The Thanjavur Royal Palace is a rambling compound built in stages by the Nayaka rulers and later expanded by the Maratha kings who held Thanjavur from the 17th century. It is part medieval fortress, part crumbling Baroque, part colonial-era administrative block — a layered record of the various powers that controlled the Cauvery delta. The complex includes the seven-storey Goodagopuram watch tower, the Durbar Hall with its ornate plasterwork, and a sequence of courtyards of varying age and condition.
The most rewarding part of the palace visit is the Art Gallery in the southern wing, which holds an outstanding collection of Chola bronzes — some of the finest anywhere outside a major metropolitan museum. The Nataraja figures and the multi-armed Uma figures are exceptional. The gallery is well-lit and uncrowded, which makes it easier to examine pieces that in other collections you could only approach through glass.
Adjacent to the gallery is the Saraswathi Mahal Library, worth treating as a separate stop. The palace complex as a whole takes two to three hours to do properly; bring a torch if you want to explore the darker corridors and upper floors, where signage is minimal but the carved ceilings are worth finding.