Thanjavur Sightseeing - Nandi Bull

The Nandi has always had an important place in Hindu mythology. Here, one can see a massive idol of this divine bull. The Nandi (the divine vehicle of Lord Shiva) is a monolith measuring 12 feet in height, 19.5 feet in length and 18.25 feet in width, and weighing about 25 tons.

Some believe that the stone came from a bed of gneiss at the foot of the Pachaimalai hills near Perambulur. Another version is that the stone was brought over from the bed of the River Narmada in the north.

It is seated in an ornately sculpted mandapam called the Nayak Mandapam. According to legend, the Nandi was growing in size and people fearing that it might grow out of the mandapam, stuck a nail at its back to stunt the growth. Since then, it has remained stationary. On the ceiling of the Nandi Mantapam, are colourful frescos that are over 1000 years old and still maintain their magnificence. Two portraits statuesque on the front pillars of the Nandi Mandapam are pointed out as those of Sevappanayakan (the first Nayak ruler) and of his son Achyutappa Nayak.