Thanjavur Art Gallery
The former palace of the Nayaks of Thanjavur, once viceroys of the Vijayanagara
rulers and later hereditary rulers, is a wonderful and extravagant piece of
architecture, built in 1600. The huge enclosed compound encompasses a complex
which includes the Art Gallery, the Saraswati Library and the Sangeetha Sabha
or Music Hall.
A gigantic tower, (the arsenal, decorated vith bands of arches forms the external
acade. One enters into a hall which is the sculpture gallery where examples
of iuth Indian stone sculpture dating from le Pallava to the Nayak period are
exhibited. Some of the unique pieces are Gaja Samhara, the slayer of demons
(Chola), a Tirupurantarar, Shiva who slayed three demons, an early Pallava Brahma
and a huge Buddha from the Vijayanagara period.
Frescoes, painted a hundred years ago in the glass painting style of Tanjore
adorn the walls of the Durbar Hall, while on a stage stands the marble statue
of the Maratha King, Serfogi, From a magnificent bronze collection the earliest
and smallest date to the Pallava period while the most important are Chola.
Sixteen great Natarajas depict the various stages of the cosmic dance.
An outstanding piece is a 12th century Nataraja from Tiruviddaimandin, in which
an absence of ornamentation highlights its clean and perfect lines. Other remarkable
pieces are Sundaramurthi Narayan (10th - llth century), Parvati (14th century),
a Somaskundar from Pattiswaram, the static but calm Mahavishnu (llth century),
a rusted but beautiful Venugopal, Krishna playing the flute and Rukmini (16th
century), two fine statues of Vinadhara Dakshinamurthi, Shiva after the destruction
playing the veena (7th-8th century), Kalyansundaram (llth century) Bhikshatanar
or Shiva as a beggar, a snake coiled around his waist holding a begging bowl
and damru with a Rajapaliyan hound at his heels, dating to the 13th regnal year
ofRajaraja Chola (1040) and Parvati and Rishabhavahana, Shiva reclining on a
"bull, from his 26th regnal year.
Thanjavur Art Gallery
Palace Buildings
Thanjavur 613 009
Timings: 9.00 am to 1.00 pm 3.00 pm to 6.00 pm
Closed on some festival days and government holidays
