Manora Fort

Manora Fort stands on the shore of the Bay of Bengal at Sarabendrarajanpattinam, about 20 km from Pattukkottai in Thanjavur district. The Thanjavur Maratha ruler Serfoji II built it in 1814–1815 to celebrate the British success against Napoleon at Waterloo, and it served the royal family as a residence and as a lighthouse. The name Manora is believed to come from minar, a tower.

The monument is a hexagonal tower of eight storeys, 23 m (75 ft) tall and narrowing as it rises, with a surrounding wall and moat that give it the look of a fort. Arched windows, a circular staircase and eaves between the storeys make it resemble a pagoda. It was restored between 2000 and 2003, then damaged in the 2004 tsunami, after which the state planned better facilities, among them an upgraded children's park. Visitors may climb to the second level, and it is one of the district's best-known sights.