Blogs from Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India, Asia

24th Dec 2019 I am staying at Tanjore. I started to Kumbakonam at 8.30 am . Reached Kumbakonam at 9.45 am. After 10 minutes got the bus to Tirunageswaram . Prayed at Naganthar temple for Rahu. The main Diety is Siva Tirunageswaram Naganathar Temple (Rahu) Tirunageswaram Naganathar Temple also known as Rahu Stalam is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Shiva, located in Tirunageswaram, a village in the outskirts of Kumbakonam, a town in Tamil Nadu, India. It is significant to the Hindu sect of Saivism as one of the temples associated with the nine planet elements, the Navagraha Stalas, and specifically Rahu. Shiva is worshiped as Naganathar, and is represented by the lingam. His consort Parvati is depicted as Piraisoodi Amman. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work, ... read more

20th Dec 2019 I reached Tanjore on 19th Dec 2019 by 10.30 pm Started to Brihadisvara Temple, Thanjavur around 8 am from the place I stay Brihadisvara Temple, Thanjavur Brihadishvara Temple, also called Rajarajesvaram or Peruvudaiyār Kōvil, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva located in South bank of Kaveri river in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the largest South Indian temples and an exemplary example of a fully realized Dravidian architecture. It is called as Dhakshina Meru (Meru of the south). Built by Tamil king Raja Raja Chola I between 1003 and 1010 AD, the temple is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the "Great Living Chola Temples", along with the Chola dynasty era Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple and Airavatesvara temple that are about 70 kilometers and 40 kilometers ... read more

22nd Dec 2019 I am staying at Tanjore. Took a bus from Old bus stand Tanjore and reached Kumbakonam in 1 hour and 15 minutes. I took an auto and paid a minimum charge of Rs 50 and reached Nageswarar temple which is 2 to 3 km from the Kumbakonam bus stand. Temples of Kumbakonam (http://www.kumbakonam.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=36&Itemid=56) Nageswarar Temple Nageswaran temple otherwise known as "Koothandavar kovil".Chola dynasty constructed this temple during 12th century. This temple stands as a great marvel of Chola's architecture, building technology. The design and orientation are structured in such a way that it allows the sun rays inside the temple only during the month of Chithirai. The Karuvarai of Nageswaran temple has similarities with that of the Sarangapani temple, as it is made in the form of a chariot. The temple consists of ... read more

We picked up a car and a driver for the next 4 days to explore some the remanants of the Chola Dynasty. Established around 300AD it grew to rule vast tracks of Southern India and parts of countries around the Bay of Bengal ( Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand) plus established trade routes with China and Iran reaching its peak around 1300AD. The remanants of its capital are now just a few temples in rural areas of Tamil Nadu. As you see from these photos it must have been a huge place in its day. The scale of these temples is hard to show. The towers on the two largest are around 50 metres high.... read more

I'm writing this entry as the sun slowly sets over Thanjavur on our last night in India. The locals are all engaged in a frantic rush of activity in anticipation for the upcoming three day harvest festival known as Pongol. People are stocking up on vast swathes of sugar cane and rice, paints are being bought to decorate one's doorstep and cows are being washed down and having their horns painted in all sorts of vibrant colours. Having been on the move and engaging in various activities pretty well non-stop up until now, we were all quite looking forward to the opportunity of doing very little and recharging the proverbial batteries. Thus, we slowly made our way south from Cochi to spend a couple of relaxing days cruising the backwater canals of Kerala and doing exactly ... read more