Brihadeeswara Temple
Brihadeeswara Temple
5
6:00 AM - 12:30 PM, 4:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Monday
6:00 AM - 12:30 PM
4:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Tuesday
6:00 AM - 12:30 PM
4:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Wednesday
6:00 AM - 12:30 PM
4:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Thursday
6:00 AM - 12:30 PM
4:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Friday
6:00 AM - 12:30 PM
4:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Saturday
6:00 AM - 12:30 PM
4:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Sunday
6:00 AM - 12:30 PM
4:00 PM - 8:30 PM
About
Brihadishvara Temple, also called Rajarajesvaram or Peruvudaiyar Kovil, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva located in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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See what travellers are saying
- Senthan Amudan A6 contributionsAmazing temple!! Kudos to the TamilNadu tourism for free wheelchairs!Every time I visit India, I make it point to visit chola splendor! What an amazing temple! I get mesmerized every time. They even provide free wheel chair at the Keralanthagan Tower Entrance (Which happens to be first chola built tower)Visited August 2023Travelled with familyWritten 19 September 2023
- Shonil_BPune, India367 contributionsTruly a heritage site - Must VisitThe Brihadeshwara temple is also called the big temple in Tanjavur. It is easy to reach her with your own vehicle as well as by public transport. In case you have come here in your own vehicle you have a big parking opposite to the main entrance of the temple. The ambitious temple by Rajaraja – I begin in 1003 and completed in 1010 CE and was designed to represent a cosmic structure the Mahameru. The temple was built in the courtyard 240 by 120 meters in the ratio of 1:2 with granite block brought from distance of approximately 50 kilometers. The Shikhar is at a height of 60 meters and weighs 81 tons. Some of the must things to see here is the beautifully decorated entrance doors, the big nandi, for those who understand Tamil the backside of the temple gives a big script of how the financials of the temple were managed about the revenue and the expenditure. also visit or temple on the right side which has beautiful Shivlinga and Parvati. The total time spent year could be approximately one hour 30 minutes. You need to wear traditional Indian dress to visit the temple. The premises has clean toilets which are available on right side the temple complex. Drinking water needs to be carried on your own. Cloak Room not available. In case you found my review helpful, kindly click on the helpful button and follow me for more reviews of attractions all over IndiaVisited December 2023Travelled soloWritten 4 January 2024
- PANDEY JIVaranasi, India1,992 contributionsUNESCO World Heritage Site. MUST VISIT"Brihad" means Large or Grand. The temple extends over 36 acres and was built more than thousand years ago. When Europe and Western world were in the dark ages, Bharat was a millenia ahead in terms of engineering, architecture and spirituality. A beautiful temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The 200 feet Gopuram is testament to bharatiya ingenuity a 1000 years ago. The temple has immense detailing. It will take a library to explain the beauty of the temple. Must visit.Visited June 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 12 June 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
1,539 reviews
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224
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18
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HMN19
London, UK177 contributions
Feb 2020
In Tamil Nadu it is easy to get 'templed out' but this is one not to miss. It is by far the most impressive of the unpainted style of temples. As ever, non-Hindus or students of temple history would do well do have a guide to make the visit more meaningful, thought is still something to admire for its size and the artistry of its carvings.
Written 27 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vs Narayanan
Bengaluru, India94 contributions
May 2022 • Couples
The temple is a fantastic place. It never fails to evoke admiration and amazement every time one visits the precincts. It is just an awesome place.
However, I must recount the poor experience had with depositing footwear with the authorised agent just on the right of the temple as you enter it. They are not professionally organised and the result was that we lost an expensive pair of Adidas shoes. We did complain and they just settled the issue with some meagre compensation, which was grossly inadequate. As we did not have time, we just moved on. Hence, please be careful with depositing footwear or any valuables over there.
However, I must recount the poor experience had with depositing footwear with the authorised agent just on the right of the temple as you enter it. They are not professionally organised and the result was that we lost an expensive pair of Adidas shoes. We did complain and they just settled the issue with some meagre compensation, which was grossly inadequate. As we did not have time, we just moved on. Hence, please be careful with depositing footwear or any valuables over there.
Written 8 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
andywendy h
New Zealand163 contributions
Nov 2019
We arrived at sunset and the light off the temple buildings was beautiful. There was a big festival on at the time but our local guide managed to get us in to the main shrine in the temple despite the queues. We did feel a bit bad about that but nobody seemed to mind. This temple is a must see if you are in this area.
Written 15 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LAQLD
Brisbane, Australia32 contributions
Jan 2020
One of several staggering beautiful temple sites in Tamil Nadu. We were there during the Pongal harvest festival and there were flocks of exquisite saris moving around to add to the beauty. We had a guide and I think it adds so much to the experience. Yes, visually it is awesome and you can see that, but a little interpretation fills out the experience so much more. The Nandi monolith was the most impressive of many I have seen. Try to be there in the morning, I expect it could be hot walking around in the open. You will have to remove your shoes. Wondrous place.
Written 26 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wandering Tales Travel Dreams
Hyderabad, India55 contributions
Apr 2022
An amazing temple from an architecture point of view. We made the mistake of not hiring a guide. As a result, we missed some of the smaller details. A couple of things to remember:
1. This is a living temple. So, even though the timings when it is open are published, you cannot access the inside of the temple during certain times... so you have to wait. We hit one of those times (around 8am). We used that time to explore the outside.
2. If you see stairs, and think you can climb them... do it. Later we realised that we had missed seeing the Dakshinamurthy temple.
3. Hire a guide if you can. We wanted to see all three of the UNESCO sites on one day and were in a time crunch. So, we did not hire a guide. My advise would be to start early and take your time exploring the temple with the help of a guide. We reached around 8am after breakfast. A smarter thing to do would have been to start exploring around 6am, then have breakfast before heading to the next destination.
4. Lot of walking to do. You will not be allowed to wear footwear inside. So, if the weather looks like it will be hot, wear socks. That helped us. Very clean and well maintained.
Amazing temple ... definitely worth visiting.
1. This is a living temple. So, even though the timings when it is open are published, you cannot access the inside of the temple during certain times... so you have to wait. We hit one of those times (around 8am). We used that time to explore the outside.
2. If you see stairs, and think you can climb them... do it. Later we realised that we had missed seeing the Dakshinamurthy temple.
3. Hire a guide if you can. We wanted to see all three of the UNESCO sites on one day and were in a time crunch. So, we did not hire a guide. My advise would be to start early and take your time exploring the temple with the help of a guide. We reached around 8am after breakfast. A smarter thing to do would have been to start exploring around 6am, then have breakfast before heading to the next destination.
4. Lot of walking to do. You will not be allowed to wear footwear inside. So, if the weather looks like it will be hot, wear socks. That helped us. Very clean and well maintained.
Amazing temple ... definitely worth visiting.
Written 5 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nsv
Singapore, Singapore109 contributions
Apr 2019
One can't believe that this temple is constructed more than 1000 years ago.
It was built by the Chola king RajaRajaCholan. Truly an architectural marvel. You can feel the divine presence of Brihadeeswara and Brigannayagi in the temple. To me, this is one of the few places where I can feel the divinity and amaze the architecture.
It was built by the Chola king RajaRajaCholan. Truly an architectural marvel. You can feel the divine presence of Brihadeeswara and Brigannayagi in the temple. To me, this is one of the few places where I can feel the divinity and amaze the architecture.
Written 14 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vijay Aravind
1 contribution
Apr 2021
I have visited this place twice. Brihadeeswarar temple is also called Peruvudaiyar Kovil and Thanjai Periya Kovil. The main god of this temple is Lord Shiva.
It is built by a great Tamil king Raja Raja Chozha and it was constructed in 1010. In 2010, this temple celebrated its 1000th anniversary. This temple is a representation of Tamil culture. The height of the Shiva statue in this temple is 12 feet which represents the 12 vowels in the Tamil Language. The height of the Nandhi statue is 18 feet it is built on a single rock and it represents the Consonants in the Tamil language.
The distance between the Shiva statue and the Nandhi statue is 216 feet which represents the uyirmei (combination of vowels and consonants) letters in the Tamil Language. The Vimana which is the topmost part of the temple weighs above 80 tons, still, it is considered an engineering wonder, how they placed, this amount of weight at the topmost part. This temple has all the names of the sculptor on the walls of the temple.
It is built by a great Tamil king Raja Raja Chozha and it was constructed in 1010. In 2010, this temple celebrated its 1000th anniversary. This temple is a representation of Tamil culture. The height of the Shiva statue in this temple is 12 feet which represents the 12 vowels in the Tamil Language. The height of the Nandhi statue is 18 feet it is built on a single rock and it represents the Consonants in the Tamil language.
The distance between the Shiva statue and the Nandhi statue is 216 feet which represents the uyirmei (combination of vowels and consonants) letters in the Tamil Language. The Vimana which is the topmost part of the temple weighs above 80 tons, still, it is considered an engineering wonder, how they placed, this amount of weight at the topmost part. This temple has all the names of the sculptor on the walls of the temple.
Written 31 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Soudamini Mohapatra
Bengaluru, India1,438 contributions
Oct 2022 • Couples
Brihadeeswara temple, known as the Big temple locally, is situated in Tanjavur district of Tamilnadu. It is one of the largest and best maintained temples of India. The main temple was built in the the 11th century. There has been several additions to the temple afterwards. Though there are some damages over a period of 1000 years, still it's a majestic structure, which has withstood invasion, earthquake etc. The temple opens in the morning from 6 AM to 12.30 PM, again from 4 to 9 PM. Morning time is generally less crowded and more peaceful. But one must visit in the evenings to view the temple glowing in the setting sun and when it is lighted. There are several smaller temples in the complex which are equally wonderful. A must visit place for all Indians.
Written 10 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Honisoiquimalypense
Derby, UK1,306 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
This is a vast temple complex which is totally unpainted with all of the buildings and statues in a natural stone colour - brown! It is carved out of granite and at the entry gate as two,of the largest carved statues in India. I really enjoyed this temple - it was busy but not chaotic . Likes the massive carved bull in the middle. We took a guide around the temple and it was worth it for the information.
Would definitely recommend this place.
Would definitely recommend this place.
Written 10 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TravelExplorer_2005
Bengaluru, India1,337 contributions
Feb 2020
A visit to this temple is a must if you are in rounds of visiting temples in Tamilnadu. This is one of the most magnificent temple of Tamilnadu. A visit to this temple gives you an idea of how good the Construction Engineering was in India almost 1000 years back. The huge main temple complex housing a gigantic Lord Shiva Lingam is a real marvel to watch. The huge gopuram of the temple with a massive weighing Shikara resting on a single rock is just magnificent.
I have too few words to describe this huge temple complex with amazing architecture marvel. A visit to this place is a must. Don't miss this temple complex which is one of the most visited temple complex of Tamil Nadu.
I have too few words to describe this huge temple complex with amazing architecture marvel. A visit to this place is a must. Don't miss this temple complex which is one of the most visited temple complex of Tamil Nadu.
Written 12 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Not that I know of except that you can leave your shoes at the entrance Ask if they want to keep an eye on your bag against a good tip but be careful !
Written 7 June 2023
Hi, Am planning to visit Brihadeeswara Temple on March 28th... In google its saying that the Temple is Temporarily closed...
Can anyone let know whether the temple is open for tourist or still closed?
Written 15 March 2021
On 11th temple will be open or closed
Written 8 March 2021
Is the temple open for visit? or is it closed due to covid-19
Written 10 October 2020
venky2008
Vizianagaram, India
How much time will take for sight seeing in Pondicherry, chidambaram, karaikal, kumbakonam, Thanjavur. And places to see in the above towns
Please suggest if any nearby important places to see
Written 15 December 2019
I suggest keep a day at each place if you really want to enjoy. Else it will be a rushed affair. Better skip a place if hard pressed for time.
Written 15 December 2019
venky2008
Vizianagaram, India
Please help me and suggest
We 2 people wants to visit tiruvannamalai, puduchchery, chidambaram, karaikal, kumbaKonam, Thanjavur, drop at Tiruchirapalli. How to plan to visit for all these we have the time log of 4 days, please suggest day wise plan to visit, and shall we complete this by bus or better to take cab
Written 15 December 2019
Which temple is near to caveri river in thanjavur please reply me
Written 1 November 2019
Hi friends....i would like to complete thanjavur in one day including gangaikonda cholapuram....with limited budget...please suggest me how to cover w/o missing major attractions? Tq
Written 5 August 2019
You can visit Brihadeeswara temple in Thanjavur and it takes about 4/5 hours if you want to enjoy the temple.Gangaikonda cholapuram is further away and also takes 3/4 hours to complete the visit. Instead perhaps you can visit Thanjavur Palace and Punnainallur Mariamman temple which are worth visiting.
Written 7 August 2019
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