Thanjavur Maratha Palace – Art & Bronze Gallery
Thanjavur
Art Gallery, located in the Thanjavur
Palace has an exquisite
collection of ancient sculptures and coins. It is officially called the
"Raja Raja Chola Art Gallery" and locally known as "Thanjavur
Kalaikoodam". These bronze sculptures of Hindu Gods and Goddesses range
from 9th century A.D to 19th century A.D. Some very unique deities and saints
can be seen. Early Indian lifestyle, their clothing, ornaments and even hairdo
are carved in these statues. Another interesting feature is the collection of
old coins. Coins from as early as 300 B.C are exhibited here, which is quite
astonishing.
Artifacts
are placed in a hall which used to be the Kings' royal court (Durbar Hall). The
walls and the ceiling of Durbar hall are superbly ornamented with paintings and
statuettes. Even the pillars and arches are decorated with fascinating scenes
from Hindu epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata. The highlight of the art
gallery is of course, the collection of ancient bronze statues.
A lot of
stone sculptors and bronze idols that belong to the Chola period, Vijayanagara
period and later period are found here. This section is comparatively interesting
in the palace complex.
The
birth of Thanjavur's Art Gallery was by accident. When an archaeologist
from Calcutta spotted a neglected idol by the riverside and wished to take it
back to Calcutta Museum, locals demanded that it should stay within the
district. The idol was brought and placed in the empty corridor of the
palace building. The Collector decreed that all such derelict sculptures
should be stored here and thus, the Art Gallery came into existence in 1951.
The high
domed hall at the entrance called Pooja Mahal showcases stone sculptures,
notably a Muruga idol from Sirkazhi and 12C sculptures from Darasuram
Gajasamhara Siva and Bhikshatanar. On the western side of the quadrangle
is Rama Chowdham, the private audience hall of the Nayaks. Built in 1600, its
massive pillars are capped with stucco figures and a white statue of Maharaja
Serfoji with folded arms greets every visitor.
The
upper walls are so richly decorated with black and white floral designs,
imperial crests, lions and angels; one might miss the real show below glass
cases full of exquisite Chola bronzes. Rishabhavahana Devar or Lord Shiva
as a peasant with Parvati, Subramanya holding bow and arrow, several Natarajas
and Kalyanasundarar, or Lord Shiva's marriage, is outstanding pieces.
Some of
the exhibits are brief below;
Enthol Mukkan Emman:
It is
very rare depiction of Lord Shiva as a demon. In this form, he has eight
shoulders (enthol) and he has opened his third eye (Mukkan) with two sharp
teeth coming out of his mouth. He is shown without any clothes, with 2 serpents
around his waist. It is said that this is the only statue ever found with a
diabolical representation of Shiva.
Early Tamil Hairdo:
A statue
in the art gallery shows the hairdo of a common Tamil man during Raja Raja
Chola's time. He has long hair which has beautiful curls at the end. At the top
it looks like he is wearing a turban, but it is how he has styled his hair -
like a modern day Rastafarian. This hairdo is also shown in paintings of Raja
Raja Chola, found in Brihadeeswarar temple.
Brahmadhirayar Statue:
A
fascinating bronze statue titled Brahmadhirayar is exhibited, found in 10-11th
century A.D. This could be Aniruddha Brahmarayar, a minister of Parantaka Chola
II. But more likely, this could also be Krishnan Raman Brahmarayar, the
commander-in-chief of Raja Raja Chola and Rajendra Chola. The portrayal shows
that he is an obese man, wearing a loin cloth and minimal ornaments. He has a
small tuft of hair styled in the front, typical of Brahmin men at that
time.
Mudhumakkal Thaazhi:
A 6 feet
long burial urn made in 1st century B.C is exhibited here. These earthen
vessels called "Mudhumakkal Thaazhi" were used to bury the dead.
Bhikshatanamoorthi Sculpture:
Another
sculpture - the Bhikshatanamoorthi - is of Shiva in a different mood. Bhikshu
means 'mendicant', and in this sculpture Shiva is shown standing wearing little
else but wooden sandals, jewellery and a snake wrapped around his waist. Beside
him is the pretty form of a dancing deer, which stands on its hind legs to
reach up to Shiva's outstretched arm. In the other hand Shiva carries a shallow
bowl-like object which is the cause of his predicament.
Brahma, the old god of creation, is said to
have lusted after his own daughter. In anger, Shiva struck him, cutting off one
of his five heads, and this skull of Brahma's head gets attached to Shiva's
palm, like a begging bowl. Shiva becomes a mendicant, going from place to
place, like Lady Macbeth trying to get rid of the stain of murder, it is only
when he bathes in the Ganga River at Banaras that he is absolved of the 'sin'
of murdering a Brahmin and a God.
This is
why that spot on the river at Banaras is sacred to the Hindus, who flock there
in their thousands to take a dip absolving them of sin, and even to die and be
cremated there, to end the cycle of rebirth into lives of sin and misery. In
this sculpture, Shiva's face is austere and serious, and his hair is wild and
filled with symbols of his power - the crescent moon, the skull, the datura
flower and the snake, for he is conqueror of Time and Death.
Sculpture of Vrishabhantika with the Devi:
Another
brilliant sculptural piece is the Vrishabhantika with the Devi. Shiva here has
one arm raised and bent, as if he were leaning on his bull, Nandi. The Devi,
also part of this piece, is an individual sculpture of great beauty and
elegance.
Ancient Coins:
There is
an excellent collection of old coins, some of them made over 2000 years ago. It
is deplorable that they are not being well preserved or arranged in
chronological order.
Pudukottai
Amman Coins:
Pudukottai
Amman Coins are examples of brilliant political and theological propaganda,
which saved King Martanda Bhairava Tondaiman's throne. In 1889, King Thondaiman
was barely 14 years old and faced a rebellion from his close relatives. Fearing
a Coup d'état, his minister Seshayya Sastri came up with an ingenious idea
to save the kingdom. According to the plan, Tondaiman announced that the
princely state of Pudukottai would be ruled by Goddess Brahadambal.
Tondaiman
would only act as her "humble servant" and implement her
plans. Furthermore, anybody acting against Goddess Brahadambal's
rule would not only be facing charges of rebellion, but also blasphemy. These
copper coins were issued in 1889 and distributed all around the state, to
spread the message. Needless to say, the trick worked and his enemies were too
afraid to overthrow him fearing public backlash.
Mysore
Tipu Sultan's copper coins (around 1787 A.D):
These
coins have an elephant figure on one side, and Arabic numerals on the other.
Tipu Sultan minted Paisa, Half-Paisa and 1/4 Paisa coins during his regime.
Tippu Sultan gold coins, known as Pagodas cannot be found here.
The art
gallery is located at King's royal court. In the middle of the royal court
(durbar hall) is a statue of King Serfoji II, reminding us of the royal scene
that would have existed centuries ago. Serfoji was a brilliant King who spoke
10 languages fluently, built the first zoo in the state of Tamil Nadu, and even
performed cataract surgery. Locally referred to as "Sarabhoji Raja",
he is credited with implementing educational, administrative and social
reforms. He also created an underground drainage system for the city of
Thanjavur.
It is
rumored that some of the sculptures were stolen here and sold to the Asian
Civilizations Museum in Singapore. While visiting the art gallery, make sure you take a
look at the stone carvings in the Thanjavur
Palace as well. There are
only a few tourist attractions in Thanjavur, and the art gallery is definitely
one of the top 10 things to do in the city.
Contact
Thanjavur
Arts Gallery,
East
Main Street, Thanjavur,
Tamilnadu,
India
(1.2 K.M
from Brihadeeswarar Temple)
Phone: +91 – 4362 – 239823
Entrance
Fees & Timings
Thanjavur
Arts Gallery will be open 7 days a week.
Timings
|
9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. and 3.00 p.m to 6.00 p.m.
|
Entrance Fee
|
Adult - Rs.10.00, Child - Rs.5.00
|
Foreigners
|
Adult - Rs.50.00, Child - Rs.25.00
|
Students
|
Rs.1.00
Camera Charge Rs 30.00
Video Camera Rs.200.00
The gallery is closed on national holidays.
|
Note: Thanjavur Palace has a separate entry fee.
Other
Facilities
·
Car Parking: Available;
Free
·
Restrooms: Available