Temples and Forts Built by Cholas

The celebrated Saiva temple at Thanjavur, appropriately called Brihadisvara and Daksinameru, is the grandest creation of the Chola emperor Rajaraja (AD 985-1012). It was inaugurated by the king himself in his 19th regnal year (AD 1009-10) and named it after himself as Rajesvara Peruvudaiyar. Architecturally, it is the most ambitious structural temple built of granite. It has been regarded as a landmark in the evolution of building art in south India and its vimana as a touchstone of Indian architecture as a whole. The temple is within a spacious inner prakara of 240.9 m long (east-west) and 122 m broad (north-south), with a gopura at the east and three other ordinary torana entrances one at each lateral sides and the third at rear. The prakara is surrounded by a double-storeyed malika with parivaralayas. The temple with its massive proportions and simplicity of design provided inspiration for future designs in constructions not only in south India but also in south-east Asia.

The Chola style continued to flourish for a century longer and expressed itself in a very large number of temples. Of these two large temples are worthy of comparison to those of Rajaraja and Rajendra. The Airavateswara temple at Darasuram near Thanjavur built during the reign of Rajaraja Chola II is a magnificent structure typical of the stage of architectural development reached in the 12th century CE. This temple has artistic stone pillars and decorations on its walls, in a style bordering on mannerism, with an emphasis on elongated limbs and polished features.

Spoked chariot wheel, Airavateswarar Temple, Darasuram c. 1200 C.E. The horse-drawn chariot is carved on the front of the mandapam. The chariot and its wheel are so finely sculpted that they include even the faintest details The final example of this period is the Kampaharesvara temple at Tribhuvanam near Kumbakonam which has survived in good repair as built by Kulothunga Chola III.The architecture of this temple is similar to the temples at Tanjore, Gangaikondacholapuram and Darasuram Gingee Fort also known as Chenji or Jinji or Senchi in Tamil Nadu, India is one of the few surviving forts in Tamil Nadu, India. It lies in Villupuram District, 160 kilometres (99 mi) from the state capital, Chennai, and is close to the Union Territory of Puducherry. So well fortified was this place that Shivaji ranked it as the "most impregnable fortress in India" and it was called the "Troy of the East" by the British.

The nearest town with a railway station is Tindivanam and the nearest airport is Chennai (Madras), 150 kilometres (93 mi) away.