Thanjavur Dance Festival

Thanjavur Dance Festival The awe-inspiring UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Monument, the enormous Brihadeeshwara Temple, hosts an International Indian Classical Dance Festival where classical dancers from all over the world assemble each year to pay tribute to the Cosmic Dancer, Lord Shiva, on the eve of Mahashivaratri during the months of  February or March. Brihadeeswara Temple, Thanjavur The Brihadeeswara Temple, popularly known as the "Big Temple", is located in Thanjavur district. The temple is also crowned as a cultural UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its marvellous architecture. The temple was built by Raja Raja Chola 1 during the Chola dynasty in the year 1010 AD. This temple is an excellent illustration of the exceptional achievements made by the Chola emperors in the field of architecture.The Brihadeeswarar Temple is a granite-built structure. The first work of Tamil Cholan architecture is this enormous temple, illustrating pre-Dravidian architecture while also showcasing the Chola Dynasty's creative brilliance and majesty. The main deity of this temple is Lord Shiva (The God of Destruction). The temple is one of the finest in the country, portraying a masterpiece of Indian architecture. The main attraction of this ancient temple is undoubtedly its Vimana or Shikhara, the temple tower. It is one of the highest structures of its sort in the whole globe, at a stunning 60 m tall. Brilliant mural paintings on the walls around the Sanctorum are another outstanding aspect of the temple. Lord Shiva defeating demons, Lord Shiva dancing to the beat of life, and many more historical occurrences are depicted in the Shiva Purana tales. The Brihadeeswarar Temple commemorated its one thousandth year in 2010. Thanjavur Dance Festival The festival was first held in 1981 at Chidambaram, and was put on by the Natyanjali Trust and the Department of Tourism, Tamil Nadu. It is celebrated on the grounds of the temple to honour Lord Shiva, the temple's patron deity. The god's image is shown at the temple in the "Ananda Tandava" position, also known as the "Dance of Bliss." Because every dancer dedicates their "natya," or dance, to express their "anjali," or devotional and spiritual sacrifice, to the deity, this manifestation of Lord Shiva is crucial to the event. The Brahan Natyanjali International Classical Dance Festival at Thanjavur, honours the Almighty Lord Shiva, the greatest Cosmic Dancer in Hinduism, as part of its enormous celebration of culture and holiness. Dancers who specialise in various traditional Indian dance forms come from all corners of the world to this international Indian classical dance festival during Maha Shivaratri every year. Many dancers feel nostalgic and see it as a great blessing to do their first public performance close to the Sanctorum of the temple.