The Brihadeeshwara temple is the UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Thanjavur / Tanjore. Thanjavur is the cultural hub of Tamil Nadu. Its ruled by many kings in past and is the centre of art, architecture and religion for centuries.
A foremost example of the amalgamation of its art, architecture and religion is Brihadeeshwara temple. Thanjavur and Brihadeeshwara are tge synonyms of each other. This is one of the largest temples of India.
Overview :
Its better known as the Big Temple or the temple which doesn't cast any shadow. It has several secret passageways. Let's dive into the mysteries of Brihadeeshwara temple.
Introduction:
Its the temple of shiva. The temple is similar to rameshwaram and madurai meenakshi temple. The temple includes many shrines of gods like Nandi, Parvati, Kartikeya, Ganesha, Dakshunamurthi and chandeshwar.
UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE
1.It has several other temples of the region called as"The great living Chola Temples". It's one if the most ancient temples.
It was constructed in 11th century which is 1000 years back. Its older than the madurai meenakshi temple. The architecture is of dravidian style. It gas got huge towers, gopurams, huge campus, several shrines are found around the main shrines and inscriptions are carved in them.
Massive entry of the gate:
There are 3 gates, 2 are huge. The second gate is called as: "Keralantakan Tiruvasal" the word vasal meaning gate in tamil. The 3rd gate is Rajarajan Tiruvasal. The second gate is the memorial in the victory of Chola king Raja Raja Chola. The next gate is guarded by 2 huge guards which are the dwarapalikas which depicts stories from puranas.
The Monolith Nandi:
After crossing the gate, the first massive structure is the Monolith nandi. This nandi is the largest in South India.
Sri Vimana( The main sanctum):
The Sri Vimana is the main structure or the main temple. Major sculptures are on tge walls. There are each wall in 4 directions. they are:
East wall. The east wall is the lingodbhava which is the structure of standing Shiva.
The South wall:Bhikshatana, Virbhadra, kalantaka and nataraja.
West wall:
Harihara( half Vishnu and half Shiva ).
North wall:Ardhanarishvara, ( half Shiva and half Parvati ).
A huge Shivalinga is placed inside a temple.
Cloister Mandapa:
The area has a courtyard which is the boundary of the Brihadeeshwara temple. Its painted with several murals and paintings. It has 108 shivalingas established. They are established by Maratha king Saraboji.
Other shrines at temples:
The temple was built, damaged and restored several times. Chola, Marathas nad Nayakas have contributed to the architecture of Brihadeeshwara temple of Tanjore. The main shrines are the ganesha shrine, amman shrine and kuruvurar shrine.
Facts/ Trivia :
facts-1
Mystery : One of the facts of the temple is that it doesn't cast its shadow on the ground. It is not magic but the craftsmanship and engineering of the temple. The stones are cascaded and the structure of this temple creates an illusion that the shadow never reaches the ground. This is one if the amazing facts. Once the temple was finished the king Raja Raja Chola asked the craftsman if the temple will ever fall down?
The craftsman said :"Even its shadow will
not fall down raja"
Fact 2:
The temple is built without any binding agents like cement and soil. But how does the temple stand? Its built with strong interlocking stones without the use of any binding agents.
The temple is painted in all natural colors from leaves, flowers and spices. Even the Virupaksha temple of Hampi is painted with natural colors from fruits and vegetables.Still these colors are fresh and vibrant as they are maintained from time to time.
Several names:
1."Brihadeeshwara " -Composition of two Sanskrit words" Brihat " meaning large, massive, huge, lofty or vast and "Ishwara" meaning "Lord or God".
2.Rajarajeshwaran temple :It got its name as the temple of the almighty of Rajaraja. As raja raja chola commissioned.
3.Peruvudaiyal kovil:The meaning of Kovil is temple in tamil. This got its name from one of the inscriptions from the famous writer."Periya Udaiya Nayanar.
4.Big temple or big shiva temple known as big due to its size.
So how does the temple survive the centuries?
Its more than 1000 years old and still standing strong. So how can it be possible? The base is filled with sand and entire structure is built on a moving raft which absorbs friction of the ground even when the earthquakes strikes. The temple even is a fort. It was a fort during Maratha reign. The temple has a backside entry.
Main facts/ trivia:
1.The temple has 81 postures of Bharatnatyam carved on Brihadeeshwara temple outer walls.
2.The lingam inside the main sanctum is the largest in India which weighs 20 tonnes .
3.The monolith nandi which is places in front complex is carved from a single stone.
4.The dome of the temple is made of granite and it weighs 80 tons. The stones of the structure are interlocked without any binding agents.
5.A nataraja made of brass also stands tall in the temple premises.
Do visit the heritage site once.
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Image source:pinterest
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