed by Sarfoji II in 1815 in the honour of Britain's victory over Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo.

We had our lunch at a roadside dhaba. We were offered a variety in rice preparations. Anna tole me that the city is nurtured by the Kaveri (Cauvery) river and there are a number of paddy fields in Tanjore. Being a leading player in rice cultivation, Tanjore is called the 'Rice Bowl of South India'. While returning to the hotel, I asked Anna to drive via market area. As Tanjore is a center for art and culture, its antiques, exquisite handicrafts, handloom silk sarees and the unique Tanjore paintings (known for their elegance, rich colors, and images of Hindu deities) are in great demand all over the world. Tanjore artisans are expert in making plates (inlaid with brass and silver), musical instruments (veena, tambura and mridangam), paper mache dolls, miniatures of temples and bell metal products.

After reaching my hotel, I was invited to see a folk art performance in the main hall. I enjoyed various dance performances on Carnatic music while having dinner. These two days were simply outstanding and eventful.