Grand Anicut

The Basilica of Our Lady of Lourdes at Poondi, about 35 km from Thanjavur, is a major Roman Catholic Marian pilgrimage centre. Rooted in an 18th-century church associated with the Jesuit missionary and Tamil scholar Veeramamunivar (Fr. Constantine Beschi), it was raised to the rank of minor basilica in 1999 and draws large crowds, especially for its September feast.

An ancient Shiva temple near Thiruvaiyaru linked to the legend of Shiva plucking off one of Brahma's five heads, giving the temple its name. It is counted among the Saptha Sthanam, the seven sacred sites of the Thiruvaiyaru festival. The temple is sung in the Tevaram and has a long Chola pedigree.

The riverside samadhi of Saint Tyagaraja, one of the trinity of Carnatic music, on the banks of the Kaveri at Thiruvaiyaru. Every January the Thyagaraja Aradhana festival gathers thousands of musicians from around the world to sing his Pancharatna Kritis in unison. It is among the most important pilgrimage sites for Carnatic music.

The large Panchanatheeswarar (Aiyarappar) Shiva temple at Thiruvaiyaru on the Cauvery, about 13 km north-west of Thanjavur — also the town of the composer-saint Thyagaraja and his January music festival.

A Tevaram-sung Shiva temple near Thiruvaiyaru, revered as a parihara sthalam for Guru (Jupiter) and one of the Saptha Sthanam temples of the region. The name Apathsahayeswarar means 'the Lord who helps in distress'. It is an old foundation on the banks of the Kaveri with fine Chola inscriptions.

A 1779 CE colonial-era church in the palace grounds, built for the German missionary Rev. Christian Friedrich Schwartz — tutor to the Maratha king Serfoji II — and holding a Flaxman marble memorial commissioned by the king.

The UNESCO-listed “Big Temple” (Peruvudaiyar Kovil), completed in 1010 CE by Rajaraja Chola I, crowned by one of the tallest granite temple towers in the world.

A public garden beside the Big Temple built around the Sivaganga tank — a stepped Chola-era temple tank — now a green space with a small zoo and boating, popular with families.

A memorial hall and cultural monument in Thanjavur built to commemorate Rajaraja Chola I, the emperor who built the Brihadeeswarar Temple. It was erected during the 1000th-year celebration of the great temple and houses exhibits on Chola history and art. Set in a landscaped garden, it serves as a civic tribute to the district's Chola heritage.

The sprawling royal palace complex begun by the Thanjavur Nayaks and expanded by the Maratha Bhonsle kings — home to the art gallery, manuscript library, Durbar Hall and the tall Sarjah Madi bell tower.

One of the oldest surviving libraries in Asia, holding a vast collection of palm-leaf and paper manuscripts, developed under the Maratha king Serfoji II inside the palace complex.

The Rajaraja Chola Art Gallery inside the palace, famed for its collection of Chola-era bronze icons and granite sculpture set in the historic Nayak Durbar Hall.