This is the sequel to my visit to Thanjavur Palace.
Inside the Tanjore palace apart from the main Art Museum, you can see a few other places of interest. There is Saraswathi Mahal Library, Serfoji’s Memorial Hall Museum, Mahratta Dharbar Hall & Royal Museum. Each of these is maintained by different parties – ASI / Tamil Nadu Government, The Descendants of Serfoji and so you need to buy half-a-dozen tickets. Each of these tickets costs between Re.1 to Re.20, if they combine it and make it a single entry it will make it easy for tourists.
Thanjavur Palace Entry Charges
கலைக்கூடம் தஞ்சாவூர்
மன்னர் சரபோஜி II நினைவரங்கம் (Museum), சதர் மகால் அரண்மனை, தஞ்சாவூர் – 9
மன்னர் சரபோஜி II நினைவரங்கம் (Museum), Maharajah Serfoji’s Memorial Hall Museum
The Art Gallery, Thanjavur – Bills
Saraswathi Mahal Library is one of the main attractions here. The Library contains books collected from the period of Nayaks in 1535 A.D. and enhanced during King Serfoji II during 1798 A.D. The books collection exceeds over 60,000 and many rare European language books are present here. I found it interesting to find on display pages from a book titled Chinese prisoner tortures – unbelievable and inhuman.
தஞ்சாவூர் மகாராஜா சரபோஜியின் சரஸ்வதி மகால் நூலகம் (Thanjavur Maharaja Serfoji’s Saraswathi Mahal Library)
Celing paintings in Saraswathi Mahal Library
The next stop was the Royal Museum which houses some utensils, elephant bells, turbans (headgear) and weapons used in the olden days.
Royal Museum utensils
Raja’s Head Gears
Miniature Weapons – சிறு ஆயுதங்கள்
The next was Serfoji’s Memorial Hall Museum. The path to the place is poorly maintained, vegetation’s grown all around threatening the survival of the palace.
Corridor – Serfoji’s Memorial Hall Museum
Backyard – Serfoji’s Memorial Hall Museum
Inside the museum, there is not much of interest in the display, other than old furniture’s, coins and daily use items.
Private collection – Serfoji’s Memorial Hall Museum
Private collection – Serfoji’s Memorial Hall Museum
Coins of Chatrapathi Shivaji
There was a sign saying the path to secret passage subway, we walked down few steps and found the place to be not lit at all with all kinds of sounds coming from beneath. Not wishing to go further and encounter bats or rats we retraced our path back.
சுரங்கப்பாதை – சரபோஜியின் சரஸ்வதி மகால்
The last stop was the Mahratta Dharbar Hall (assembly hall). I couldn’t help comparing with the Dharbar Hall I have seen in Mysore Palace or Jaipur palace – both being maintained in fine condition compared to this.
Mahratta Dharbar Hall
அதனக் கோட்டை தஞ்சாவூர்
The trip to Tanjore palace was interesting and useful to get a feel of history in this part of my India.
This is the third part of my series on my visit to Tanjore in January 2012 – Part 1, Part 2 & Part 4 are here. In 2016, I visited Tanjore again and wrote about that trip here.