Raja Raja Chola Sadhaya Vizha, Thanjavur

State festival at the Brihadeeswarar Temple marking the birth star of Raja Raja Chola I, who built it, on Sadhayam in Aippasi.

Expected (1041st): Sadhayam star prevails at sunrise on Oct 22 in Aippasi (Drik Panchang). The 2025 festival ran Oct 31–Nov 1 with the main day on Sadhayam; Thanjavur district confirms the schedule.

The Sadhaya Vizha commemorates the birth of Raja Raja Chola I (reigned 985–1014 CE), the Chola emperor who built the Brihadeeswarar Temple (Peruvudaiyar Kovil) in Thanjavur, completed around 1010 CE. It is held on the day of his birth star, Sadhayam (Shatabhisha), in the Tamil month of Aippasi (October–November). Since 2022 it has been celebrated as an official Tamil Nadu government function.

The two-day festival includes special abhishekam to Peruvudaiyar and Periyanayaki Amman, a procession of the Thirumurai (Saiva hymns) on an elephant along the Raja Veedhis around the temple, garlanding of the statue of Raja Raja Chola near the temple, and cultural programmes: Bharatanatyam, music, poetry recitals and seminars on Chola history. The district declares a local holiday on the main day.

For a visitor, the festival is a chance to see the temple as a living place of worship and civic pride rather than only as a monument, and to combine it with the other Great Living Chola Temples at Gangaikonda Cholapuram and Darasuram.

Good to know

Dress modestly: shoulders and knees covered; a dhoti or veshti for men and a saree, salwar or long skirt for women is common.
Remove footwear before entering the temple (use the token counters near the gopuram) and keep leather items outside.
Photography is not allowed inside the sanctums; follow the signage and the temple staff.
Non-Hindus may not be admitted beyond the flagstaff or into the sanctums of some temples.
The temple and the Raja Veedhis are crowded on the main day; go early in the morning, and expect traffic diversions around the temple.

Good to know

Experiences around this festival