Thanjavur - Ancient Temple Town

---

---

Thanjavur - Ancient Temple Town

A few more hours on a bus took us to Thanjavur, with a completely different kind of temple.
Brihadishvara Temple is made entirely of natural stone, laid out over large walled gardens, with two star attractions: a 217ft gopura (again with carved 'gargoyle' gods), and a 20ft 25 tonne granite cow (Nandi).
Once again we visited twice it was so good, and on the second visit we were fortunate enough to witness the Nandi Ceremony. Washing the cow with gallons and gallons of milk, before drying, and dressing Nandi with garlands of pink and yellow flowers and a sari! (Nandi in this case is a 6m high Granite cow)

It was absolutely amazing, practically the whole town had turned out for the occasion, families brought picnics and partied well into the night. Live music was fantastic.

We stumbled across a small workshop that demonstrated the Lost Wax art of bronze sculpture, a technique dating back 1000yrs. Figures would first be made in beeswax, then wrapped in clay to form 'eggs'. These were buried in the sand for the clay to harden. Next the 'egg' was cooked in a hot fire to allow the wax to melt and pour out leaving a mould ready for the molten metal. Finally the clay egg was smashed revealing a unique cast ( later it would be hand finished), each ornate statue taking several days of work..fabulous.
However we debated on how many quality bronzes this place actually produced...

---