Great Living Chola Temples

The story of this place

The Cholas ruled from Thanjavur and grew into one of the great powers of Indian history, with their reach extending across south India and to the islands beyond the sea. Their genius flowed into temple building, and these three temples mark three generations of it.

First came the Brihadisvara at Thanjavur, called Dakshina Meru in its own inscriptions, the grandest creation of the emperor Rajaraja I. He consecrated it with his own hands around 1010 CE. His son Rajendra I then carried Chola arms to the north, and to mark that triumph he built a new capital, Gangaikondacholapuram, the city of the Chola who took the Ganga, with its own great Brihadisvara temple, completed in 1035. A century later, Rajaraja II built the smaller but exquisitely ornate Airavatesvara temple at Darasuram, near Kumbakonam. The tradition says Airavata, the white elephant of Indra, worshipped Lord Shiva here, which gives the temple its name.

UNESCO inscribed the Thanjavur temple in 1987 and extended the listing in 2004 to include the other two. What moved UNESCO as much as the architecture is the life inside it: worship following the ancient Agamic texts has continued here for about a thousand years, daily, weekly and yearly, as a natural part of the people's life.

What you will see

At Thanjavur, the vimana above the sanctum rises 59.82 metres, among the tallest of its age anywhere, and its crowning sikhara rests on a single block of granite weighing around 80 tons. How the Cholas raised that stone is still discussed with wonder. Inside the sanctum is a massive Shiva linga, about 8.7 metres high, and around the inner walls run precious Chola murals and carvings of 81 of the 108 karanas, the dance positions of Bharatanatyam. Give this temple a slow evening; the granite turns golden at sunset.

At Gangaikondacholapuram, about 70 km northeast of Thanjavur, the 53 metre vimana answers Thanjavur with a softer voice, its corners recessed and its profile curving gracefully upward. Massive dvarapala figures guard the entrances, and the sculptures here, especially the Chandesanugrahamurti panel and Sarasvati, are counted among the finest in all Chola art. The surrounding town has faded away, so you often have this giant almost to yourself.

At Darasuram, the Airavatesvara temple is smaller and jewel like. Its front mandapa is carved as a stone chariot with wheels, its pillars are covered with miniature detail, and small labelled friezes tell the stories of the 63 Nayanmar saints of Tamil Shaivism. Many of its greatest sculptures are kept in the Thanjavur Art Gallery, which art lovers should add to their plan.

Darshan, timings and temple etiquette

All three are living Shiva temples under active worship, jointly cared for by the Archaeological Survey of India and the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department. The ASI lists the complexes as open from about 6:30 in the morning to 8:30 at night, and entry is free.

The sanctums follow the usual Tamil temple rhythm: morning darshan until about 12:30, an afternoon break when the sanctum is closed, and evening darshan from about 4 pm until closing, with daily poojas in between. Timings shift on festival days, so please check the current schedule before you go.

Dress modestly as you would for any temple, leave your footwear at the stands, and remember that the stone courtyards become very hot underfoot at midday; this alone is a good reason to visit in the morning or evening. Photography of the outer architecture with a handheld camera is generally allowed, but follow the rules inside the sanctums.

Best time to visit

November to February is the kindest season in the Kaveri delta, with warm days and cool evenings. The summer months are hot, and even then the temples remain rewarding in the early morning and after 4 pm.

Maha Shivaratri and the major Tamil festival days bring these temples to life with special poojas and large crowds, a beautiful experience if you enjoy festival energy, and a reason to come on a quieter day if you prefer peace. For photographs, the last hour before sunset at Thanjavur is the one our travellers remember.

How to reach

The gateway is Tiruchirappalli, Trichy, whose airport is about 61 km from Thanjavur and has direct flights from Chennai and from cities in the Gulf and South East Asia. Thanjavur Junction, the town's railway station, is barely 2 km from the Big Temple and is connected to Chennai, Madurai, Rameswaram and other major cities.

For the other two temples, base yourself at Thanjavur or Kumbakonam. Darasuram is practically a suburb of Kumbakonam, just a few kilometres from the town. Gangaikondacholapuram is about 35 km from Kumbakonam and about 70 km from Thanjavur, reached by road. A comfortable plan is: Thanjavur Big Temple on day one, then Darasuram and Gangaikondacholapuram together on day two, with the temple town of Kumbakonam in between.

Tips from our travel experts

Do not try to squeeze all three temples into a single rushed day. Two days let you take darshan at each without hurry, and the drive through the green Kaveri delta, past paddy fields and small temple towns, is itself a pleasure.

Take a licensed guide at Thanjavur; the inscriptions, murals and karana carvings need someone to open them for you. At Gangaikondacholapuram, walk around the vimana and compare its curve with Thanjavur's straight lines; the son answering the father in stone is the heart of this World Heritage Site. At Darasuram, go slow; the beauty here is in details the size of your palm.

Entry is free at all three temples. Mornings give you cool stone underfoot and the sanctums open for darshan, so start your days early.

For our NRI and OCI travellers

Trichy airport is a blessing for this circuit, with direct flights from Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Colombo and the Gulf, so many of our NRI guests reach the Chola country without touching a metro city. From the airport, Thanjavur is a drive of about an hour and a half.

Since these are living temples with free entry, this is one heritage circuit where your parents can simply be pilgrims again, taking darshan as they did in their childhood, while the younger generation discovers what Tamil civilisation built a thousand years ago. Combine it with Kumbakonam's temples, or extend towards Madurai and Rameswaram for a full Tamil Nadu yatra of a week to ten days.