The Greatest Chola King Raja Raja Chozhar's Final Abode - Bidding Adieu to our Hero!

 Thank you for all the love and support for the first 2 parts. Tooke me time to write this blog and all your comments and love, makes it rewarding :)

Day 2 afternoon - after having a great lunch, we relaxed for a while in the resort and started @3.30PM to Airavateesvara Temple in Darasuram (On hindsight should have started at 2PM). It is just 80kms from Tanjore but the roads are narrow and hence took about 75 minutes.

This temple is a must-see if you are a fan of Chozha's architecture. 

Dating back to the 12th Century, this architectural marvel was built by the famous Chola King Rajaraja Chola II, dedicated to Lord Shiva. It was much bigger than what it is now with the gopurams entirely in ruins, but the main shrine and the associated sanctums still stand mighty and proud.

This temple was named after Airavat, Lord Indra’s white elephant. Legend has it that the elephant was cursed by Sage Durvasa for disrespecting Him which caused the spotless white elephant lose his colour. The elephant prayed Lord Shiva, who asked him to take a dip in the temple tank and he regained his white colour, freed from his curse (inscriptions narrating this is in the inner sanctum of the temple). The devotees believe that taking a dip in the temple tank will free them from their sins.

 Few architectural marvels:

Astonishing stone resembling a chariot shape

The Musical Steps - The small ornately carved flight of seven steps leading to the ‘Balipeetham’, called as the “Musical steps” represent the seven musical notes. When one walks or even taps them, they produce all the seven melodious ‘swaras’ or notes of music. Goosebumps!!!

Illusion: Sculpture resembling Bull on one side and elephant on the other with just one head.

 Intricate Carvings throughout the temple

Check out for the gymansts carvings and many more.. You would need more than a day if you are a lover of scultupres! Such impressive art 1000 years ago it just unimaginable!

Temple timings: 8AM - 12 Noon, 4PM - 8PM

Location: Darasuram Temple

Our next stop was Panchavan Madevi Pallipadai, Queeen of Raja Raja Chola I and step-mother of Rajendra Chola I. The temple stands tall, in its representation of Love – Love for a Mother.

Pallippadai in Tamil denotes a Memorial Temple, a place, as per Saivite rituals, where the ashes of the person were buried, and a deity for worship- a Shiva Lingam -would be consecrated. Generally built in honour of the loved one.

Panchavanmadevi was a Pazhuvettaraiyar Princess, a great dancer (legend has it that she posed for the Bharatanatya karanas in the Tanjore temple) and an eminent Patron of several temples. Several inscriptions mention her contributions.

During the Chola reign, it is a well documented fact that the women were empowered (We had a great civilisation even 1000 years ago!). Be it Kundhavai or Sembian madhevi or Panchavan Madhevi - they all were eminent personalities, well respected and contributed equally to the society at large.

What makes Panchavan Madhevi exceptional, to have a pallipadai in her honour, is that her immense affection for her step-son Rajendra I.

You can get the key from the temple priest, if it is closed. The people in the village are very cordial and will guide you to the priest's home.

The inscriptions are in adhistanam. The inscription reads:

“பழையாறையான முடிகொண்ட சோழபுரத்துப் பள்ளிப்படை பஞ்சவன் மாதேவிச்சரம்”. 

You have to read Udayar to just understand Panchavan Madevi. You will just live with her, love her and breathe her. That feeling cannot be explained in words! It was really a dream come true moment for me to visit these places, to just breathe the same air they breathed 1000 years ago, to just walk in the same land they walked in.. it is just goosebumps moment for me! 

Love you RRC, Kundhavai, Vandhiya thevan, Panchavan madevi, Rajendra Chozhan, Aniruddha brahmarayar, karuvur thevar, Easana siva pandithar, pazhuvettarayar and all those who contributed for the greatness we see today! My heart is just filled with varied emotions!

Location: Panchavan Madevi Pallipadai

Priest Sabapathy Gurukkal: 9944664144

With a heavy heart, we started to our next important stop in our trip - "Raja Raja Chozha's pallipadai". Having seen Panchavan Madevi's and with so much of emotions running in our mind, we were just silent and were not emotionally ready to meet our King yet.

Google maps is crap, kept taking us in circles, please call the priest, he will guide you.

Finally - we stepped on the land where the mighty King was buried. Where it all came to an end! 

Udayalur village, ~32 kms from Thanjavur is where the great King was finally laid to rest. Paalkulaththu Amman temple, located on the banks of Palkulam has a stone pillar in its doorway bearing inscriptions. Previously this pillar was part of the mandapam in Pazhayarai, where in the body of Raja Raja Cholan I laid for last rites. At a later date this mandapam was demolished and the pillar was taken and placed at Paalkulaththu Amman temple.

Here lies my mighty King once expanded his kingdom within India and to south-asia, Srilanka, beyond Indian Ocean; when crossing ocean was just a dream, leave alone having a full-fledged navy and conquering far-off countries! Here lies the patron of art who built architectural marvel Thanjavur temple! Here lies the sage who did the unbelievable task of compiling "Thirumurai". Here lies the greatest administrator who brought in so many civil reforms, who introduced elections, assessment of land and reorganising them as valanadu. Above all, here lies a great human being of all times! My Raja Raja Chozhan, Our Raja Raja Chozhan, Our pride!

The final resting place of the greatest Chola Emperor is in such a dilapidated condition that it just broke my heart. The priest is so good and does whatever he can from the limited income he gets. Just stepping on that land and looking at the mausoleum will teach us so many lessons in life! 

Whenever you can, please do visit and pay your respects to the greatest king. If you cannot visit, please call the priest and donate whatever you can for the upkeep of this historical place!

I do not have any more words! With a heavy heart and teary eyes, we just left that place. Long Live Cholas! Long Live Raja Raja Chozhan! Long Live Tamil!

Priest Jayaraman: 7402449681

Location: Raja Raja Chozhar Mausoleum

Thank you!!!

Raja Raja Chozhan Chronicles - Day 2 first half

 Thank you for reading the Day 1 post and providing lovely feedback. To write this Day 2 it took me almost 2 months simply because i was stuck in day-to-day chores and this needs some dedicated time. Just thinking how dedicated Kalki or Balakumar or Neelakanda Sastri would have been to write so much on Chola History!

Here is our first half of Day 2:

Woke-up early in the morning and was greeted by the lovely sight of Sun and Moon at the same time! We had a lovely river view room with a spacious balcony, where we sat and enjoyed a lovely morning cup of strong aromatic coffee! On the banks of Vennar river, peacocks were dancing and cooing! Monkeys were jumping from trees and staring at us. Luckily they do not come into the resort, sits on the wall, observes and goes back to the tree. I was just thinking, if we can have such a relaxed, blissful morning, getting up at 5.30 wont be difficult :)

Finished our morning chores and went to the dining for a sumptuous breakfast! What a spread! I am a vegetarian and a foodie, so it was heavenly to look at all those dishes lined-up and inviting me to relish them! Fluffy pooris with mildly spiced Potato masala, Vegetable upma, Live dosa and Paniyaram counter,  Crispy Vada, Ghee Pongal, Ceylon Parotta and a coconut based side dish, 3 varieties of chutney, Juices, Fresh cut fruits, Bread - just to name a few :) All set for a long day, now lets go to the great Peruvudaiyar Temple! It was called as RajaRajeswaram by Raja Raja Chozhar.

It was just a 15 minute drive from our Resort to the temple. Lush green fields, Paddy was being dried and threshed, little sparrows were on the road trying to grab some grains. If you go early, you will get a good parking space just opposite to the temple. We know quite a bit of history about the temple, but a guide insisted that he knew lot many details and will give a guided tour (Tamilnadu Tourism guide). Due to the pandemic tourists inflow was minimal which placed their livelihood at stake. We opted for his service. Just a pointer here for future travelers, if you already know a little history, these tours wont help. These are just basics for people who dont know anything about Thanjavur or Raja Raja Chozhar (RRC). 

Statue of Raja Raja Chozhar

A little peek into the history here. Tanjore was ruled by Pallavas around 550 AD - 800 AD. Vijayalaya Chola established Chola empire again and Cholas ruled for around 400 years. After Cholas, Pandiyas ruled for a short period and the reins went to Muslim rulers (12-13th century). During 14th Century Vijayanagar rulers (Nayakkas) took over the administration and it lasted till 17th Century when the Marathas came to power. When Sivaji, the last Maratha ruler, died in 1855 without a male heir, Tanjore was annexed to the British India through Doctrine of Lapse.

Many changes have been done to the temple by the different rulers, like the Nandi that we see now was the contribution of Marathas, carved out of a single stone befitting the Brahadeeswarar. The older nandi kept by RRC started growing mysteriously and it has been nailed down and kept near Varahi sannidhi. Varahi sannidhi has its own significance. Apparently RRC visits Varahi everytime before he steps out for a war. (Not Nisumba soodhani, that's a separate deity. She was special to the Cholas as well). Amman sannidhi was built by Pandiyas. It has beautiful paintings and stone carvings! Nayakkas built the Karuvur thevar sannithi (RRC's spiritual guru).

One has to read "Udaiyar" to understand how painstakingly Raja Raja Chozhar built the temple. A few facts for the readers benefit. This is a temple fully built with Granite stones in a period where it was not common. RRC wanted the temple to stand forever as a symbol of Tamil Culture. Granite stones were not available nearby Thanjavur, they had to bring it from Narthamalai which is about 50 miles away. It is difficult to cut the granite stones as well. With no big transport facilities or infrastructure facilities, it is just mind-blowing to even think about how RRC made it possible! It is believed that series of holes were made in the granite stone (shallow or deep based on the requirement), wooden sticks were placed on those holes and filled with water. The wood will expand in due course thereby breaking the stone.

Another interesting fact is that the gopuram is 216 feet tall (signifying the 216 letters in Tamil) but built without any binding materials. They made it through a mechanism called interlocking.

Another unbelievable fact is the vimana (topmost round shaped stone - Cap stone) weighs 80 tons!!! It is believed that the sanctum sanctorum (Garbagriha) emits so much of electromagnetic positive energies and the vimana was kept as a repulsive force to keep the energies trapped within the Garbagraha so that the devotees can benefit from the positive vibes (An answer to people who ask why should we go to temple to worship God :) ). There are 8 huge nandis near the neck of the vimana and they are carved out of single stone. More than 130,000 tons of granite were used to build this temple.

How they took the cap stone to that height is still a mystery. It is widely believed that a circular ramp, surrounding the tower, was constructed using soil and elephants were used to carry the stones and nandis to the top. The lower part of the ramp ended like 6kms away from Thanjavur. Tons of soil was brought in from various places. Just imagining such a thing gives us goosebumps.

The shadow of the vimana will not fall on the ground during noon! This is the only structure in the world to have this feature. At the top of the vimana there is a kalasa (metal structure with a lotus design) which has inscriptions mentioning the names of various kings. That was brought down last year for polishing and it was 12 feet tall! It looks so small from ground level, you can imagine how tall is the entire structure!

There is a small staircase near the main deity which leads to the upper part of the tower. It is said that the chanting of mantra "OM" inside that hollow structure gives rise to a divine vibration.

There are lot of beautiful paintings in the Tanjore Big Temple which explains about the greatness of the Chola empire. It is a mystery how even after 1000 years they look so beautiful! It is believed that some herbs were used to give that ever lasting colour.

Bharatanatyam is a divine dance form of Tamils and 108 karanas (poses) are carved as statues on the outer wall of the upper story corridor wall.

There are more than 100 underground / secret passages inside the temple premises. These are believed to have been used by the chola King and his family to visit the temple, few paths that might lead to treasures and few paths to hide from enemies if the need arises. The mysterious thing is that some paths leads to dangerous paths and some nowhere at all. Hence these are all sealed now. Historians call it as the safety trap of RRC.

Another mystery is there are two foreigner sculptures in the gopuram. One is believed to be a France King and another is believed to be a Chinese. Proves that Cholas had indeed spread their wings beyond India, in a period when sea travel was minimal.

There are so many inscriptions inside the temple premises mentioning about various things. Prominent one being who contributed towards building this temple.

In the prahara (path around the tower), you can see some beautiful sculptures.

This is intricately carved - one side lotus flower open and one side closed, indicating day and night.

Near this elephant there is a horse with a rope like structure on its neck. If you close and touch the rope, you will feel as if you are touching the rope. Such beautiful carving in stone.

Murugan sannidhi has intricate carvings and lovely polished stone structures. (built by Nayakas).

I can go on and on about this temple. Please visit Wiki and other related websites if you need more info.

Location: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Brihadeeswara+Temple/@10.7813384,79.1008628,13z/data=!4m9!1m2!2m1!1stanjore+temple+location!3m5!1s0x3baab89f48fe1221:0x1d23cb40e55d84d6!8m2!3d10.7827828!4d79.1318463!15sChd0YW5qb3JlIHRlbXBsZSBsb2NhdGlvbloQIg50YW5qb3JlIHRlbXBsZZIBDGhpbmR1X3RlbXBsZQ?hl=en

You can get beautiful authentic Tanjore paintings nearby (be watchful and ensure its authenticity).

After this we visited Darbar Hall, Museum and Saraswathi Mahal Library. These all have their own significance.

Came back to hotel for lunch, took some rest and started for the afternoon leg of our trip. This is the most interesting part of our trip. In search of RRC's final abode!

To be continued... (will write soon ;) ) Please provide your feedback as always!

A pilgrimage beyond time - Raja Raja Chozhan Chronicles! - Day 1 of 3 days trip in the land of Cholas!

I stopped blogging 8 years ago due to various reasons and now i am back to blogging to write about my favorite hero "Raja Raja Chozhan" inspired by a recent roadtrip.

For those who are hearing about RRC for the first time, here is a brief from Wikipedia: "Rajaraja I, born Arulmoli Varman, often described as Rajaraja the Great, was a Chola emperor (reigned c. 985–1014) and was the most powerful king in south at his time chiefly remembered for reinstating the Chola power and ensuring its supremacy in south India and Indian Ocean. His extensive empire included the Pandya country (southern Tamil Nadu), the Chera country (central Kerala and western Tamil Nadu) and northern Sri Lanka. He also acquired the Lakshadweep and Maldive Islands in the Indian Ocean. Campaigns against the Western Gangas (southern Karnataka) and Chalukyas extended the Chola influence as far as the Tungabhadra River. On the eastern coast he battled with the Chalukyas for the possession of Vengi (the Godavari districts). Rajaraja, an able administrator, also built the incomparable Brihadeesvara Temple at the Chola capital Thanjavur. The temple is regarded as the foremost of all temples in the medieval south Indian architectural style and is standing tall and proud after 1000+ years. During his reign, the texts of the Tamil poets Appar, Sambandar and Sundarar were collected and edited into one compilation called Thirumurai. He initiated a massive project of land survey and assessment in 1000 CE which led to the reorganization of the country into individual units known as valanadus. Rajaraja died in 1014 CE and was succeeded by his son Rajendra Chola I" 

 Since reading "Ponniyin Selvan" (long ago, have reread it many times now), my thirst to know more about Chozha's grew manifold. Shri. Balakumaran's "Udayaar" did little to quench the thirst, but i became as parched as "palai nilam":). My husband has been equally avid and recently my 7 year old son has come leapt into the ride as well.

We wanted to fulfill our longing of walking the same path this great king walked, breathing the same air this king once breathed and imagine the lands through his eyes, we started our journey to try and relive a bit of the  "Ponniyin Selvan"/"Udayaar" trails. 

However, our son is the primary reason behind this trip. He is so much into Chozhan history that he can recite the old inscriptions as is! from the moment we decided about this trip, it became exciting :) I started reading many travelogues, researched articles, pored through maps and took notes, drawing the map for our tour. We had to draw from many sources to find all the details. That is the primary reason for my writing this travelogue. 

While this trip and it's account is only a portion of the whole journey and customized for our convenience,  we hope To help those who come after us to visit these places less difficulty! A tiny bit for the trailblazer king and his progeny! 

I have narrated based on my experience and what worked for us. If you have any questions, please post in comments - will try my best to answer. Please post your feedback as well, will help me to do better!

Day 1 of 3- A not so early start and a start loaded with eagerness and anticipation

We started from Chennai in the morning, reached Pondy at 9.30. Had breakfast and proceeded to our first stop - "Sri Veera Narayana Perumal Temple - Kattu Mannar Koil". Birthplace of Sri Nathamuni (compiled Nalayira Divya Prabandham) and Sri Alavandhar. Ulagirku Nalayira Divya Prabhandhathai kattum mannar. Hence the name Kattu Mannar Koil. Maragathavalli Thayar. Very old temple, built by Chozha's 1400 years ago and you can imagine "Azhvarkadiyan" fighting against Saivites in this temple! 

You can find more details on the temple here: https://tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com/2015/09/veeranarayanan-perumal-koil-temple.html 

Temple was closed when we reached, few others were also waiting, the battar mama opened for us and we all had a lovely darshan! 

Temple Timing: 7 AM to 12 Noon and 5PM to 8 PM 

Contact Details: Thirupullani B. Rangaraja Bhattachariar 98403 69793 

Google Map coordinates: https://www.google.co.in/maps/place/Arulmigu+Veera+Narayana+Perumal+Thirukovil/@11.2408688,79.424208,12z/data=!4m9!1m2!2m1!1ssri+veeranarayana+perumal+temple+chola!3m5!1s0x3a54d0986cd12b05:0xc0fbe73ff27eccb6!8m2!3d11.2724192!4d79.5505513!15sCiZzcmkgdmVlcmFuYXJheWFuYSBwZXJ1bWFsIHRlbXBsZSBjaG9sYVooIiZzcmkgdmVlcmFuYXJheWFuYSBwZXJ1bWFsIHRlbXBsZSBjaG9sYZIBDGhpbmR1X3RlbXBsZZoBI0NoWkRTVWhOTUc5blMwVkpRMEZuU1VRMk1rNTFVbEozRUFF 

There is a beautiful pond before the temple.

Next stop is Sri Anantheeshwarar Temple with Soundaranayagi Ambal. This is just 5 minutes from Veera Narayana Perumal temple, but little difficult to locate, since there are many Sivan temples around. Landmark is near Sub Treasury. 

Such a beautiful temple with so many inscriptions! Here is where we have the famous "Udayarkudi Inscriptions" which narrates the punishment given to the murderers of Aditha Karikalan (Crown Prince and elder brother of RRC). My son got so excited seeing these inscriptions as this was one of the key attractions for him. We were late reaching the temple, but i requested the Sivachari mama to keep it open for 5 more minutes. Since it was Krithigai, he was also busy performing abishekam, we were fortunate to visit this temple. This temple has a beautiful Nandhavanam (garden), filled with nandhiyavattai trees. We found nadhiyavattai tress throughout our trip, refreshing sight.

GoogleMap:https://www.google.co.in/maps/place/Sri+Anantheeshwarar+Temple/@11.2757346,79.5502902,17.25z/data=!4m8!1m2!2m1!1ssri+veeranarayana+perumal+temple+chola!3m4!1s0x3a54d09a0081d8d9:0x3ef65136540fc90f!8m2!3d11.27726!4d79.549105 

Coordinates: 7GGX+WJ5 

Temple Timing: 7 AM to 12.30 Noon and 5PM to 8 PM 

Contact Details: 94864 57124

Our next stop was where Vandhiyathevan started his journey in "Ponniyin Selvan". Yes, "Veera Narayana yeri". It was around 2PM when we reached the banks of this lake. Oh My God! It just took our breath away. Such a vast lake that it resembles an ocean! "Bramandam" is the word that came to my mind! We were wondering how Cholas built this lake, what a foresight they had, how they would have done it 1100 years ago. My husband remarked that it is difficult to even imagine how one could have visualized such a huge artificial lake  from whatever the landscape before. imagine trying to do that in today's age with all the technology and the political factors, we might not be able to do it:). The fact that we could see current versions of canals from this lake providing irrigation to a huge area of farmlands around is a testament to the success of this project, centuries later! "Chola Vala Nadu"!!

Breathtaking! No wonder their reign is still known as the golden period., and it started raining as if the gods were agreeing with us.

Location: Veeranam Lake - Google Maps

If you have plans to stay at Kattumannar Koil - you can try Hotel Saradharam Residency - 94425 91466

From there we started to Keezha Kadambur Rudra Koteeswarar Temple (It was known as Kadambur in olden days, now it is called as Mela Kadambur and Keezha Kadambur). It is about 20-25 minutes drive from lake. Kattu Mannar Koil is a bigger town, but once we leave that town, we might not find shops. Better to carry food, water, snacks etc., We had our puliyodharai and Thayir Saadham (Of course no trip is complete without our home made puliyodharai, Idly, Thayir Saadham ;) ). We were ready at around 3PM for the evening session of the trip.

Temple is under ASI now. The key is with the local residents, if we call them they will come and open. They also willingly showed us around the temple, inscriptions and the famous tunnel / Hollow Sculptures. Presiding deity is Sri Rudrapathi / Rudra Koteeswarar and Soundaranayagi Ambal. Devaaram hymns (sung by "Appar") has mentioned this temple and known as "Thevara vaipu sthalam". The temple depicts the history of Nayanmars, with inscriptions dated back to 12th Century and sculptures dated before Darasuram temple. Hollow sculptures were really amazing, when you clink the sculpture with a coin you can hear a clear note as if striking a brass bell! Imagine such a sculpture made ages ago and surviving 1000+ years! Amazing architecture! The tunnel is believed to be the escape route used by "Abathuudhavis" after murdering Adittha Karikalan. It is believed to lead to GangaiKonda Cholapuram.

The temple is in a very dilapidated condition. My heart bleeds on seeing some of these temples and pallipadais! Something substantial should be done to preserve such legacy.

There is a fishing pond nearby and such a scenic location! 

Location: Sri Ruthrakodeeshwarar Temple, Keelakadambur - Google Maps

Coordinates: 11.23941, 79.53493

Contact: 99431 33058

More info on this temple: Tamilnadu Tourism: Rudra Koteeswarar Temple, Keezha Kadambur, Cuddalore (Tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com)

Our next stop was Mela Kadambur - Sri Amirtha Kadeswarar Temple

We reached at around 4.30PM, but it appeared that the temple timings if 5.30 - 7.30 PM. Waited outside. It is believed that the Kadambur Sambuvaraiyar Maligai is believed to be somewhere between these two kadambur temples, we went in search of the ruins but could not locate.

The temple has a beautiful Nandhavanam and sculptures were so intricate!!! Sivachariyar explained many things to us. This deity/Lingam is believed to be before Ramayana kaalam (from Krutha Yugam). This is a karakkoil (chariot shaped vimanam). Blessed to worship Amirtha Kadeswarar (Nava pashana lingam) and Vidhyajothinayaki. The Ambal is believed to turn into Saraswathi in the morning, Mahalakshmi in mid-day and Durga in the evening, exhibiting the various forms or Shakti. You can see the facial expression of Ambal changing accordingly. Indra's ego was crushed by Lord Vinayaga here and many other important events associated with this temple. This temple is quoted in Ponniyin Selvan.

DasaBhuja-Rishaba-Thandavamoorthy is famous here, 1000+ years old, abishekam during pradosham and we can see him only on that day. Muruga appears with a bow, Sani Bagavan sits in an Eagle (crow was given by Dasaratha, before that Sani sat on Eagle), Lord Brahma worshipping Siva, Yama and his assistants, - many such unique things we can see here. Kadambu tree is the sthala vriksham and hence the name Kadambur. Truly blessed!

Location: Melakadambur Amirthakadeshwarar Temple - Google Maps

Coords: 11.2368718,79.5254441

Temple Timings: 07.30 - 10 am; 5.30 - 07.30 PM

Contact: Sri Kirubakaran Archakar - 86085 44837 / 9585451409

More info on this temple: Tamilnadu Tourism: Amirthakateshwarar Temple (Karakkoil), Melakadambur, Cuddalore (tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com)

Our next stop was Maaligai Medu

It is about 12 kilometers from Mela Kadambur, 1km from GangaiKondaCholapuram temple. Ruins of Rajendra Chola's palace can be seen here. Major excavation is going on here and many interesting finds have been made by the TN State Archaeology. Plan to visit there in day time, else cannot see anything here.

More info: TN State Archaeology makes encouraging finds near Gangaikondacholapuram - The Hindu

Tamilnadu Tourism: Gangaikonda Cholapuram – Maalikai Medu (Ruins of Rajendra Chola Palace) (tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com)

Our final stop for the day was Gangai Konda Cholapuram Arulmigu Peruvudaiyar Temple. The first thought that struck us was, we should not have kept this as the last place for the day. This is enormous and needs minimum 2 hours to just view! Daylight is essential to view this place in its full glory.

India was celebrating 100 crores COVID vaccinations that day and hence we had the banner there :) 

This temple and the city was built by Rajendra Chola I during 11th Century. For almost 250 years this was the capital of Cholas. This Shivalingam is made of single lime stone and considered to be one of the biggest (bigger than the one in Thanjavur ), the sunlight directly falls on the enoromous  Nandhi and reflecting on the linga during the day and even if all the lamps are switched off, we can see the lingam in the sanctum sanctorum. Unparalleled architecture! Mind-blowing! Chandrakanta stone in sanctum sanctorum beneath the lingam, which keeps the sanctum sanctorum cool in summer and warm in winter. Shadow of the Kalasam does not fall on the ground.

Temple opening time: 6-12noon; 4-8PM

Contact: 97513 41108

More info: Tamilnadu Tourism: Gangaikonda Cholapuram, Ariyalur (tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com)

After a beautiful day with the Cholas, mind still absorbing the enormity of their knowledge, heart throbbing with love for the great King, we went to our Resort in Thanjavur. 

Keeping with the spirit of the trip we booked our stay an ethnic report :Great Trails River View resort. Such a lovely and comfortable resort on the banks of Vennaru River.

Thanjavur Star Hotels| Thanjavur Best Resorts| GRT Hotel (grthotels.com)

And it turned out to be a awesome choice(more on this later

We called and ordered room service, was hot and ready when we arrived, refreshed, hogged on the food and lied down. Nithra Devi embraced us the moment our head hit the pillow. Will continue our day 2 soon! Thanks for reading :)

If you feel this travelogue is useful, please pass it on.