History of thanjavur

Thanjavur district stands unique from time immemorial for its agricultural activities and is rightly acclaimed as the Granary of the South India lying in the deltaic region of the famous river Cauvery and criss-crossed by lengthy network of irrigation canals, this coastal district abounds in green paddy fields, tall coconut groves, vast gardens of mango and plantain trees and other verdant vegetation.Various testimonials available in the ancient Tamil literature referring to the Cauvery as possessing the sanctity of the Ganges in conformity with the legendry and mythological stories attributed to its divine origin, rightly point out why the river is popularly called the ' Mother Cauvery' and its sacredness is evident from 'Kaviri-Thala-Puranam'. The river has also been named 'Ponni' because it is yielding 'pon' -Gold in the form of paddy. That is why it is said with pride that every iota of the earth of Thanjavur is equal to an iota of gold. The tillers in Tamil literature have been rightly called as 'Kauvirippudhalvars' - the sons of the Cauvery as they alone are worthy of this title for the rich production of grains in this fertile soil.It is no wonder therefore that at the very Threshold of the district itself one can feel the distinguish green vegetation and call Thanjavur as 'the green mansion' of the South. With an average annual rice yield touching 6.5 lakh metric tonnes during 1991-92 the district tops all the other districts of India in the production of rice and remarked as the rice bowl of India. The economy of the district is, therefore, primarily agrarian in nature with very few industrial units.Thanjavur is one of the thirteen coastal districts of Tamil Nadu in the production of marine fish which accounts for about 5 % of the total marine fish catch of the State. The district is famous for its exquisite ancient handicrafts-making of bronze icons, Thanjavur art plates, bell-metal castings, bowls, napkin and powder boxes of metal with beautiful and artistic in-laying and engraving work of motifs well known as "Tanjore swami work". It is equally well-known for pith-work, ornamental fans, mats and making of musical instruments of jack-wood. It is also a flourishing center of handloom silk and cotton sarees.