Thiruvarur also spelt as
Tiruvarur is a town and
municipality in
Tiruvarur district in the
Indian state of
Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Tiruvarur district and
Tiruvarur taluk. The town was one of the five traditional capitals of the
Chola empire, with one of the emperors of the dynasty,
Kulothunga Chola I, having it as his capital. The town is believed to be of significant antiquity and has been ruled, at different times, by the
Medieval Cholas,
Later Cholas, Later Pandyas,
Vijayanagar Empire,
Marathas and the
British. The town is known for the
Thyagaraja temple, and the annual
chariot festival held in the month of April. The temple chariot of the Thyagaraja temple, weighing and measuring tall is the largest temple chariot in Tamil Nadu. Thiruvarur is the birthplace of
Tyagaraja,
Muthuswami Dikshitar and
Syama Sastri, popularly known as the
Trinity of Carnatic music of the 18th century CE.