A capital that vanished, leaving its temple standing in the fields.
- Deity
- Shiva as Brihadisvara
- Where
- Gangaikonda Cholapuram கங்கைகொண்ட சோழபுரம்
- Known as
- A UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the Great Living Chola Temples
- Oldest record
- c. 1035
௧ The legend
The Ganga carried south
Rajendra Chola, son of Rajaraja, led his army north as far as the Ganga. He took the title Gangaikondan, the one who took the Ganga.
He had the river’s water carried south in pots and poured into a great tank at his new capital, a liquid pillar of victory, and built a temple to rival his father’s.
As the story is told at the temple. Legends vary in the telling.
௨ Across the centuries
Built by many hands, tier upon tier
c. 1035
Rajendra Chola I
The temple is completed at the heart of the new Chola capital.
250 years
The Chola capital
The city remains the seat of the dynasty, then falls into ruin.
2004
UNESCO
Added to the Great Living Chola Temples World Heritage Site.
௩ What to look for
When you stand inside
The curved vimana
A tower with a gentle concave sweep, often called the feminine twin of Thanjavur.
The great lingam
One of the largest in south India.
The lion well
A well entered through a carved lion, once filled with Ganga water.
௪ The temple’s year
The festivals that fill it
- சித்திரைChithiraiApr–May
- வைகாசிVaikasiMay–Jun
- ஆனிAaniJun–Jul
- ஆடிAadiJul–Aug
- ஆவணிAavaniAug–Sep
- புரட்டாசிPurattasiSep–Oct
- ஐப்பசிAippasiOct–Nov
- கார்த்திகைKarthigaiNov–Dec
- மார்கழிMargazhiDec–Jan
- தைThaiJan–Feb
- மாசிMaasiFeb–Mar
- பங்குனிPanguniMar–Apr
Aippasi Oct–Nov
Annabhishekam
The great lingam is covered in cooked rice on the full moon.
Festival dates follow the temple’s own calendar and change each year. We confirm them before you travel.
௫ Going there
Journeys that bring you here
- Most Tamil Nadu temples close around midday and reopen in the late afternoon. Each day keeps temples for the morning and evening and puts the road in between.
- Dress traditionally and modestly. Footwear is left outside every temple.
- Darshan arrangements differ from temple to temple and can change on festival days. We confirm what is possible at each one before you travel.
To stand here yourself, with the car, the stay, the guide and the darshan arranged, ask us to plan your journey. We call you back and listen first.
Draft Legends and history are retold from widely published sources and await review. Timings, dress code and special-entry arrangements are published once each fact has a source and a review date.