The former
palace of the Nayaks of Thanjavur, once viceroys of the Vijayanagara
rulers and later hereditary rulers, is a wonderful and extravagant piece
of architecture, built in 1600. The huge enclosed compound encompasses a
complex which includes the Art Gallery, the Saraswati Library and the
Sangeetha Sabha or Music Hall.
A gigantic tower, (the arsenal,
decorated vith bands of arches forms the external acade. One enters into a
hall which is the sculpture gallery where examples of iuth Indian stone
sculpture dating from le Pallava to the Nayak period are exhibited. Some
of the unique pieces are Gaja Samhara, the slayer of demons (Chola), a
Tirupurantarar, Shiva who slayed three demons, an early Pallava Brahma and
a huge Buddha from the Vijayanagara period.
Frescoes, painted a
hundred years ago in the glass painting style of Tanjore adorn the walls
of the Durbar Hall, while on a stage stands the marble statue of the
Maratha King, Serfogi, From a magnificent bronze collection the earliest
and smallest date to the Pallava period while the most important are
Chola. Sixteen great Natarajas depict the various stages of the cosmic
dance. An outstanding piece is a 12th century Nataraja from
Tiruviddaimandin, in which an absence of ornamentation highlights its
clean and perfect lines. Other remarkable pieces are Sundaramurthi Narayan
(10th - llth century), Parvati (14th century), a Somaskundar from
Pattiswaram, the static but calm Mahavishnu (llth century), a rusted but
beautiful Venugopal, Krishna playing the flute and Rukmini (16th century),
two fine statues of Vinadhara Dakshinamurthi, Shiva after the destruction
playing the veena (7th-8th century), Kalyansundaram (llth century)
Bhikshatanar or Shiva as a beggar, a snake coiled around his waist holding
a begging bowl and damru with a Rajapaliyan hound at his heels, dating to
the 13th regnal year ofRajaraja Chola (1040) and Parvati and
Rishabhavahana, Shiva reclining on a "bull, from his 26th regnal
year.
Thanjavur Art Gallery
Palace Buildings
Thanjavur
613 009
Timings: 9.00 am to 1.00 pm 3.00 pm to 6.00 pm
Closed
on some festival days and government holidays.
Home
>>museums & Art
Galleries >> Tamilnadu >>
Thanjavur Art Gallery
»
