Tourism in Thanjavur district offers various options including the visit to some of the renowned places of interest, a number of places of pilgrimage and several festivals. Some of the major places of worship in this district which also form major tourist attractions include the Sri Brihadeeswarar Temple, Marriamman koil, etc. The Schwartz Church and the St. Mary`s Church are the prominent centers of pilgrimage for the Christians.
Sri Brahadeeswarar temple in the district of Thanjavur was constructed by the great Chola King; Rajaraja Chola I in the tenth century AD. This is a spectacular example of the Cholas art and architecture. A palace is there situated close to this temple which was constructed partly by the Nayaks around A.D. 1550 and partly by the Marathas. The various other attractions inside the palace are the Art Gallery, Saraswati Mahal Library, Hall of Music, etc. The Schwartz Church is situated in the palace garden which was erected in the A.D. 1779 AD by Rajah Serfoji as a token of his affection for the Rev.C.V.Schwartz of the Danish mission. Another place of interest is the Sivaganga Tank which is closely-located to the palace. This tank is known for its sweet water.
Some of the other temples in this district are the temples of Brahmasirekandeswarar and Harshavimochana Perumal which are of great importance. Kumbakonam is one of the prominent places of tourist interest in this district which possesses the famous Kumbeswarar temple, Sarangapani temple, Nageswara temple and Ramaswamy temple. Here the Mahamagam congregation takes place once in every twelve years. The coastal town of Tharangambadi was earlier a Danish settlement from 1624 to 1825 where two churches and a fort still exist. It is one of the most prominent tourist attractions in the district of Thanjavur.
Swamimalai is one of the six Abodes dedicated to Lord Subramanya and it forms one of the renowned places of Hindu pilgrimage. Thiruvaiyaru is the place where the great Thyagaraja lived and attained eternity. A music festival is held here in the month of January in honour of the saint. Kodikkarai is a famous place which is well-known for its congregation of migratory water fowl, especially flamingoes from November to January. Other wildlife seen at this lace includes blackbuck and wild ponies. One of the major tourist attractions in this district is the Manora. Here the eight story victory tower erected by Rajah Serfoji in the year 1814 draws tourists from different parts of the state as well as from outside throughout the year.
