Brihadeeswarar Temple (Big Temple), Thanjavur
Lord Brihadeeswarar (Shiva)
Thanjavur, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu
Chola masterpiece completed in 1010 CE with a 66 m granite vimana; part of the Great Living Chola Temples.
History
Built by the Chola emperor Rajaraja I and completed in 1010 CE, the temple was a symbol of Chola power and patronage of the arts. Its granite vimana is among the tallest of its kind and is topped by a capstone believed to weigh about 80 tonnes. Inscriptions on the walls record the temple's staff, dancers and donations in great detail. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 and celebrated its 1,000th anniversary in 2010.
Architecture
Dravidian; 13-tier vimana about 66 m tall, one of India's largest monolithic Nandis, Chola frescoes inside the sanctum corridor.
Festivals
- Maha Shivaratri
- Rajaraja Chola's Sathaya Vizha (Aippasi)
- Natyanjali
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Plan your visit
Weather at the temple
Directions to Brihadeeswarar Temple (Big Temple)
How to reach
- By air
- Tiruchirappalli Airport, about 60 km
- By train
- Thanjavur Junction, about 2 km
- By road
- Well connected to Trichy and Kumbakonam.
Near the temple
Rooms, food, bus stands, railway stations, ATMs, hospitals, parkingPlaces come from OpenStreetMap and may be incomplete. Each list has a Google Maps link for more.