Places to Visit in Thiruvaiyaru

On a bend of the Kaveri near Thanjavur stands the town where one of Carnatic music’s three great saints lived and died. Each January hundreds of musicians gather at his samadhi to sing five songs in one voice.

In 1010 CE, workers hauled the last stones onto a tower that had no equal in the medieval world. This is the story of Rajaraja Chola I and the temple he raised to his god.

A clay mould is broken open, and a god steps out in metal — never to be cast the same way again. This is the story of the Chola bronzes and the craft that still lives at Swamimalai.

A Maratha king schooled by a German missionary spent his reign chasing manuscripts across languages and continents. The library he built still stands in the Thanjavur palace.

Three days, three UNESCO Chola temples and a delta full of bronze-casters, painted palaces and living tradition.

Around Kumbakonam, nine ancient Shiva temples map the sky onto the delta. Pilgrims drive between them seeking remedy, and at the Rahu shrine, poured milk appears to turn blue.

Three temples, two emperors and one UNESCO inscription. Here is the dynastic story behind the Great Living Chola Temples, and how to see all three from Thanjavur and Kumbakonam.