My first post to this groups. Thanks to Gokul for guiding me through and inspiring me . We (Srivatsan, Bala & I ) went to Tanjore temple, with one aim. To locate our hero 'Vandhiyathevan' in the inscriptions on the Tanjore Temple. http://balajiblogs.blogspot.com/ has a small description of the places we visited
We had a tough time reading the inscriptions under the hot sun. We burned our feet ..-( bu te heat didnt deter us from searching...we then photographed the inscriptions on the southern side of the temple and started searching again after we reached home. Wish we had a google !
Atlast success. Do check out Srivatsan's blog below, which has the pictures and details !
One thing that surprises even scholars is the way stones have been dressed in periyakoil and the clarity / beauty with which inscriptions have been etched out. It is one of the highly recommended places for a novice to begin reading inscriptions
You should also look for the famous "Naam kuduthanavum" inscription besides chandikeswara shrine and the thailcheri kalvettukal