Thanjavur Art Gallery, Thanjavur - Timings, Entry Fee, History & Artifacts

At a distance of 2 km from Thanjavur Junction Railway Station & 0.5 km from Old Bus Station, the Art Gallery is located within Thanjavur Palace. The gallery houses a treasured collection of bronze icons, stone sculptures and other artifacts, which today stand testimony to that golden age in Tamil history.

The gallery is situated in the second part of the palace behind bell tower. The galley consists of Stone sculptures arrange in a hall at the entrance and in the hall towards southern side of the complex near Manimandapam. The bronze sculptures inside the Nayak's Durbar Hall showcase excellent craftsmanship. Durbar Hall is an excellent structure with beautiful paintings & sculptures on upper part of the walls and the ceiling. The hall also houses a marble sculpture of Raja Serfoji, popular Maratha ruler.

The examples of art that we see today at this gallery are the finest. Most of the pieces belong to Chola period between the 9th and the 13th centuries AD, to the post-Chola period and to the Nayak period, from the 17th to the 18th century AD. The gallery also houses a few sculptures from the Pallava period. There is also a collection of Tanjore glass paintings.

The Bell Tower at the entrance of the complex is a wonderful eight storied structure used as the watch tower. The tower offers excellent view of the Thanjavur town.

Timings : 9 AM to 1 PM & 3 PM to 6 PM. No weekly holidays.