Thanjavur is home to Brihadeeswara Temple, which has a lengthy past. Although the city's founding year is unknown, it is thought that it existed between the Sangam era, which lasted from the third century BC to the fourth century AD.
Additionally, it is thought that Chola monarch Karikala engaged in combat with the Chera and Pandya kingdoms as well as the Mutharayar invasion during the Battle of Venni. Later, the Cholas controlled the city.
Thanjavur during the Chola era in 850 AD, Chola monarch Vijayalaya vanquished Elango Mutharayar and took control of Thanjavur. In order to venerate the goddess Nisumbhasudani, he constructed a temple. Aditya took over as the city's ruler after Vijayalaya. In 985 AD, King Rajaraja Chola built the Brihadeeswara Temple, one of the Cholas' massive buildings.
Rajaraja Chola Thanjavur
under Pandyas Pandyas twice overran Thanjavur, first in 1218–1219 and then again in 1230. Rajaraja III was vanquished by the Pandyas in 1230 and exiled. Rajaraja III asked the Hoysala dynasty's Vira Narasimha II for assistance. Pandyas eventually conquered the entire Chola kingdom and governed Thanjavur between 1279 and 1311.
Pandya rule over Thanjavur
Malik Kafur, a ruler of the Delhi Sultanate from 1296 to 1306, took Thanjavur from the Pandyas. The Pandya kingdom was also subjugated by the sultanate, which governed from 1311 to 1335. Following this, the Delhi Sultanate governed from 1335 to 1378 and annexed the Ma'bar Sultanate.
Thanjavur under Marathas
Shivaji's half-brother Marathas Ekoji of the Bhonsle dynasty captured Thanjavur in 1674 A.D. Up until 1855, this dynasty governed Thanjavur. Carnatic music was a favourite of the Maratha kings. Serfoji's nephew, Amar Singh, seized the throne in 1787. But subsequently, with British assistance, Serfoji was able to reclaim his throne. The British annexed Thanjavur in 1855 after Shivaji died without leaving a male heir.
Temple of Brihadeeswara
The sanctuary was built in the Chola architectural style, which featured square capital signals and columns with multiple faces. Here, a variety of religious activities were held, including the king's everyday rituals.
This temple is the ideal example of the outstanding achievements made by the Chola emperors in the realm of building. In addition to being a show of Raja Raja Chola I's might, it is an ode to Lord Shiva.
One of the nation's most exquisite architectural wonders is the Brihadeeshwar Temple. It is built amidst large walls that were probably constructed in the sixteenth century. There is a temple tower inside the building that is known to devotees and visitors as Vimana. The height of this temple tower is 66 meters. One of the world's tallest temple towers is called Vimana. The Brihadeeshwar Temple has a rounded apex construction that is thought to have been carved out of a single stone.
