The Brihadeeswarar Temple - secrets behind the ancient indian architecture Brihadeeswarar Temple the brihadeeswarar temple The Peruvudaiyar Koyil also known as Brihadeeswarar Temple,at Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, is the world's first complete granite temple and a brilliant example of the major heights achieved by Cholas in Tamil architecture.. It remains India's largest temple and is one of the greatest glories of Indian architecture. The temple is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Great Living Chola Temples". Secrets of Brihadeeswarar Temple This temple is one of the world's most prized architectural sites. The temple stands amidst fortified walls that were probably added in the 16th century. The vimana or the temple tower is 216 ft (66 m) high and is among the tallest of its kind in the world. The Kumbam (or Kalash or Chikharam) (apex or the bulbous structure on the top) of the temple is not carved out of a single
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The Brihadeeswarar Temple - secrets behind the ancient indian architecture
Brihadeeswarar Temple
the brihadeeswarar temple
The Peruvudaiyar Koyil also known as Brihadeeswarar Temple,at Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, is the world's first complete granite temple and a brilliant example of the major heights achieved by Cholas in Tamil architecture.. It remains India's largest temple and is one of the greatest glories of Indian architecture. The temple is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Great Living Chola Temples".
Secrets of Brihadeeswarar Temple
This temple is one of the world's most prized architectural sites. The temple stands amidst fortified walls that were probably added in the 16th century. The vimana or the temple tower is 216 ft (66 m) high and is among the tallest of its kind in the world. The Kumbam (or Kalash or Chikharam) (apex or the bulbous structure on the top) of the temple is not carved out of a single stone as widely believed. The shadow of the gopuram never falls on the ground. However, some scholars have dismissed this as a myth. it falls somewhere else. nobody have found the shadow till now. It shows the architectural excellence of india before 1000 years also. There is a big statue of Nandi (sacred bull), carved out of a single rock, at the entrance measuring about 16 feet long and 13 feet high.
The main temple is in the center of the spacious quadrangle composed of a sanctuary, a Nandi, a pillared hall and mandapas, and many sub-shrines. The most important part of the temple is the inner mandapa which is surrounded by massive walls that are divided into levels by sharply cut sculptures and pilasters providing deep bays and recesses. The karuvarai, a Tamil word meaning the interior of the sanctum sanctorum, is the inner most sanctum and focus of the temple where an image of the primary deity, Shiva, resides. Inside is a huge stone linga. Only priests are allowed to enter this inner-most chamber.
Not only the temple and the "moolavar", (prime deity, Shiva) but all other deities (Koshta Moorthigal) like Dakshinamurthy, Suriyan (Sun), Chandran (Moon) are very huge sized. Especially, Brahadeeswar temple is one of the rare temples which has statues for "Ashta dik paalakas" (Lords of all Eight Directions) — Indra, Varuna, Agni, Eesana, Vayu, Niruthi, Yama, Kubera — each of which is a life-like statue
Transport detailsThanjavur can be reached easily by road, rail and air. Tamil Nadu state government runs frequent public buses from nearby Trichy, Chennai, Kumbakonam, Pudukkottai, Pattukkottai, Tirunelveli, Karur, Nagapattinam, Coimbatore and many other cities in the state. From the state capital Chennai, a National Highway (NH 45-A) linking Chennai with Chidambaram, Mayavaram, Kumbakonam, Thanjavur, and Nagappatinam provides convenient access to tourists who come to visit Thanjavur and the adjoining towns. There are also several buses operated by private bus operators.
Rail services are run by Indian Railways from many cities across India including Chennai, Trichy, Tirunelveli, Madurai and Nagore. The train station is Thanjavur Junction.
Tiruchirapalli Airport is the nearest airport, located 65 km away.
Statue of Rajaraja Chola Chola I who consecrated the temple
The wish to build a mammoth temple like this is said to have occurred to Raja Raja while he stayed at Sri
Lanka as an emperor.
The esteemed architect and engineer of the temple was Kunjara Mallan Raja Raja Perunthachan as
stated in inscriptions found at the temple. The temple was built per ancient texts called Vaastu Shastras
and Agamas. He is the ancient ancestor of the doyan of Vaastu Vedic architecture, the late Dr. V. Ganapti
Sthapati of Chennai and Mahabalipurim (architect of the 133' granite Thiruvalluvar statue at the tip of
south India). Members of his family still live and practice the ancient art and science. The American
University of Mayonic Science and Technology was initiated by Dr. V. Ganapati Sthapati to perpetuate the
same form of architectural principles used by Kunjara Mallan Raja Raja Perunthachan to build the
Brihadeeswarar temple. The temple was built using a measure of 1 3/8 inch called an angula (24 units
equaling 33 inches called a hasta, muzam, or kishku).
This temple is the first building fully built by granite and finished within 5yrs[1004AD – 1009AD]. The solid
base of the temple raises about 5 metres (16 feet), above which stone deities and representatives of
Shiva dance.[12] The huge kalasam or Vimanam (top portion of the shrine) is believed to weigh 81.28
tonnes was of 8 blocks and was raised to its present height by dragging on an inclined plane of 6.44 km.[13] The big Nandi (bull), weighing about 20 tonnes is made of a single stone and is about 2 m in height, 6
m in length and 2.5 m in width.[13] The presiding deity of lingam is 3.7m tall. The prakaram (outer precincts
of the temple) measures 240m by 125m.[13] The outer wall of the upper storey is carved with 81
dance karanas – postures of Bharathanatyam, the classical dance of Tamil Nadu.[13] The shrine of
Goddess was added by Pandyas during the 13th century, Subramanya Shrine by Vijayanagara rulers and
the Vinayaka shrine was renovated by Maratha rulers.[13]
and pilasters providing deep bays and recesses. Each side of the sanctuary has a bay emphasising the
principle cult icons.[9] The karuvarai, a Tamil word meaning the interior of the sanctum sanctorum, is the
inner most sanctum and focus of the temple where an image of the primary deity, Shiva, resides. Inside is
a huge stone linga. The word Karuvarai means "womb chamber" from Tamilword karu for foetus. Only
priests are allowed to enter this inner-most chamber.[16]
In the Dravida style, the Karuvarai takes the form of a miniature vimana with other features exclusive to
southern Indian temple architecture such as the inner wall together with the outer wall creating
a pradakshina around the garbhagriha for circumambulation (pradakshina). The entrance is highly
decorated. The inside chamber housing the image of the god is the sanctum sanctorum, the garbhagriha.[10] The garbhagriha is square and sits on a plinth, its location calculated to be a point of total equilibrium
and harmony as it is representative of a microcosm of the universe. In the center is placed the image of
the deity.[9] The royal bathing-hall where Rajaraja the great gave gifts is to the east of the hall of Irumudi-
Soran.
The circumambulation winds around the massive lingam in the garbhagriha and is repeated in an upper
story, presenting the idea thatChola Empire freely offered access to the gods.[14]
The inner mandapa leads out to a rectangular mandapa and then to a twenty-columned porch with three
staircases leading down. Sharing the same stone plinth is a small open mandapa dedicated to Nandi,
Painting on the roof of brihadeeswarar temple, Tanjavur
The temple has Chola frescoes on the walls around the sanctum sanctorum potryaing Shiva in action,
destroying demonic forts, dancing and sending a white elephant to transport a devotee to heaven.[12] These frescoes were discovered in the 1940s and portray the mythological episodes of the journey of
Saint Sundarar and the Chera King to heaven, the battle scene of Tripurantaka (Lord Siva)
with Asuras (demons).[18] The Chola artists have proved their mettle by portraying even the Asura women
with a sense of beauty.[18] Some of the paintings in the sanctum sanctorum and the walls in the passage
had been damaged because of the soot that had deposited on them. Owing to the continuous exposure to
smoke and soot from the lamps and burning of camphor in the sanctum sanctorum over a period of
centuries certain parts of the Chola paintings on the circumambulatory passage walls had been badly
damaged.[18] TheTanjore Nayak kings replaced them with a few paintings of their own, about 400 years
ago.[18]The Archaeological Survey of India, for the first time in the world, used its unique de-stucco
process to restore 16 Nayak paintings, which were superimposed on 1000-year-old Chola frescoes.[18] These 400-year-old paintings have been mounted on fibre glass boards, displayed at a separate