Complete Guide about Brihadeeswarar Temple
Brihadeeswarar Temple
About Brihadeeswarar Temple
Shiva is the subject of the Hindu temple Brihadeeshwara Temple (Peruvudaiyar Kovil), which is situated in Thanjavur in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. RajaRajeswara Temple, Periya Kovil, and Rajarajesvaram are additional names for it. It is one of India’s biggest temples and a prime example of Dravidian design from the Chola era. The temple celebrated its 1000th anniversary in 2010 after being constructed by Raja Raja Chola I and finished in 1010 AD. The temple and the other two, the Brihadeeswarar Temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram, and Airavatesvara temple, are included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the “Great Living Chola Temples.”
The fortified walls around the temple were likely constructed in the 16th century. The vimanam, or temple tower, is the tallest in the world at 216 feet (66 metres). The temple’s Kumbam (the top, bulbous structure) was carved out of a single rock and weighs about 80 tonnes.
The entrance has a large statue of the sacred bull Nandi that is made out of a single rock and is about 16 feet (4.9 metres) long and 13 feet (4.0 metres) high. Granite, the material used for the entire temple structure, can be found 60 kilometres to the west of the temple. One of Tamil Nadu’s most popular tourist destinations is the temple.
The History
In 1002 CE, the Tamil emperor Arulmozhivarman, also known as Rajaraja Chola I, set the cornerstone for the Brihadeeswarar Temple. It was the first of Tamil Chola’s many impressive construction initiatives. The structure of this temple is governed by symmetrical and axial geometry. Temples during the time period and the two centuries afterward are manifestations of the Chola power, creative prowess, and riches of the Tamils. These new characteristics, such multiple columns and square capitals with projecting signals, indicate the introduction of the Chola style, which was novel at the time.
It is a prime example of Dravida-style temple architecture in its authentic form, and it also exemplifies the philosophy of the Chola Empire and Tamil civilization in Southern India. “Testifies to Chola’s magnificent achievements in construction, painting, bronze casting, and sculpture,” says Brihadeeswarar Temple.
It is stated that Emperor Rajaraja Cholan dreamed of building such a massive temple for Lord Shiva after visiting the Pallava Rajasimha Temples in Kanchipuram. The Brihadeeswarar Temple, which was completed between 1004 and 1009 AD, is the first edifice to extensively utilise granite.
Rajaraja-I, the greatest of the Chola rulers and the son of Sundara Chola (Parantaka-II) and Vanavan mahadevi, constructed the beautiful temple known as Brihadeeswarar at Thanjavur, the seat of the Chola dynasty.
According to epigraphic evidence, Rajaraja-I began construction on this temple in his 19th year and finished it on the 275th day of his 25th year. This project was completed in 1010 AD in about 6 years.
As the Chola dynasty waned, the Pandyas overthrew them, and the Vijayanagara Empire thereafter replaced them. The Vijayanagara king established a Nayak king in 1535, and the Tanjore Nayaks lineage ruled until the middle of the 17th century. The Marathas took control of Tanjore in 1674. Thanjavur then came under British control, just like the rest of the nation.
The rise and fall of the city’s fortunes are depicted in inscriptions and frescoes on the walls of Brihadeeswarar Temple. Shiva is symbolised by a massive stone lingam. A vimanam that stretches for 216 feet covers this. Without using cement, the stones are joined and notched to form the structure. The largest stone, a feat of engineering, weighs around 80 tonnes.
Rajaraja-I gave this temple the names Rajarajesvaram and Peruvudaiyar for the deity Shiva in Linga form, and Peruvudaiyarkovil for the temple (in Tamil language). Later, the temple’s gopurams and other shrines were built by the emperors of the Maratta and Nayak empires.
Rajaraja-I gave this temple the names Rajarajesvaram and Peruvudaiyar for the deity Shiva in Linga form, and Peruvudaiyarkovil for the temple (in Tamil language). Later, the temple’s gopurams and other shrines were built by the emperors of the Maratta and Nayak empires.
Rajaraja I of the Chola Dynasty finished building the Brihadeeswarar Temple in around 1010 in the southeast of his new capital Thanjavur, which he had built in the Kaveri (Cauvery) River valley (r. 985-1014). In honour of the king, it has also been referred to as Rajarajesvara Temple. Together with the Rajendra-Cholisvara Temple built at the subsequent new capital, Gangaikondacholapuram, by his successor Rajendra I, it is one of the two major temples from the Chola Dynasty. These enormous national projects demonstrated the Chola Empire’s dominance in south India.
According to legend, the Brihadeeswarar Temple was built in just seven years.
Its precincts are enclosed by cloisters measuring 120 by 240 metres in size, and they are also bordered by thick brick walls outside that cover a 350-meter square area and have a big tank (reservoir).
On the east-west axis, there is a Nandi Shrine, two continuous, large Mandapas, an Antarala (antechamber), and a Vimana with a tall tower.
The eastern centre of the cloister and the brick wall both have Gopurams (temple gateways) of the early phase standing on the same axis. They are the only points of entry to the temple grounds.
Despite being adorned with sculptures, they appear to be considerably lower than subsequent Gopurams of large temples in south India because of the Vimana’s enormous height.
The second gopura on the cloisters’ line is 24 metres wide and tall, making it smaller than the first gopura, but it has larger sculptures and two Dvarapalas (guardian figures) on either side of the doorway.
A row of Lingas (phalluses), a Shiva sign, line the cloisters around the precincts, and wall paintings from the Nayaka period adorn the back walls, catching the attention of visitors. Alongside the magnificent temple in Gangaikondacholapuram, this Brihadeeswarar Temple constructed of granite and brick is the greatest example of the Dravidian (northern) architecture due to its large scale and high level of perfection. The modest temples at Mahabalipuram served as the starting point for the building of stone temples in the southern Indian style, which culminated here. During the Chola Dynasty, it served as the prototype for temples to be erected across south India and Southeast Asia.
However, the design of temples would drastically alter after the Chola Dynasty fell in the 13th century.
Instead of building massive Vimanas like before, the temple precincts would be enlarged, enclosing the temple in fold after fold, and simply erecting massive Gopurams on the four corners.
The height of the outer Gopurams would rise, eventually reaching more than 60 metres.
The main shrine’s height relationship with its gates would be totally reversible.
The Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur is the outstanding example of traditional south Indian temple building from this perspective as well.
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