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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.
