Thanjavur district

Thanjavur district is one of the 38 districts of the state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. Its headquarters is Thanjavur (Tanjore). The district is located in the delta of the Cauvery River and is mostly agrarian.

Geography
The district is located at 10.08°N, 79.16°W in Central Tamil Nadu bounded on the northeast by Mayiladuthurai district, on the east by Tiruvarur District, on the south by the Palk Strait of Bay of Bengal on the west by Pudukkottai District and Tiruchirappalli, small border with Cuddalore on the northeast and on the north by the river Kollidam, across which lie part of Tiruchirappalli, and Ariyalur districts.

Demographics
According to the 2011 census, Thanjavur district had a population of 2,405,890 with a sex-ratio of 1,035 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929. 35.39% of the population lived in urban areas. A total of 238,598 were under the age of six, constituting 121,949 males and 116,649 females. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 18.91% and 0.15% of the population, respectively. The average literacy of the district was 74.44%, compared to the national average of 72.99%. The district had a total of 605,363 households. There were a total of 974,079 workers, comprising 117,321 cultivators, 327,673 main agricultural labourers, 26,430 in house hold industries, 363,060 other workers, 139,595 marginal workers, 12,592 marginal cultivators, 87,688 marginal agricultural labourers, 4,770 marginal workers in household industries and 34,545 other marginal workers.

At the time of the 2011 census, 97.42% of the population spoke Tamil and 1.07% Saurashtra as their first language.

Politics

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Agriculture
Thanjavur district lies in the Kaveri delta, the most fertile region in the state. The district is the main rice producing region in the state and hence known as the Rice Bowl of Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri River and its tributaries irrigate the district. Apart from paddy, farmers here grow coconut and sugarcane and it is the largest producer of coconut in Tamil Nadu. Being an agrarian economy, industrial growth in the district is mainly confined to agro-based industries. Many rice mills and oil mills are spread over the district.

Great Living Chola Temples of Thanjavur
Thanjavur's Brihadisvara Temple (known also as Rajarajesvaram or Peruvudaiyār Kōvil), built by the Cholas and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the largest of its kind and also one of the finest examples of classical Dravidian architecture in the world. Airavateswara Temple, in Darasuram, near Kumbakonam, has also been designated part of the same UNESCO World Heritage site and forms another major tourist attraction of the district. The green paddy fields of the Kaveri river valley provide a picturesque setting for these and other important ancient monuments of the district.

Prathyangira Devi Temple is also located in the district.

Manora Fort
The Manora Fort is situated 20 km away from Pattukkottai and 60 km from Thanjavur in the village of Mallipattinam. The fort was built by Maratha ruler Serfoji II in 1814–1815 to commemorate the successful advance of the British over Napoléon Bonaparte. Overlooking the Bay of Bengal, the fort is hexagonal structure and has eight storeys, raising to a height of 75 ft, tapering to its top. The tower is surrounded by a wall and a moat, resembling a fort. The monument looks like a pagoda, with arched windows, circular staircase and eaves separating one storey from the other.

Flora
The flora of Thanjavur was studied and documented in some detail by S. A. Ganapathy for a doctoral thesis in 1992.

Cultural significance
Thanjavur is famous for the Saraswati veena (the national instrument), Thanjavur art plates, Thanjavur oil paintings and Thalaiyatti Bommai.

Notable people

 * Rao Bahadur Annasamy Thevar, Zamindar of Ukkadai
 * Rao Bahadur Sir A. T. Pannirselvam Udaiyar, Leader of justice party
 * V. S. Srinivasa Sastri
 * Srinivasa Ramanujan
 * Sivaji Ganesan, actor and former Rajya Sabha Member
 * K. Thulasiah Vandayar, former MP
 * G K Moopanar TMC- Congress
 * G. K. Vasan Rajya Sabha Member
 * S. S. Palanimanickam, former Central Minister
 * S.D Somasundaram EX Minister and MP
 * Parasuram EX MP – Loksabha
 * L. Ganesan – EX MLA, MP, MLC
 * R. VaithiyaLingam – Ex Minister and Rajya Sabha Member
 * M Ramachandran MLA – DMk
 * M. Ramkumar - Ex MLA Papanasam
 * Durai Govindarajan EX MLA
 * Durai Chandrasekaran MLA
 * R. Doraikkannu Ex. Minister for Agricultural, Tamil Nadu