Sri Brihadeshwara Temple - World famous temple

Brihadeshwara Temple in Tanjore is full of countless attractions. The city of Thanjavur (or Tanjore) lies in the fertile Kaveri Delta, a region sometime referred to as the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu. For more than thousand years the city dominated the political history of the region as the capital of three powerful dynasties viz. the Cholas, the Nayakas and the Marathas.


This finest granite structure is now a UNESCO World heritage site. Completed in AD 1010 and dedicated to Lord Shiva, it was built by Rajaraja Chola I as a symbol of the unrivalled power and might of the Cholas. The temple basement is covered with inscriptions that give details of the temple’s administration and revenue, and provide valuable historical information on Chola society and government.

The temple is constructed using granite, mostly of large blocks, a rock that is not available in the neighborhood and had therefore to be brought from a distance- itself a colossal task. The plinth of the Central Shrine is 45.72 square m., the shrine proper 30.48 square m. and the vimana 60.96 m. high. On the massive plinth, covered throughout with inscriptions, there are niches on three sides in two rows, containing representations of deities such as Siva, Vishnu and Durga.