Big Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Tiruchirapalli International Airport is about 61 km away.

• By train

  Thanjavur Junction railway station is about 1.5 km away. It lies on the main line between Tiruchirappalli and Chennai Egmore.

• By road

  The old bus stand in Thanjavur is about 0.5 km from the temple.

Rules to know

• Only priests are allowed into the innermost sanctum, the chamber that holds the huge stone linga.

Why devotees come here

Big Temple is a Shiva temple on the south bank of the Cauvery river in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. It is one of the largest Hindu temples and an exemplar of Tamil architecture. Its granite tower is one of the tallest in South India.

Shiva is the main deity, worshipped in the sanctum as a huge stone linga. The linga is one of the largest monolithic linga sculptures in India. The temple is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Great Living Chola Temples.

Chola emperor Rajaraja I built the temple between 1003 and 1010 CE. The main temple along with its gopurams is from the early 11th century. The significant shrines of Murugan, Parvati and Nandi date from the 16th and 17th centuries, the Nayaka era.

The vimana tower above the shrine is built of granite and is one of the tallest in South India. Unlike most Hindu temples of its period, this one was built of granite. No rock formation stood near the site, so the stone came from quarries about 50 km away.

Festivals

• Around February, near MahashivratriAnnual dance festival

  Dance festivals are held at the temple every year, around the time of the Mahashivratri festival.

Tips for your visit

• The Nandi bull is carved from a single stone and is the second largest Nandi in India.
• A retired state archaeology director says the temple was completed in 1010, based on stone inscriptions.
• The Archaeological Survey of India, a central government body, maintains the temple, which has survived monsoons, six recorded earthquakes and a major fire, and is in excellent condition.

Questions people ask