Saturday 26 March 2011

Thanjavur Brahadeeswarar Temple

Let us today know about the Brahadeeswara temple located in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu. It is often called as the big temple as the statues, structures all are built big. This temple was built by the chola king Raja Raja Chola I.  




He was the great ruler who ruled the southern part of India for more than 1000 years. He was born to Parandaka Cholan and Vanavan Mahadevi. His real name was Arulmozhi varman.  He had various titles for his bravery, courage and his administrative skills. This big temple was built by him in 1010 A.D and hence it's age is 1000 years in 2010.



To celebrate the end of 1000 years Millennium celebrations were held last year by the Government of Tamil Nadu.  In these celebrations 1000 dancers lead by Padma Subramanium, the famous bharathanatiyam dancer, danced in the temple during the month of September 2010. A commemorative coin and stamp were also released to mark the Millennium celebrations of the Temple.


Let's find how the temple was built?
The foundation stone was laid by Raja Raja Chola I in 1002 A.D and the temple was completely built in 1010 A.D. As of today this is the largest temple in India. The entire temple is made up of granite stones. In Thanjavur district granite stones are not found, but to built this big temple Raja Raja chola's men carried stones from larger distances. Today, carrying the stones is easy with available vehicles and advanced transport systems. But think of the conditions in 1010 A.D when he built this temple.


The idea to build a temple like this originated in Raja Raja Chola's mind when he was in Srilanka, which was in his territory at that time. The temple brings out the tradition of Chola dynasty. It shows the power and wealth, which the Chola King's had. The temple was the place of many ceremonies of the Chola dynasty. The temple had over 600 employees which included priests, musicians, dancers, poets, scholars etc.,


The temple's layout is shown below. 


One has to enter the temple through the Keralangathan gopuram and pass on through the Rajarajan gopuram. Raja Raja Chola was named as Keralangathan, after his victory over the Baskara ravivarama, the Chera King who ruled Kerala.  Hence the gopuram is named after this title. The Keralangathan gopuram is a five stage building  and Rajarajan gopuram is small when compared to the Keralangathan gopuram. 


Keralangathan gopuram
After entering the Rajarajan gopuram you can find the main gopuram where the main deity, Shiva called Brahadeeswarar, is located. The main gopuram appears like the pyramids of Egypt. The gopuram has many stages which are sharply cut and many marvellous sculptures are made.  One can find various sculptures in the gopurams located in this temple. These sculptures tell us more about the Chola dynasty and its artists. 


Rajarajan gopuram
The main gopuram has a sanctum inside it where the main deity of the temple, Brahadeeswarar is located. The place where the deity is located, is the point of total equilibrium and the center of the temple, which is calculated accurately.  The special feature of the main gopuram is that it's shadow doesn't  fall on the ground. The height of the main gopuram is 60m and the temple is built using 130,000 tons of granite stones.


There is a big nandi, in front of the main deity which is carved out of single rock. The big nandi is 14 m high, 7m long and 3m wide. Even all the statues of the temple are magnificent and larger in size.  A few structures of the temple was made up of single rock. 


The temple has also other deities such as Ganesha, Murugan, Nataraja. The wife of Brihadeeswarar known as Brahmanayagi is located towards the right of the main gopuram.


Visit the temple! You will be surprised that how the largest temple of India was built. 


How to reach?

  • Thanjavur can be accessed through bus from Chennai, Madurai, Kumbakonam, Trichy, Tirunelveli and other parts of Tamil Nadu. Government buses are available from these places.
  • Thanjavur has a railway station. The station code is TJ
  • Nearest airport is in Trichy - Tiruchirapalli Airport located 65 Kms away

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