Brihadeeswara Temple – A Shadowless Temple In South India

The religious state of Tamil Nadu invites many pilgrims and tourists to pay their visit to the old temple and heritage sites that speak of the religious, cultural and political antiquity of the Tamil state. While in this series, there is a popular heritage site built by a Chola king in his reign which has been declared as the World Heritage Site by UNESCO and is famous among the outsiders as Brihadeeswara Temple.

This one thousand years old temple represents the religious inclination of the kings of the Chola dynasty. Brihadeeswara Temple, also known as Peruvudaiyar temple and Rajarajeshwara temple is an ancient shrine based in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. The blue-throated Lord Shiva is the main deity of this temple. In the main sanctum, a 9 feet tall shivlingam is placed which is worshipped in the name of Shiva. There is a structure of Nandi in front of the main shrine.

The temple attracts tourists and art lovers from all over the world. This is indeed one of the famous and most visited spots of the state as it has both historical and religious values associated with it.

Architectural Beauty of the Temple

The temple is set up in Dravidian style and is well embellished with fine intricate works that augmented the beauty of the abode. The pyramidical shaped spire of the temple seems like a crown closed by a pointed Shikhara. The main tower of the temple known as Vimana stands high, dominating the whole temple complex. The Vimana absorbs the first rays of sunlight as it is faced towards the East where the sunrises. The paintings on the walls of the temple building depict the various sights of three-eyed God.

The temple is given a royal touch like that of a fort. Unlike other South India temples, Brihadeeswara Temple has Vimana higher than its gopuram that reminds of the Western India temples. The temple has a rigid structure made of granite stones. Lord Shiva is worshipped in the temple in the popular lingam form with a huge figure of Nandi (the vehicle of Shiva) is settled in the front of it.

This famous South India Temple is important with both religious and historical point of view. The temple has three entrances out of which two are the main. The second and third entrances are important ones. The first one simply resembles as the entrance gate to a fort. 

source: Fodors Travel Guide

Historical Backdrop

It is not wrong to say that the Brihadeswara Temple belongs to the Chola dynasty. Though the temple has so many hands but to trace its foundation it goes back to the Chola period.

Originally, the temple got its structure during the 11th century when a Chola king was ruling the South of India. This heritage site was ordered to be built by Raja Raja Chola during his reign more than a thousand years ago. With the passage of time, this ancient site had undergone damage under the rule of many other conquerors like Delhi Sultans and Marathas. Again when the Hindu rulers took over the governance of the South part, the temple was restored by amending the structure, adding new shrines and replacing the faded paintings with murals. It was all about around the 16th-17th century.

Surprising Facts of  Brihadeeswara Temple

1. The whole temple of Brihadisvara is built using granite, a material substance that is very rarely found in and around 50 km of the place. Isn’t it interesting?
2. All south side temples have Gopurams higher than the Vimana. But the Brihadeswara temple has a unique attribute of having the main tower (Vimana) taller than the entrance (gopurams). Is it really possible not having shadows when you are in sunlight? If you say no, then this fact about this site will surprise you. The temple really does not throw shadows in sunlight.
3. One more surprising yet interesting fact about the temple is that the temple was erected just by the setting of interlocked bricks instead of any cementing material. Even after the disastrous attacks it still stands the same as it is.
4. An 80 tons granite capstone is kept over the hollow main tower of the temple. This fact is surprising because the temple age goes to a thousand years back. How come that heavy stone could be kept in such an untouched height? 

Route Connectivity to Thanjavur

Reaching the temple through is the easy way. Buses are available that drop directly to the site. The direct train is accessible to Thanjavur while airways only connect you up to Thiruchiralpalli.