Tanjore

Tanjore, was once the capital of the Cholas, a dynasty of temple builders who ruled south India between 10 century and 14 century.Sightseeing of Tanjore includes visit to Sri Brahadeeswara Temple,a massive temple was built by great chola king rajaraja I in the 10 century AD. The tower over the inner sanctum sanctorum rises perpendicularly to height of 15 meters. Tanjore Palace,the palace near the temple is a vast building of masonry built partly by nayaks around 1550 AD .and partly by Marathas.The place also houses the sangeeth mahal ,a perfect music hall . It is striking example of the engineering skills of the ancient builders.

History of Tanjore Painting

Tracing its roots to the historical golden era of the early 18th century, Tanjore artwork is one of the many indigenous art forms for which India is noted. Originating in Tanjore about 300 kms from Chennai( Madras), which was the then capital of the Gupta empire, this form of art developed at the height of cultural evolvement achieved during that period. An extraordinary visual amalgamation of both art and craft, Tanjore paintings mainly consist of themes on Hindu gods and goddesses. The characteristics of the Tanjore paintings are its brilliant colour schemes, decorative jewellery with stones and cut glasses and its larger-than-life figures. The themes are mostly mythological, with figures of Lord Krishna in various poses and depicting various stages of his life being the most favourite. Today people are experimenting with birds, animals, building structures and other subjects.

Crafted with meticulous care the Thanjavoor (Tanjore) pictures are unique. What sets them apart from Indian paintings in general are the embellishments made over the basic drawings with precious and semi-precious stones as well as the relief work which gives them a three dimensional effect. The pictures are of various sizes, ranging from huge works spanning whole walls to small miniatures no longer than 6-inch square.