Brihadeeswara Temple, Tanjore

What is a Temple ? In Sanskrit, temple is referred to as Mandiram, meaning House of Worship Temples are regarded as sacred places, and are vital links that connect man to God Temples are built on the principles of Silpa Sastra – the science of stone sculpture, and Agama Sastra – the science of temple building

A HinduTemple Has … An entrance, often with a porch (used to walk, so needed a place to rest ) One or more halls or mandapas (for celebrations, conducting yagnas, poojas, music, dance etc) Inner sanctum called Garbagriha (where the deity is energized and where we see the form of God in the temple)

Towers at each entrance – elaborately decorated. Pots, or Kalasams, are placed on top of the towers. They are always odd numbered – 3, 5, 7, 9, 11. More Kalasams, means towers are taller, and broader, and therefore, siginfies importance.

A tower built directly above the Garbagriha Many temples have ponds where people can take a bath – called a pushkarani ( tank ) Festivals are held at temples through out the year – religious and social events – gets people together

Many temples have goshalas, or cow sheds Many temples have goshalas, or cow sheds. Some temples have peacocks, elephants, snake pits etc. Most temples have a stala vriksha, or resident tree. Sages have traveled far and wide, and sung in these temples, in praise of the resident God. Chariots for processions

The BIG temple This temple was built in 1010 AD by Raja Raja Chola. Also called Rajarajeeswaram – place of Raja Raja Chola’s God , or the Temple for Lord Iswara.

The Brihadeeswara was also called the Peruvudaiyar Kovil The Brihadeeswara was also called the Peruvudaiyar Kovil. Located at the center of the Tanjore city, this temple is the world’s first complete granite temple. With the fall of the Cholas, Tanjore was revived by the Nayaks and Marathas. It was renamed the Brihadeeswara temple. Brihat = Great and Ishwara = Shiva = the temple of the Great Ishwara.

This temple is one of India's most prized architectural sites, and a brilliant example of the temple architecture The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site – as a "Great living Chola Temple"

The Garbagriha tower

History of the temple Raja Raja Chola laid out the foundation of the temple in 1002 AD. He received the ‘command’ to build the temple in a dream. The Brihadheeshwara temple is the first granite temple in the world. Besides the Brahmin priests, these included record-keepers, musicians, scholars, and craftsman of every type as well as housekeeping staff. The temple maintained a staff of 600 people in various capacities. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, this temple has one of the largest monolithic (made of only one rock or stone) Shiv Lingas standing tall at 13 feet and the 2nd largest monolithic idol of Nandi (largest being the Lepakshi Nandi).  

  The temple also sports a depiction in stone, of eighty one of the one hundred and eight karanas of Bharata Muni's Natya Sastra - the first of its kind - setting the pace for many others to follow in succeeding centuries. The inscriptional data also mentions the jewellery of the period; about sixty-six different types of ornaments and jewellery are listed with all the details.

Thanjavur Big Nandi

A large Nandi carved out of a single rock is constructed in the very front of the temple. The temple is made up of 130,000 tons of granite and boasts of a 60 meter tall Vimana which is believed to be the tallest in South India. The shadow of the gopuram is believed to never touch the ground.

The Deity

The Name of the deity Brihadheeshwarar and the Goddess is Peruvudayar Amman. This is one of the rare temples which has 6 feet statues dedicated to the “Ashta Dikpaalakas” or the Lords of the Eight Cardinal Directions – Indra, Varuna, Agni, Vayu, Eesana, Niruthi, Yama and Kubera. (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW )   There is also a big idol of Dakshinamoorthy here.

1000 year celebrations   To mark the occasion, the state government organised a Bharathanatyam Yajna, classical dance show under noted dancer Padma Subramaniam. To mark the 1000th year anniversary of the building, 1000 dancers from New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Singapore, Malaysia and the U.S danced in concert to the recorded 11 verses of divine Music Thiruvichaippa (ninth of Thirumurai) composed by Karuvur Thevar (the guru of Raja Raja Chola) named Tiruvisaippa. The small town turned into a cultural hub for two days beginning September 26, 2010 as street performers and dancers performed throughout the town.

Commemorative Stamp and Coin On September 26, 2010 (Big Temple’s fifth day of millennium Celebrations), as a recognition of Big Temple’s contribution to the country’s Cultural, Architectural, Epigraphical history, a Special 5 Postage Stamp featuring the 216-feet tall giant Raja Gopuram was released by India Post.