Chennai to Thanjavur: The Big Temple and Chola Country Guide

Thanjavur, still often called Tanjore, sits at the heart of the Kaveri delta and the old Chola country. It is the kind of place where a thousand years of history is not tucked away in a museum but standing in the open, in granite, with people still praying inside it. For anyone based in Chennai who wants a trip that is more about substance than shopping, this is one of the best runs in Tamil Nadu.

You can see the headline sight, the Brihadeeswarar Temple, in a morning, but we would give Thanjavur at least a full day and a night, and two if you want the nearby towns as well. Here is how to get there from Chennai and how to make the most of it once you arrive.

How to get to Thanjavur from Chennai

Thanjavur is around 350 km south west of Chennai, and you have three sensible ways to cover it.

By road it is roughly 6 hours in a car, mostly along NH38 through Villupuram, Ulundurpet and Trichy. The road is good four lane highway for most of the way, with tolls, and there are plenty of clean places to stop for coffee and a meal. If you are driving yourself, leave Chennai early so you clear the city traffic before it thickens.

By train is the most relaxed option. Several direct trains run from Chennai Egmore towards Thanjavur, and the journey takes about 7 to 8 hours depending on the service. An overnight train is a good use of time, since you sleep through the distance and wake up close to the temples. Book a few days ahead in the busy season, as sleeper and AC berths fill up.

By air there is no airport in Thanjavur itself. The nearest is Tiruchirapalli, known as Trichy, about 60 km away, roughly an hour and a bit by taxi. Flights from Chennai to Trichy are short, so many travellers fly down and then drive across. It is worth it mainly if you are short on time or continuing on to other delta towns.

Brihadeeswarar Temple (the Big Temple)

The Brihadeeswarar Temple is the reason most people come, and it earns the attention. It was built by the Chola emperor Rajaraja I and completed in 1010, which makes it well over a thousand years old. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed among the Great Living Chola Temples, and the word living matters, because it is still an active place of worship rather than a ruin.

The scale is hard to take in from photographs. The main tower, the vimana, rises about 66 metres, and the whole thing is built from granite, a stone that is not local to the immediate area, which tells you something about the effort involved. In the courtyard sits an enormous stone Nandi, the bull that faces the shrine of Shiva. Early morning light is kind here, and the crowds are thinner, so aim to arrive not long after the gates open.

Entry to the temple is free. You will need to leave footwear at the stands outside, so socks are useful on a hot day when the stone gets warm. Dress modestly, keep shoulders and knees covered, and be respectful around the inner shrine, where non Hindus may find access limited at certain times. Give yourself a couple of hours to walk the whole complex slowly.

Thanjavur Palace and Saraswathi Mahal Library

A short drive from the temple is the Thanjavur Maratha Palace, a sprawling and slightly rambling complex built and added to over centuries, first by the Nayaks and then by the Maratha rulers who followed. It is not as polished as the Big Temple, and parts of it feel worn, but that is part of its character. The Durbar Hall, with its painted and decorated ceiling, is the highlight, and the bell tower gives a view over the town.

Inside the palace grounds is the Saraswathi Mahal Library, one of the oldest libraries in Asia still in existence. It holds a remarkable collection of palm leaf and paper manuscripts in Tamil, Sanskrit, Marathi and other languages, gathered by the Maratha kings, especially Serfoji II, who was a genuine scholar. Only a portion is on public display in the attached museum, but what you can see, including old maps, prints and manuscripts, is enough to slow you down. There is a small entry fee for the palace and its sections, usually a modest Rs 50 or so per adult, with separate small charges for cameras.

Art Gallery and Tanjore paintings

Within the palace complex you will also find the Thanjavur Art Gallery, and this is a quiet treasure. Its collection of Chola bronze idols is among the finest anywhere, cast using the lost wax method that Chola craftsmen mastered. The Nataraja figures and the standing deities have a poise to them that reproductions never quite catch.

Thanjavur is also the home of Tanjore painting, the style you will see in shops all over town. These are the richly coloured devotional panels, often of Krishna or other deities, built up with gesso relief and finished with gold foil and sometimes semi precious stones. Prices run from a few hundred rupees for small prints and cheaper pieces up to many thousands for a proper handmade work with real gold leaf. If you want a genuine painting rather than a printed copy, ask how it is made and buy from an established workshop.

Day trips from Thanjavur

Thanjavur makes a good base for the wider Chola heartland, and the nearby sights are worth an extra day.

• Kumbakonam, about 40 km away, is a temple town packed with shrines and known for its degree coffee and its filter coffee culture. It is also close to the Airavatesvara Temple.
• Darasuram, just outside Kumbakonam, is home to the Airavatesvara Temple, another of the Great Living Chola Temples and a UNESCO site. It is smaller than the Big Temple but exquisitely carved, and far quieter.
• Gangaikonda Cholapuram, around 70 km north, was built by Rajaraja’s son Rajendra I as his new capital. Its temple echoes the Thanjavur design and stands in open country with hardly a crowd, which is part of the pleasure.

You can string Darasuram and Gangaikonda Cholapuram together in one long day with a hired car and driver.

Where to eat

Food here is solid South Indian, and you eat well without spending much. Breakfast is idli, dosa, pongal and vada with strong filter coffee, and a full meal at a good local place will rarely trouble your wallet. For lunch, look for a proper banana leaf meals thali, with rice, sambar, rasam, a few vegetable dishes and curd, often for around Rs 120 to Rs 250. Hotel Sathars is a long standing name in town for those who want non vegetarian food, and there are many neat vegetarian restaurants near the bus stand and the temple. Do try the local coffee, and if you pass through Kumbakonam, seek out its famous degree coffee.

Where to stay

Thanjavur suits most budgets. Simple clean rooms and lodges near the bus stand and railway station start from roughly Rs 900 to Rs 1500 a night, which is fine if you mainly want a base for sightseeing. Mid range hotels with air conditioning, a restaurant and reliable hot water sit around Rs 2500 to Rs 5000. There are a few more comfortable heritage style and business hotels above that if you want a little polish. Book ahead during the October to March season and around major temple festivals, when rooms go quickly.

Best time to visit

The comfortable window is October to March, when the delta is dry and the days are warm rather than punishing. This is the best stretch for walking temple courtyards on foot. April to June gets very hot, which makes midday sightseeing hard work, and the monsoon months can bring heavy rain to this part of the coast. If you can, aim for the cooler half of the year.

Tips for the trip

• Start temple visits early, both for cooler stone underfoot and for softer light and smaller crowds.
• Carry socks, since you walk barefoot inside the temples and the ground heats up fast.
• Keep small notes handy for footwear stands, small entry fees and camera charges.
• Dress modestly at all temples, covering shoulders and knees.
• Hire a car with a driver for a day if you want to combine Kumbakonam, Darasuram and Gangaikonda Cholapuram comfortably.
• Buy Tanjore paintings from a known workshop and ask what is handmade and what is printed.
• Stay hydrated and pace yourself, as there is a lot of walking across large stone complexes.

Thanjavur rewards travellers who slow down. The Big Temple alone justifies the trip from Chennai, but it is the whole package, the palace, the bronzes, the paintings and the quiet Chola towns nearby, that makes it feel like a proper journey into the history of the south rather than a quick tick on a list. Give it the time it deserves.

Keep exploring Chennai

• Chennai to Trichy: Temples, Rockfort and Travel Guide
• Chennai to Tiruvannamalai: Temple Town Trip and Girivalam Guide
• Hill Stations Near Chennai: The Best Weekend Escapes
• Chennai to Madurai: Train, Flight, Bus and Road Guide
• Kanchipuram Day Trip from Chennai: Temples, Silk Sarees and How to Get There