Big Temple Tanjore - UNESCO Heritage Site

Published in "Discover India"


Brihadiswara Temple Celebrates its Millennium

The open space around the epic sculpture of the Nandi in Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur, Tamilnadu will be ablaze with one thousand dancers from various genres of Indian classical dance on 25 September this year. A probable Guinness World Records event, it is the culmination of the year-long celebrations to commemorate thousand years of the Tanjore Temple, more popularly referred to as the Big Temple. The Government of Tamilnadu would be releasing a millennium coin and a commemorative stamp to mark the occasion.

It is the early hours of a March morning when I step into the portals of this massive temple, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Great Living Chola Temples. The 55 year old temple elephant, Kundavai, greets us as we enter the temple gate. Our guide S.Raju informs us that she was gift made to the temple by the late legendary Kollywood actor Sivaji Ganesan. We feed Kundavai a bunch of bananas and after being duly blessed by her, we begin our tour of one of India’s finest temples built by the greatest of Chola monarchs, Arunmolivarman, better known as Rajaraja Chola I.

We stand awestruck at the magnitude and beatitude of the edifice, an engineering marvel, the construction of which happened between 1004 and 1010. While it is predominantly a Chola monument, the Nayakas and Marathas contributed significantly to its architecture making additions and modifications to it during the 16th and 19th centuries respectively. This amalgam of architectural styles of the three dynasties is evident right from the entrance gate itself.

I am immediately struck by the absence of shops in the temple precincts, and am happy that its archaic look is well preserved. The main temple adorns the center of an expansive sprawl comprising a granite Nandi, originally white but turned black by deliberate oiling to prevent it cracking from the harsh Thanjavur sun, a pillared assembly hall and several smaller shrines to various deities. The Nandi and its Mandap, however, were built during the Nayaka period while the paintings on its ceiling belong to the Maratha period. Incidentally, it is believed to be the second of three huge monoliths in India in order of measure, the first and third being located in Lepakshi, Andhra Pradesh and Chamundeswari in Mysore.The temple covers an area of 320,000 sq. ft including the fort and the moat that circumscribe it. “Huge” best describes the temple with its larger than life structures, beginning with the 25-ton monolithic Nandi at the entrance, measuring 16 feet long and 13 feet tall, to the 18 feet tall monolithic dwarpalakas or gatekeepers guarding the Shivling measuring 54 feet in circumference in the sanctum sanctorum, above which rises the 216 feet vimanam or tower. With its perfect geometry and scintillating aesthetics, one wonders if it indeed resonates with Shiva’s abode, Mount Kailash itself.

As I walk around the courtyard, Raju reveals some of the unique features of the Cholas temple architecture: the tower over the sanctum sanctorum is taller than the entrance tower, contrary to the norm in South Indian temples. Secondly, the tower is held aloft not by mortar and concrete, but by stones that are bonded and notched. Further, it is embellished with a dome crafted from a single stone weighing 80 tons. The stone, Raju tells us, was dragged by all the way from Sarapallam, a village 7 km away, by several sturdy elephants, and hauled up to the tower top by means of a ramp especially built for the purpose.

The Golden Age of the Cholas had begun when Rajaraja I became king in 985 CE. He is believed to be the first Indian emperor to have a naval force, and the only Chola king to have fought battles on foreign shores and also win them. To Rajaraja is credited several ‘firsts’: He introduced the concept of elections in India, initiated Rain Harvesting and established the Survey Department. The Big Temple marked the first of the great building projects undertaken by the Cholas. Legend has it that Rajaraja built it in compliance of a command given to him in a dream.

Simplicity in grandeur is the hallmark of the temple as it stands testimony to the skill and art of the architects and the sculptors, who matched design to execution in perfect tandem and harmony. Originally named Rajarajeswaram,, the temple was veritably a jewel in the crown of Rajaraja Chola I, although its construction was not completed during his reign. Since Rajaraja dedicated it to Lord Shiva known here as Brihadiswara or Peruvudaiyar, meaning the “big one”, the temple has also come to be known by these names. The structure is the world’s first temple to be made entirely from granite, the stones being transported by bullock carts and elephants from the neighbouring districts of Madurai, Pudukottai and Tiruchirapalli due to the absence of any quarry in Tanjore.

Reflecting on the majesty and magnificence of the temple, I am apt to believe that the vision of the monarch must have resonated with that of the 1500 workers, artistes and artisans who were involved in its construction. I learn from Raju that trained warriors and prisoners of war from kingdoms vanquished by Rajaaja were also employed in the construction of the temple. When its foundation stone was brought from Narthamalai in Pudukkottai district, it was split by the workers and as it rolled down, it crushed to death a prisoner of war, thus contributing to the human sacrifice, a ritual religiously followed in those ages.

To the right of the main entrance is one of the best bronze idols of the period. It is of Nataraja, the dancing Shiva, named Adavallan. Rajaraja named the currency of his reign, a coin, by this name. Strangely out of sync with the sculptural scheme of the temple, is the pair of carvings of foreigners – male and female. One may only surmise that it bears testimony to Rajaraja’s interactions with foreigners. Three sets of paintings belonging to Cholas, Nayak and Maratha periods, made entirely from natural dyes adorn the corridors running parallel to the circumambulatory path of the temple. While the Nayak and Maratha paintings were known for long, the Chola frescoes, rich in detail and intricacy portraying different forms of Shiva and Shaivite saints, came to light only in 1931.

While the Nayaka period sculptures are marked by intricacy of work and portray war scenes with elephants, horses, men and all, the Maratha sculpture of Kartik, son of Lord Shiva, is one of the most exquisite, seen in few Indian temples. We are amused as Raju informs us that most Maratha women visiting the temple, do not enter the shrine dedicated to Kartik in the belief that they would remain unmarried since he was a bachelor!

The temple has a foundation that is only 5 feet deep and involves a plan that has a square base platform, symbolizing Brahma and Birth, a conical middle representative of Vishnu and Life and a top dome symbolic of Shiva and death. The events of the Rajaraja reign are well documented in Tamil inscriptions on the temple walls. However, it is easily palpable that the Tamil script has undergone changes over the centuries, again visible on the walls. The navagrahas in the temple are symbolized as lingams, not as figures as is customary in other temples in the South.
For some reason, the number 9 seems to be significant in relation to the temple and perhaps augured well for the Cholas: the temple boasts a total of 252 Lings, the entrance Nandi measures 36 feet in circumference, the flagstaff stands 36 feet tall, the Linga adorning the sanctum sanctorum measures 54 feet in circumference, the tower height above the sanctum sanctorum is 216 feet, the temple has beautiful sculptures of 81 of a total of 108 karanas the Bharatanatyam alphabets, the spiritual mentor of Rajaraja I, Karuvur Thevar was one of the 18 Siddhars who composed special verses to mark the occasion of installation of the kalash on the temple tower on the 275th day of Rajaraja I’s regnal year, 1010. He is also credited with having installed the sacred Shivling in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple on the day of consecration.

As I get ready to leave, yet mesmerized by the mammoth monument that combines architectural brilliance with delightful aesthetics, I recall a most befitting description of the temple I had read somewhere, as being “a sculptor’s dream, a historian’s mine, a dancer’s vision and a sociologist’s scoop”.

Fact File
Air: The nearest airport is Tiruchirapalli, 65 km away.
Rail: Thanjavur is a railway junction connected to other cities of Tamilnadu.
Road: Thanjavur is well connected by road with all the major towns and cities in South India.