The Kampahareshwara Temple in Tribhuvanam, a few kilometers outside Kumbhakonam, was built in the early 13th c CE temple and is said to be the last large Chola temple. It is larger than the Darasuram temple, but smaller than the Thanjavur and Gangaikondacholapuram temples. Unlike these others, this temple is in more active use, and the gopurams and shikhars (of the main and side shrines) are kept painted. This seems to be allowable because though the base of the gopurams and temples in these large Chola temples are built with stone, the towers themselves are of brick, and so need periodic plastering to increase their longevity. And because of this new plastering, painting on the towers is permissible.

For an introduction to my Tamil Nadu Temple Run trip, visit the first (Chidambaram) post.
The photos in this post also available on flickr.