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Thanjavur district

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Thanjavur district
District
Clockwise from top left: Periya Kovil; Thanjavur Royal Palace, and Kumbeswarar Temple in Kumbakonam
Nickname: 
Rice Bowl of Tamil Nadu
Location in Tamil Nadu
Location in Tamil Nadu
Coordinates: 10°47′8.16″N 79°8′24.36″E / 10.7856000°N 79.1401000°E / 10.7856000; 79.1401000
Country India
State Tamil Nadu
Municipal CorporationsThanjavur, Kumbakonam
MunicipalitiesPattukkottai, Adirampattinam, Thiruvaiyaru
Largest cityThanjavur
FounderRaja Raja Chola I
HeadquartersThanjavur
Talukas
Budalur,
Kumbakonam,
Orathanadu,
Papanasam,
Pattukkottai,
Peravurani,
Thanjavur,
Thiruvaiyaru,
Thiruvidaimarudur,
Thiruvonam
Government
 • District CollectorPriyanka Pankajam, IAS[1]
 • Superintendent of PoliceSundaravathanam, IPS[2]
Population
 (2011)
 • Total
2,405,890
Languages
 • OfficialTamil
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
613xxx
Telephone code04362,0435
ISO 3166 codeISO 3166-2:IN
Vehicle registrationTN-49, TN-68[3]
Websitethanjavur.nic.in

Thanjavur district is one of the 38 districts in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Its administrative headquarters is Thanjavur (Tanjore). The district is located in the fertile delta of the Kavery River and has its economy centered largely on agriculture.

Geography

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Agriculture—especially rice cultivation—is the main occupation in Thanjavur district.
The Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur

The district is located at 10°05′N 79°10′E / 10.08°N 79.16°E / 10.08; 79.16 in Central Tamil Nadu. It is bounded by Mayiladuthurai district to the northeast, Tiruvarur District to the east, Palk Strait of Bay of Bengal to the south, and Pudukkottai and Tiruchirappalli districts to the west. To the north, the Kollidam River forms the boundary separating Thanjavur from Tiruchirappalli and Ariyalur districts.

Demographics

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901928,222—    
1911978,651+0.53%
1921958,929−0.20%
1931986,308+0.28%
19411,059,583+0.72%
19511,228,360+1.49%
19611,317,920+0.71%
19711,592,998+1.91%
19811,848,132+1.50%
19912,053,760+1.06%
20012,216,138+0.76%
20112,405,890+0.82%
source:[4]
Religions in Thanjavur district (2011)[5]
Religion Percent
Hinduism
 
 86.28%
Islam
 
 7.93%
Christianity
 
 5.57%
Other or not stated
 
 0.22%

According to the 2011 census, Thanjavur district had a population of 2,405,890 with a sex ratio of 1,035 females per 1,000 males, exceeding the national average of 929. Urban areas accounted for 35.39% of the population.[6] Children under six years of age were 238,598 (121,949 males and 116,649 females). Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 18.91% and 0.15% of the population, respectively. The average literacy rate was 74.44%, compared to the national average of 72.99%.[6] The district had a total of 605,363 households and a workforce of 974,079 workers, consisting of 117,321 cultivators, 327,673 main agricultural labourers, 26,430 household industry workers, 363,060 other main workers, 139,595 marginal workers, 12,592 marginal cultivators, 87,688 marginal agricultural labourers, 4,770 marginal workers in household industries and 34,545 other marginal workers.[7]

Languages of Thanjavur district (2011)[8]
  1. Tamil (97.4%)
  2. Saurashtra (1.07%)
  3. Others (1.51%)

At the 2011 census, Tamil was the primary language of 97.42% of the population, while Saurashtra was spoken by 1.07%.[8]

Politics

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Source:[9]
District No. Constituency Name Party Alliance Remarks
Thanjavur 170 Thiruvidaimarudur Govi. Chezhian DMK SPA
171 Kumbakonam R. Vinoth TVK SSJVA Cabinet Minister
172 Papanasam A. M. Shahjahan IUML Won as SPA candidate; party switched to TVK+ post-election; Cabinet Minister[10]
173 Thiruvaiyaru Durai Chandrasekaran DMK SPA
174 Thanjavur R. Vijaysaravanan TVK SSJVA
175 Orathanadu R. Vaithilingam DMK SPA
176 Pattukkottai K. Annadurai
177 Peravurani N. Ashokkumar

Economy

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Agriculture

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Thanjavur district is located in the Kaveri delta, the primary agricultural region in Tamil Nadu.[11] It is the state's primary rice-producing area and is commonly referred to as the 'Rice Bowl of Tamil Nadu'.[12] The district's agricultural lands are irrigated by a canal network consisting of Kaveri, Vennar, and Grand Anicut (Kallanai) canal systems.[13] Apart from Paddy, other major crops include sugarcane, coconut, pulses, banana and groundnut. These are supported by agro-processing industries such as rice mills and coir manufacturing units.[14]

Tourism

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Brihadisvara Temple

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Airavateswara Temple, in Darasuram, near Kumbakonam, Thanjavur district, was built by Rajaraja Chola II in the 12th century CE, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Brihadisvara Temple in Thanjavur (also known as Rajarajesvaram or Peruvudaiyār Kōvil), built under the Chola king Rajaraja I in the 11th century, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site recognized for its Dravidian architecture. The 12th-century Airavateswara Temple at Darasuram near Kumbakonam is also an UNESCO World Heritage site as part of the Great Living Chola Temples. Other notable temples include the Prathyangira Devi Temple at Ayyavadi.

Manora Fort

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The Manora Fort is situated in Mallipattinam, 20 km (12 mi) from Pattukkottai and 60 km (37 mi) from Thanjavur. The fort was built between 1814 and 1815 by the Thanjavur Maratha ruler Serfoji II, the eight-story hexagonal tower stands at 75 ft (23 m) overlooking the Bay of Bengal. It was erected to commemorate the British victory over Napoléon Bonaparte at teh Battle of Waterloo. The edifice features arched windows, a circular staircase, and an outer moat.[15]

Flora and fauna

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The district's vegetation consists of riverine flora along the Kaveri and Killidam River basins and agricultural wetlands. Common tree species include coconut, palpyra palm, tamarind, neem and banyan.[16][17][18] The coastal wetlands and lageens near Mallipattinam and Sethubavachatram host mangrove and function as feeding grounds for migratory birds during winter.[19][20]

Cultural significance

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The district is known for traditional art forms and artisanal crafts, several of which hold Geographical Indication (GI) status.[21] These include the Saraswati veena (a classical plucked string instrument), Thanjavur art plates (reoussé brass and silver relief work), Thanjavur oil paintings (chracterized by gold foil leaf and stone inlays), and Thalaiyatti Bommai (terracotta bobblehead dolls). The town of Swamimalai is also recognized for its lost-wax bronze icon casting.[22][23]

Notable people

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Notes and references

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  1. ↑ district Collector
  2. ↑ City Superintendent of Police
  3. ↑ www.tn.gov.in
  4. ↑ Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901
  5. ↑ "Table C-01 Population by Religion: Tamil Nadu". censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
  6. 1 2 "Census Info 2011 Final population totals". Office of The Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  7. ↑ "Census Info 2011 Final population totals – Thanjavur district". Office of The Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  8. 1 2 "Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Tamil Nadu". Census of India. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
  9. ↑ "Tamil Nadu election results 2026: Full list of winners". The Hindu. 4 May 2026. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
  10. ↑ Cite error: The named reference auto2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ↑ Nathan, K. K. (October 1995). "Assessment of Recent Droughts in Tamil Nadu" (PDF). Drought Network News. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 March 2003.
  12. ↑ "Welcome to Thanjavur (District Official Website)". District Administration of Thanjavur. Archived from the original on 3 February 2006. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  13. ↑ Baliga, B. S. (1957). Madras District Gazetteers: Tanjore. Superintendent, Government Press. pp. 162–168.
  14. ↑ Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies (CARDS) (2008). "District Agricultural Plan: Thanjavur District". Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  15. ↑ Subramanian, K. R. (1988). The Maratha Rajas of Tanjore. Asian Educational Services. pp. 78–80. ISBN 978-8120604476.
  16. ↑ Ragupathy, Subramanyam (1992). Flora of Thanjavur District. Doctoral dissertation, PhD thesis. Madras, India: Centre for Advanced Study in Botany, University of Madras.
  17. ↑ Matthew, K. M. (1983). The Flora of the Tamilnadu Carnatic. Tiruchirappalli: The Rapinat Herbarium, St. Joseph's College. pp. 142–148. OCLC 11289942.
  18. ↑ Baliga, B. S. (1957). Madras District Gazetteers: Tanjore. Superintendent, Government Press. pp. 18–24.
  19. ↑ Prasad, S. N.; Ramachandra, T. V.; Ahalya, N.; Sengupta, T.; Kumar, Alok; Tiwari, A. K.; Vijayan, V. S.; Vijayan, Lalitha (2002). Wetlands of India: Major Wetland Sites. Coimbatore: Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON). pp. 88–92.
  20. ↑ Department of Environment, Government of Tamil Nadu (2009). Status of Coastal Wetlands in Tamil Nadu (Report). ENVIS Centre. pp. 45–52.
  21. ↑ "State Wise Registration Details of G.I Applications: Tamil Nadu". Geographical Indications Registry, Intellectual Property India, Government of India. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  22. ↑ Mukherjee, Meera (1978). Metal Craftsmen of India. Calcutta: Anthropological Survey of India. pp. 92–104. OCLC 5687796.
  23. ↑ Appasamy, Jaya (1980). Tanjavur Painting of the Maratha Period. Abhinav Publications. pp. 14–22. ISBN 978-0-391-01777-1.
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