The site Vacations India offers you details of South India tour packages for tours and vacations to the tourist destinations in Tamil Nadu, South India.

Tanjore or Thanjavur as it is called today in Tamil Nadu, India is an interesting place to tour during your vacations and tours. Tanjore or Thanjavur got its name from the ancient pronunciation of the region, which was known as Thanjavoor. Thanjavoor was an integral part of the ancient Chola kingdom that flourished in South India. Once the Chola Empire disintegrated Tanjore or Thanjavur became a part of the Vijaynagar Empire. The Marathas ruled this region for a while and then it was taken over by the British. Regardless of the development that has taken place in the Tanjore region you are bound to experience the taste of ancient Dravidian culture in the city during your vacations and tours.

The rulers of the Chola Kingdom were patrons of art and you will discover this during your tours to the South Indian region of Thanjavur or Tanjore. A number of temples were constructed under the patronage of the Chola rulers. You must make sure that the North India tour packages include visits to these shrines that are living examples of traditional South Indian art and architecture.

Tanjore or Thanjavur is the birthplace of the Tanjore School of Paintings. This school of art was born sometime in the 16th century and has flourished ever since. The painters of this special school of art painted Gods and Goddesses in different forms and moods. According to records very few of the Tanjore paintings that date back to the 16th century are available. The paintings that exist at presents are at the most about a 100 years old. Present day artists who belong to the Tanjore School of art paint figures of birds, animals and flowers apart from painting Gods and Goddesses.

A striking feature of these paintings is the fact that they are decorated with precious and semi-precious stones, glass pieces and other adornments.

Tanjore's cultural and historical importance cannot be ignored. This region has been one of the main centers of literary and cultural development in South India.

There are several tourist destinations that you may visit during your tours and vacations to Tanjore in Tamil Nadu, India. Some of these are the Saraswati Mahal Library and the Brihadeshwara temple.

The Chola ruler Rajaraja constructed the Brihadeshwara temple in the year 1010. The Brihadeshwara temple has a soaring vamana and a huge gopuram. It is said that the dome was built out of a single rock that weighed about 80 tonnes. There is a statue of the sacred Nandi bull in the courtyard of the Brihadeshwara temple. This statue has been carved out of a single huge rock and is probably the largest statue of the Nandi bull in India. There are a number of halls inside the temple premises. There are about 250 Shiva lingams inside the temple premises.
Thus you must visit the Brihadeshwara temple during your vacations and tours to Tanjore, Tamil Nadu, India.