Brihadeswara Temple, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India

Deities: Lord Shiva
Location: Thanjavur, Tamilnadu
Built by: Chola King Rajaraja-1Significance: One of the biggest Dravidian Temples in the world
Also Known as: Rajarajesvaram Temple
Best time to visit: Throughout the year

The Brihadeswara temple is one of the most ancient and the most celebrated Hindu temple in the world. The temple, considered among the grandest temples of the Hindu religion is unique to itself. The Brihadeswara temple at Tanjavur in Tamil Nadu is the first temple in the world to be built with granite. The temple is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Great Living Chola Temples”. This temple is one of India’s most prized architectural sites. It depicts the amazing and outstanding efforts of the ancient Indians.

Popular as the Temples of Temple, the Rajarajesvaram temple displays some of the best expressions of artistic excellence of the Chola period. The building that carries the main sanctum is known as the ‘Periya Kovil’. This stands amidst fortified walls that were probably added in the 16th century.

After entering the temple complex through the inner gopura (Rajarajan-tiruvasal) there is a flight of steps leading to a pillared mandapa. The mandapa is a later addition and hence the temple originally did not have this provision. The two massive dvarapalas at the entrance once greeted the visitor. The garbha griha is square on plan and consists of an interior and exterior wall and a passageway in between them forming a circumambulatory. The corbelled arch ceiling of the superstructure could be viewed from the upper ambulatory of the main sanctum.

The sanctum houses a huge linga. An inscription in the temple records it as Adavallan – one who dances well and Dakshinameru Vitankar, the name of the deity associated with Chidambaram. The deity at Chidambaram was greatly revered and worshipped by the Cholas and hence they named the deity at Brihadisvara with the same name. The deity is also known as Rajarajesvaram-udaiyar after the Chola Emperor and builder of this temple, Rajaraja.

Architecture:
The great Vimana is of the Dravidian style of architecture. It rises to a height of abut 216 feet, a tower of fourteen stories, finely decorated with pilasters, niches and images of gods of the Hindu. The sikhara or cupolic dome is octagonal in shape and crowns the Vimana. The gilded Kalasa or finial, over it is 12.5 feet high.

The inner sanctum and the gopuram were constructed over a period of 12 years. It was constructed from a single piece of granite weighing around 80 tonnes. The dome was hauled into place along a 4-km earthwork ramp in a manner similar to the Egyptian pyramids.

The lofty sanctum tower known as the Srivimana is enclosed by a rectangular prakara or corridor consisting of two squares. The main tower occupies the center part of the rear square, with the center vimana or tower having 16 tiers, which rises to a height of 200 ft. The tower is considered to be symbolic of the mountain Meru. Several stucco features also decorate the vimana.

The inner wall of the sanctum has sculpted 108 dance poses called karmas performed by Lord Shiva himself. The Shiva lingam is called Peruvudaiya, Rasjarajeshwaramudvya. It is a huge lingam, which is set in a two-storeyed sanctum. Rajaraja Chola crowned it with 12.5 ft tall finial of 9.25 kilograms of choppers plated with 800 grams of gold.

A huge statue of Nandi measuring 6 m length and 3.7 m in height faces the inner sanctum. The statue of Nandi was created from a single rock piece and weighs 25 tonnes. It is in fact one of the largest statues of Nandi bulls in India. The temple also has a spacious ground, number of pillared halls, shrines and 250 lingams.

Festival:
The day of the Ruling star, satabhishag is treated as a festival day every month as it symbolizes the ruling star at the time of birth of Rajaraja. The annual festival is held for 9 days in the month of Visaka or May according to the English calender. The deity is bathed with the water soaked with the fragrant Champaka flower.

Other nearby Attractions:
Shore TemplePancha Pandava RathasKrishna MandapaVaraha CaveKrishna’s Butterball

How to reach:
by Air: The nearest airport is situated at Trichy which is 65-km from Thanjavur.
by Rail: The railway station at Thanjavur is well connected with Trichy, Chennai, Madurai and Nagore.
by Road: Thanjavur is well connected by road with all the major towns and cities in Tamil Nadu and also with Kochi, Ernakulam, and Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala and Bangalore in Karnataka.

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