2N/3D Thanjavur Art & Craft Tour

Immerse yourself in the living heritage of Thanjavur on this 2N/3D Thanjavur Art & Craft Tour, tracing the journey from imperial Chola bronzes to intricate Tanjore paintings, glass art and plate work. Meet master artisans in their studios, explore iconic temples and libraries, and understand how sacred iconography shapes everyday craft on this curated 2N/3D Thanjavur Art & Craft Tour.

Day 1: Arrival in Madurai – Transfer to Thanjavur – Tanjore Painting Introduction

Arrive in Madurai and meet our tour representative at the airport or railway station. Transfer to Thanjavur, driving northeast through Trichy and into the Cauvery delta at its western edge. The drive takes approximately 2.5 to 3 hours and the approach into Thanjavur through the flat paddy landscape of the delta, with the vimana of the Brihadeeswarar Temple visible from several kilometres away on the plain, gives the traveller an immediate sense of the imperial ambition that produced the art traditions this itinerary is built around. Check in at your stay in Thanjavur by early afternoon. Spend the afternoon at a Tanjore painting studio for an introductory session with a practising artist, beginning with the panel preparation process where the cloth is stretched over a wooden board and a chalk and adhesive mixture is applied in successive layers before the surface is polished to a smooth ground. Understand the compositional grammar of the classical Tanjore painting – the frontal deity figure, the jewelled costume, the architectural frame, the gold leaf field and the semi-precious stone inlay – before the painting process begins. End the day at the Thanjavur Art Gallery for the evening session, spending time specifically with the Chola bronze collection to understand the iconographic tradition that the Tanjore painting inherited and reinterpreted in a two-dimensional medium. Overnight stay in Thanjavur.

Day 2: Bronze Casting, Glass Painting and Tanjore Plate Work

After an early breakfast, begin the day at a bronze casting workshop where the lost-wax or cire perdue process that produced the great Chola bronzes is still practised by hereditary artisans. The process begins with a wax model sculpted over a clay core, covered in successive layers of clay slip and fired to melt the wax and harden the outer mould, before molten bronze is poured into the cavity and the outer mould is broken away to reveal the cast figure. The finishing work of chasing, filing and polishing that follows the casting is as significant as the casting itself and the hereditary artisan’s knowledge of iconometric proportions, surface treatment and patination represents a continuity with the Chola period that is genuinely remarkable. Continue to a Tanjore glass painting workshop, a less documented tradition than the panel painting but equally specific to this town, where the reverse glass painting technique is used with gold foil backing to produce compositions that share the Tanjore painting’s iconographic vocabulary but exploit the reflective quality of glass rather than the textured surface of the gessoed panel. Spend the afternoon at a Tanjore plate work unit where embossed brass and copper repoussé work is produced using a combination of hand chasing and mould pressing, the decorative vocabulary drawing from the same temple iconography that informs the painting and bronze casting traditions. End the day at the Saraswathi Mahal Library, spending time specifically with the illustrated manuscript collection and the early printed texts that document the iconographic canon from which all of Thanjavur’s visual art traditions draw. Overnight stay in Thanjavur.

Day 3: Tanjore Doll Making – Brihadeeswarar Temple as Art Context – Departure

Start early with a visit to a Tanjore doll making workshop where the golu bommai, the weighted papier mâché dolls specific to Thanjavur, are produced using a hand modelling and layering process that has remained largely unchanged for centuries. The Tanjore doll’s characteristic feature is its weighted base that produces a persistent rocking motion when touched, a mechanical quality achieved through the clay and lead ballast in the base rather than any external mechanism. The painted surface of the finished doll uses the same colour palette and iconographic vocabulary as the Tanjore painting tradition, connecting the doll-making craft to the broader visual arts ecosystem of the town. Continue to the Brihadeeswarar Temple not as a religious visit but as an art and architectural context, spending time specifically with the fresco paintings in the circumambulatory passage around the main shrine, which are among the earliest surviving examples of Chola and Nayak period mural painting in Tamil Nadu and the direct precursors of the Tanjore painting tradition. After breakfast and check out, transfer back to Madurai for your departure.

Tour Highlights

Tanjore Painting Studio, Panel Preparation and Gesso Process, Gold Leaf and Semi-Precious Stone Inlay, Tanjore Painting Iconographic Grammar, Thanjavur Art Gallery Chola Bronze Collection, Bronze Casting Lost-Wax Workshop, Wax Modelling and Clay Mould Process, Bronze Chasing and Patination, Tanjore Glass Painting Workshop, Reverse Glass Technique, Tanjore Plate Work Unit, Brass and Copper Repoussé, Saraswathi Mahal Library Illustrated Manuscript Collection, Tanjore Doll Making Workshop, Golu Bommai Weighted Base Mechanism, Brihadeeswarar Temple Chola and Nayak Frescoes, Cauvery Delta, Thanjavur Old Town.

Tour Includes

• Ex. Madurai Airport/ Station
• Selected Category of Accommodation
• Stay in Double/ Triple Sharing AC Rooms
• Daily Breakfast at Accommodation
• AC Private Vehicles as per Pax
• All Sightseeing Mentioned in Itinerary
• All Transfers Mentioned in Itinerary

Tour Excludes

• 5% GST on Total Invoice Amount
• 3% Card Charges [If Applicable]
• Any Air Fare or Train Fare
• Any Entrance or Activities Fees
• Any Travel Insurance
• Any Contingency Expenses
• Whatever is Not Mentioned in Tour Includes

2N/3D Thanjavur Art & Craft Tour Booking Price

Pricing Policy

1. All the prices can change without any notice due to fuel price hike, inflation, economy disruption.
2. All the prices mentioned are Per Person Rate, based upon minimum 2 Persons travelling together.
3. All the prices are not valid on long weekends, national holidays, blackout dates, any festival dates.
4. All the prices are based on base category double/ triple sharing bed room of the mentioned accommodations.
5. All the prices are based on Non AC accommodations in the hills & cold climate zones.
6. All the prices are based on AC accommodations in the plains & coastal zones.
7. All the prices given above are indicative & approximate, so price may exceed 10-15% during final quotation.
8. All the prices are based on Non-AC vehicles in the hills & cold climate zones.
9. All the prices will change with respect to the change in the number of Pax.
10. All the prices are valid as per the months mentioned above.
11. All the prices are valid for Residential Indian Citizens only.
12. The featured price mentioned in this tour is based on maximum number of pax.
13. No Tours can be arranged, booked or processed less than 72 Hours of Check-in Date
14. Please call +91 9874284569/ 9874361951 for Group Booking, MICE Tours & Institutional Tours.

Tour Customisation

1. This tour can be customised as per your requirement with an Adjustable Advance of INR.3,540.
2. Any tour customisation will come with upfront cost committment with short itinerary with 5% Deviation Maximum.
3. You can share your preferred accommodation, we will try to get the best deal for you and customise the tour.
4. Please call +91 9874284569/ 9874361951 to upgrade your package.

Accommodation Booking Policy

1. Ocean6 Holidays partners exclusively with accommodations rated 3.5 stars or higher on Trip Advisor or Google.
2. Exact Accommodation names can be told after advance payment to Ocean6 Holidays before booking.
3. All Accommodation rooms are volatile. No rooms are on hold.
4. Confirmation of Accommodation process starts upon guest payment receipt.
5. Accommodation confirms rooms after receiving payment from Ocean6 Holidays.
6. If promised Accommodation rooms are unavailable, refund or alternative accommodation will be proposed.
7. Ocean6 Holidays shall not be responsible for any consequences of Accommodation non-booking.
8. No Accommodation can be arranged, booked or processed less than 48 Hours of Check-in Date
9. Please call +91 9874284569/ 9874361951 for any clarification.

General Payment Policy

1. 50% Advance must be paid during Booking.
2. 50% Balance must be paid 21 days before Check-in Date.
3. 100% Payment must be made if the Check-in Date < 21 days.
4. Disruption in Payment Schedule will affect the Tour Confirmation.
5. Please call +91 9874284569/ 9874361951 for any clarification.

General Cancellation & Refund Policy

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