Description:
Thanjavur being the city of temples, there are many temples also in the vicinity of the town. The Gangaikondacholapuram temple lies right next to Kumbakonam. The son of Chola king Raja Raja, Rajendra Chola, had built the temple on the lines of the Big Temple of Thanjavur. Till date even the ruins of the temple are visited for the splendid specimens of the Chola sculpture. Similarly the sculptures at the Nageswaraswami temple of Kumbakonam and the temple of Airavateswara of Darasuram will not fail to sweep you off your feet. The artistic carvings are amazing. The visit to the Gangaikondacholapuram temple, Nageswaraswami Temple and the Airavateswara Temple is mandatory to complete the trip to Thanjavur.
At a distance of 13 kilometers from Thanjavur is the Thiruvaiyaru associated with saint Thyagaraja. While at Thiruvaiyaru do visit the celebrated Panchanatheswara temple, which has been dedicated to Lord Shiva. In fact Thiruvaiyaru also happens to be the host for the eight-daylong annual Thyagaraja Aradhana music Festival in the month of January.
From Thanjavur at a distance of 36 kilometers at Kumbakonam are the semi erotic sculptures at the Sarangapani, Kumbeswarar, Nageswara and Ramaswamy temples attract many tourists. Kumbakonam is the venue of the magnificent Mahamaham festival that is celebrated once in every 12 years.
