---
title: "Brihadeeswarar Temple, Thanjavur: Chola Marvel"
description: "The Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur is a UNESCO site and a key example of Dravida architecture, significant for UPSC GS1 candidates."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/brihadeeswarar-temple-thanjavur"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The Brihadeeswarar Temple is an early-11th-century Chola granite temple to Shiva at Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, inscribed by UNESCO in 1987 as a Great Living Chola Temple.
- Who built the Brihadeeswarar Temple and when?
- Why is the temple significant for UPSC General Studies Paper I?
- How does the temple differ from later Tamil temples with tall gopurams?
- What conservation challenges does the temple face?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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In 2010, the Government of Tamil Nadu and the Reserve Bank of India marked the millennium of the temple's 1010 CE consecration with commemorations at Thanjavur and the release of a special coin.

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