A grand Chola museum to be set up in Thanjavur: a great marvel of Tamil Nadu tourism sector

In the Dravidian model of Tamil Nadu government, the Tourism department has turned heads by making some significant changes in the sector. Last year 44th Chess Olympiad was conducted in Tamil Nadu, which helped Tamil Nadu to achieve the twin targets of global recognition and empowerment of the sports and tourism sector. Chess Olympiad, a global event which attracted more tourists to Mamallapuram, augmented the revenue source of the tourism sector. Following this, CM Stalin's attention turned towards the tourism sector, starting with the establishment of Keezhadi museum and now with the plan to establish a grand Cholas museum, all to celebrate and highlight the history and pride of Tamil people.

Cholas' Museum in Thanjavur:

"The significance of Cholas museum is the creation of awareness for future generations about the entire history of Cholas in the visual format", said an officer-in charge of the scheme. Thanjavur, called as the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu is famous for the Chola Empire also. The Chola Empire is equated to world-class civilisations by some historians. The Cholas museum to be established by CM Stalin in Thanjavur will reflect the contributions of Cholas in irrigation techniques, urban planning etc.

The inspection work for the museum land was done by Saminathan, Minister of Tamil development, Information and Publicity. The Minister said that the construction works will be started after the approval of CM Stalin and project documents will be prepared after expert review. A total of 12 acres of land is identified in the centre of the city for easy accessibility, out of which 5 acres is expected to be allotted for the construction of the museum.

According to the archaeological department, officials are of the opinion that museum land has been finalised and waiting for official approval. According to Chief Secretariat officials, CM Stalin is showing keen interest in building the Chola museum which showcases the greatness of Cholas to the future generations. Cholas' excellence are seen in Gangaikonda Cholapuram, where Choleeswarar temple exists and in Sittannavasal, which showcases the Jain culture. For modernising these 2 tourist and heritage sites within December, Tamil Nadu government has allotted around 9 crore rupees.

Developmental plans for Gangaikonda Cholapuram:

Gangaikonda Cholapuram, one of the capitals of Cholas, has a lot of archaeological significance. So, the government plans to keep the art and artefacts found in Gangaikonda Cholapuram in the Thanjavur museum once it is completed. In 1023 AD, Rajendra I carried a successful expedition to Ganga and commemorated the victory by establishing a city Gangaikonda Cholapuram and a shiva temple in it. Following this he shifted the capital from Thanjavur to Gangaikonda Cholapuram and it stayed as the capital city of Cholas till 1279 AD. Currently, the Shiva temple (Choleeswarar temple) of historical significance built by Rajendra I is situated in Ariyalur district and the government is planning to take measures to improve its condition.

The monuments, inscriptions, temple gopurams (entrances) in and around the temple are under the control of Archaeological department of India and only one site comes under the control of Hindu Charities department which makes it necessary to get multilevel approval. One of the officials said, "..for the improvement of the basic amenities such as toilets, parking space, street lamps and drinking water into modern facilities within December, the government has spent 5 crores in Gangaikonda Cholapuram area."

4 crores for Sittannavasal development:

For the development of Sittannavasal Jain cultured area, 4 crores are being allotted. Sittannavasal is an area where Jain religion and culture flourished from 1st century BC to 10th century AD. The cave temple located here was present before the period of Pallava king, Mahendravarman I (600-630 AD) who converted to Shaivism from Jainism.

23.60 crores for Poompuhar development:

Next heritage site that is to be renovated is Poompuhar. Former CM Karunanidhi has written a screen epic in the name of this heritage site. With 2.57 crores, the first phase of renovation works have been accomplished and now the Tamil Nadu government has earmarked 23.60 crores for the second phase of works. In the first phase, Silapathikaram, Kalai Arangam, Paavai Mandram, Ilanji Mandram works have been completed. Recently, on behalf of Bharathidasan University, the remote sensing department in its excavations had found evidence for the presence of harbours in Poompuhar dating back to 2500 years ago.

The epics of Silapathikaram, Manimekalai are considered to be ancient Tamil literature about 2000 years old which denotes Poompuhar port city. Now, after the excavations, the existence of the port city is proved. Such a place is now being developed under Renovation and Redevelopment of Poompuhar Heritage city project. Apart from these projects, the government has allotted 3 crores for the renovation of Danish fort in Tharangambadi.