Tanjore

There was a time when the city of Tanjore spread its influence right across south-eastern India, the Bay of Bengal, and even into the depths of Cambodia and the Malay Peninsula. Those days have long since passed; however, remnants of the great Chola Dynasty and its 9th-century golden age still loom high over the river-carved backcountry of Tamil Nadu.

In fact, it's the great Chola temples and palaces that continue to draw most visitors to this ancient city. As the thrum of mopeds and bustling chowks echoes throughout the new town, the tall Brihadishwara shrine has Tanjore tour guides pointing out masterworks of Dravidian architecture. Delve within and you can discover the stacked terraces of the soaring Sri-vimana for yourself, and witness dazzling frescos and ceiling paintings from the 11th century. It doesn't end there. The Thanjavur Maratha Palace, sparkling with multicolored great halls and spilling onto wide interior courtyards, stands as testimony to the glory of more recent rulers out of Tanjore. Don’t miss out on the Saraswathi Mahal library, which holds centuries’ old dusty manuscripts dating back to the 1600s. What’s more, art lovers can carry back a souvenir in the form of a famous Tanjore painting, depicting Hindu deities embellished with gold foil and an inlay of semi-precious stones.