Thanjavur Maratha Palace & Saraswathi Mahal Library Museum
The Thanjavur Royal Maratha Palace complex (simply Aranmanai in Tamil), is a sprawling heritage site just north of the Brihadeeswarar temple. It holds history dating back to the Nayaks of Thanjavur that reigned over the region between the 16th and 17th centuries. Built by Vijayaraghava Nayak, the palace fell into the hands of rival Chokkanatha Nayak after he defeated the last Nayak king. Maratha general Venkoji took over the region, beginning Maratha rule in the region. Although most of the beauty is now turned into ruins due to the natural calamities, it still seems to behold the glory of the Chola and the Maratha rulers. After the fall of Cholas in 1279 AD and a few centuries of Pandyan occupation, Sevappa Nayak captured Thanjavur and became the king in 1532.
The construction of the palace began in 1534 and was completed in 1535, thanks to plenty of local prisoners of war who provided manual labor. At present, there are two forms namely, small fort and big fort. There are also the Bell Tower, arsenal tower and the two durbar halls of the Nayaks and the Marathas. The bell Tower, which has seven storeys is said to have been even higher before, has now eroded. It is believed that the Vijayaraghava Nayak used to worship from the terrace of this tower every day. Researches reveal that there used to have a huge clock and pendulum on this tower which used to strike the gong every hour. The tower is fashioned in the Gingee nayak style.
The Saraswati Mahal Library houses several old inscriptions of nearly 50000 in palm leafs and paper manuscripts in Sanskrit, Tamil, Marathi and Telugu, 5000 folios of paper paintings and 1300 bundles of Maratha era records. There are also documents of medicines and inscriptions of the Sangam period. The museum has a vast collection of royal clothing, headgears and weapons. There are also statues of Pallava, Chola, Nayak and the Pandya periods. Apart from these, there are several statues of Hindu gods and Goddesses. There are two Durbar halls in very good condition in which the rulers used to gather for public meetings. The durbar halls are adorned with beautiful frescoes on the ceiling and the walls as well. The Palace is a must visit place in Thanjavur to understand the history and lifestyle of the rulers.