Thanjavur Travel Guide: The Big Temple and the Chola Heartland

Thanjavur's Brihadeeswarar Big Temple, more than a thousand years old, is the peak of Chola temple architecture, and the town anchors the Chola heartland on the Cauvery river, alongside Kumbakonam and Trichy.

• The Brihadeeswarar Big Temple
• The wider Chola sites at Gangaikonda Cholapuram and Darasuram
• Srirangam at nearby Trichy, the largest temple complex of its kind

A night is typical, as part of the Chola heartland stage of the temple trail, usually followed by Trichy for Srirangam.

November to March is the season: warm, dry and festival-rich. Avoid April to June, which is intensely hot for temple visiting.

Thanjavur is reached by private car or train as part of the temple trail from Chennai or Madurai; Trichy's domestic airport is the nearest for flying. The temple town has comfortable, well-located hotels near the sights.