Brief About Thanjavur District
Thanjavur district stands unique from time immemorial for its
agricultural activities and is rightly acclaimed as the Granary
of the South India lying in the deltaic region of the famous river
Cauvery and criss-crossed by lengthy network of irrigation canals,
this coastal district abounds in green paddy fields, tall coconut
groves, vast gardens of mango and plantain trees and other verdant
vegetation. Various
testimonials available in the ancient Tamil literature referring
to the Cauvery as possessing the sanctity of the Ganges in conformity
with the legendry and mythological stories attributed to its divine
origin, rightly point out why the river is popularly called the
' Mother Cauvery' and its sacredness is evident from 'Kaviri-Thala-Puranam'.
The river has also been named 'Ponni' because it is yielding
'pon' -Gold in the form of paddy.
That is why it is said with pride that every iota of the
earth of Thanjavur is equal to an iota of gold.
The tillers in Tamil literature have been rightly called
as 'Kauvirippudhalvars' - the sons of the Cauvery as they alone
are worthy of this title for the rich production of grains in
this fertile soil.
It is no wonder therefore that at the very Threshold
of the district itself one can feel the distinguish green vegetation
and call Thanjavur as 'the green mansion' of the South.
With an average annual rice yield touching
6.5 lakh metric tonnes during 1991-92 the district tops all the other districts
of India in the production of rice and remarked as the rice bowl
of India. The economy
of the district is, therefore, primarily agrarian in nature with
very few industrial units.
Thanjavur is one of the
thirteen coastal districts of Tamil Nadu in the production of
marine fish which accounts for about 5 % of the total marine fish
catch of the State. The
district is famous for its exquisite ancient handicrafts-making
of bronze icons, Thanjavur art plates, bell-metal castings, bowls,
napkin and powder boxes of metal with beautiful and artistic
in-laying and engraving work of motifs well known as "Tanjore
swami work". It is
equally well-known for pith-work, ornamental fans, mats and making
of musical instruments of jack-wood.
It is also a flourishing center of handloom silk and cotton
sarees.
Thanjavur attained prominence under the Chola rulers who
were paramount in South India during 9th to 12th
centuries. They were not only excellent rulers but
also mighty builders, who erected a large number of exquisite
temples in their empire, some of which constitute the finest specimens
of architecture. Hence the district stands distinguished
in the state even in its large number of temples, whose legends
extend deep into early historic times.
Many of these temples reflect the power, genius and architectural
grandeurs of their authors displaying the unique and magnificent
proficiency in sculpture, painting and wood carving.
Art gallery the great Saraswathi Mahal library, the 'Sangeetha
Mahal' (hall of music), the thriving of classical music and dance
known as 'Bharathanatyam' and the celebration of grand annual
music festival at Thiruvaiyaru, in honour of the great Saint Thiagaraja,
all bear testimony to the cultural heritage.
The period of Chola Kings was not only considered
as epoch-making but also an era of the cultural renaissance.
Thanjavur under the Chola rulers was the cradle of Tamil
Culture. Literature and civilisation and the rare
Tamil manuscripts in the Thanjavur library corroborate this fact. Another notable feature is that in spite
of several alien invasions, onslaughts and internal conflicts,
the ancient culture and civilisation have not suffered much devastation. The inhabitants have successfully concentrated
their histrionic talents in the field of art, literature, drama,
music and dancing and are known for their rich cultural and religious
fervour. They live
in close harmony as a well knit community and the three main religious
groups viz., Hindus, Muslims, and Christians, celebrate their
fairs and festivals with a sense of mutual respect. On festive
occasion, the Hindu devotees out-number all other participants
in the shrines belonging to other religions. Similarly, in the case of some Hindu festivals,
the temples are thronged by a substantial number of persons belonging
to other religious group as well, who have a staunch faith and
come in full reverence to pay homage to the presiding deities.
According to the known history
dating back to Sangam age, the Cholas ruled over Thanjavur for
about one thousand years.
It was here that plans were formulated to extent the Chola
supremacy by spreading their glory from Kanniyakumari in the south
to Himalayas in the north. They also under their patronage cultivated
fine arts, erected temples, constructed anaicuts, built ports
and cities.
Among the Chola Kings who found place Sangam
literature, Karikala and Koccengan were the most prominent.
The name ' Karikala' which in Tamil refers to a man with
charred leg, was derived by this King from a fire accident.
He was assailed imprisoned and deprived of his birth right
by his enemies. He,
however, managed to regain the throne and in the great battle
at Venni he defeated Pandya and Chera rulers and secured for himself
the hegemony over them. He crushed both the internal and external
opposition and became complete master of his country. He renovated the capital of Uraiyur, built
up the renowned port of Puhar (Kaveripoompattinam) and patronised
liberal arts and letters.
Karikala was succeeded by two rival kings- Nalangilli and
Nedungilli who ruled from Puhar and Uraiyur respectively.
The next Chola King Killivalavan from Uraiyur was a brave
and able warrior, besides a patron of letters.
Of the Chola of later Sangam age, Koccengan was
more brilliant and illustrious in both war and peace.
He showed equal zeal for both Saivism and Vaishnavism,
built numerous saivite temples including the famous Jambukeswara
Temple at Tirunaraiyur.
After a brief set back in the Chola regime between the
third century to ninth century A.D., the Cholas became the mighty
race of rulers. Once again Vijayalaya (850-870) the founder
of the new Chola dynasty, drove away the Muttaraiyar Chieftains
from Thanjavur and assisted the Pallava King to stem the tide
of the Pandiyan overlordship.
His son Aditya I (870-907) soon over-threw the Pallava
King Aparajita and expelled him from his territory.
After conquering the Kongu country and Pandyas, he further
extended his kingdom. He was an ardent saivite like his father
and built temples along the banks of cauvery from Sahyadri to
the sea. Parantaka I (907-955) was more powerful and under his rule Cholas
acquired a dominion which foreshadowed the great empires of Rajaraja
and Kullottunga. With
the rise of Rajaraja I (985-1014), the days dawned to bring about
new and brilliant chapter in the history of Cholas.
Both in war and peace Rajaraja and his son Rajendra proved
themselves as the most outstanding personalities of their time.
Rajaraja conquered Kerala (Chera country) the whole of
the Pandya country and Malainadu (Coorg ) and extended his dominion. He also invaded ceylon and destroyed Anuradhapura,
its capital. He was
also a great statesman and administrator and endeavoured his best
to establish his empire on a firm footing.
He built the most magnificent temple of Rajarajeswara at
Thanjavur, the fine specimen of Tamil architecture.
Rajaraja was succeeded by his son Rajendra I (1014-1044). He had the advantage of possessing an
empire which had already been organised on sound lines. He set about at once to improve its organisation
and increase its glory.
He undertook expedition to north in search of the Ganges
and assumed the title of Gangai Konda Cholan”.
His most glorious expedition was to Kadaram which shows
the great naval strength of the Cholas.
Rajendra I was succeeded by four rulers Rajadhiraja, Rajendra
II, Virarajendra and Adirajendra’s reign was brief and it became
weak in his time and later the kingdom passed on to the Eastern
Chalukyan. Rajendra Kulottunga (1070-1120) was a
remarkable personality.
He was more a statesman than a warrior.
From 1120 to 1163, three Chola kings, viz, Vikrama Chola
(1120-1135) Kulottunga II (1136-1150) and Rajaraja II (1151-1163)
succeeded Kulottunga I and under all these rulers no wars or invasions
distracted the country. During the reigns of Rajaraja III (1216-1246)
and Rajendra III (1247-1279), the Pandyas in the south and Hoysalas
in the north monopolised all the power.
By the beginning of the 13th century, the Chola
dynasty became extinct and it gave way to Pandyan supremacy.
The Pandiyan regime was short lived. When the
Pandiyan Kingdom was in the thrones of civil war, the muslim ruler
Ala-Ud-Din Khiliji, the Sultan of Delhi, took advantage of it
and over powered the Pandiyas. Thanjavur then came under the muslim rulers.
Muslim dominations continued till the middle of
the 14th century when Vijayanagar Kings ended
the muslim rule. Thanjavur remained under the supremacy
of the Vijayanagar Kings for a long period. The Nayak dynasty was established during
this period and Sevappa, the founder of Nayak Kingdom of Thanjavur
made his appearance on the scene (1532-1560).
In 1560, Sevappa Nayak made over kingdom to his son Achuyutappa
Nayak. His rules
unlike that of his father was not one of unbroken peace. Shortly
after getting old he abdicated the crown in favour of his son
Ragunatha (1600-1630) During his reign, a Danish settlement
was established at Tranquebar (1620).
The Nayaks of Thanjavur were loyal to Vijayanagar after
the battle of Talikotta and helped Vijayanagar in repulsing the
attacks of the Nayak of Madurai and their temporary ally Golkonda,
but the beginning of the 17th Century was the end of
the Vijayanagar empire.
Attempts were then made by the Nayaks of Madurai
and the Sultan of Bijapur to capture Thanjavur.
The Marattas also came to Thanjavur in the later half of
the 17th century.
Ekogi became the first Maratta ruler of Thanjavur (1676-1683).
The Marattas ruled Thanjavur for some time but became later
vassals of the Mughal Governor of Karnataka.
Subsequently there were hostilities between the Arcot Nawab
and the Maratta ruler of Thanjavur.
The French and English also began interfering in the internal
affairs of South India.
The supremacy of the English was later established.
Saraboji II the adopted son of Tuljaji, was made King of
Thanjavur in 1798, after agreeing with all the conditions laid
down by the British Government. A pact was signed between the Maratta
ruler and the English by virtue of which the status of the Raja
was reduced to a mere vassal.
The administration of Thanjavur was given over
to English fully under the Treaty of 1799.
The ruler of the Thanjavur was allowed to retain the fort
of Thanjavur only with limited power of administration.
When the ruler died in 1841 without heir, the Thanjavur
fort was also annexed by the British and it became part of the
then Madras, Thanjavur
remained under the British until 1947 when India attained freedom.
Location
Thanjavur District lies as the East Coast of
Tamil Nadu. It is
situated between 9 50’ and 11 25’ of the northern latitude and 78
45’ and 70 25’
of the Eastern longitude.
It extents to an area of
3396.57 sq.kms. The District is bounded on the north by
the Coloroon which
separate it from Perambalur and Tiruchirappalli district, and
on the East it is bounded by the Thiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts,
and on the South by the Palk Strait and Pudukottai district and
on the West by Pudukkottai and Thiruchirappalli districts.
The district can be divided into two distinct division,
viz., the deltaic region, the upland area or on-deltaic region. The deltatic region covers the whole northern
and eastern portions of the district where the Cauvery with its
wide network of branches irrigate more than half of the district. It comprises the whole of Kumbakonam taluk
and parts of Thanjavur, Papanasam taluks. The rest of the southern and western areas
of the district are non-deltaic or upland region. A good portion of upland regions which
was dry has now been brought under irrigation with the help of
Grand Anaicut canal, fed by the Cauvery-Mettur Project and by
extension of the Vadavar river.
Non-deltaic region is also devoid of hills and slopes gradually
seawards.
