| Peruvudaiyaar Kovil - Brihadeeswarar Temple | |
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| Name: | Peruvudaiyaar Kovil - Brihadeeswarar Temple |
| Creator: | Raja Raja Chola |
| Date built: | 11th century AD |
| Primary deity: | பெருவுடையார்[Peru vudaiyar] / Brihadeeswarar (Shiva) |
| Architecture: | Dravidian Architecture |
| Location: | Thanjavur |
The Peruvudaiyar Kovil - Brihadeeswarar Temple (Tamil: பெருவுடையார் கோவில், peruvuḍaiyār kōvil [?]), also known as Rajarajeswaram[1], at Thanjavur in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is the world's first complete granite temple[2] and a brilliant example of the major heights achieved by Cholas in temple architecture. It is a tribute and a reflection of the power of its patron RajaRaja Chola I. It remains as one of the greatest glories of Indian architecture[3]. The temple is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Great Living Chola Temples" and this temple is an ultimate testimonial for the Tamil architectural cognizance in planning and sculpting this temple.
This temple is one of India'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 [4] [5] and is among the tallest of its kind in the world. The Kalash or 'Chikharam' (apex or the bulbous structure on the top) of the temple is not carved out of a single stone as is widely believed. 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[6]. The entire temple structure is made out of hard granite stones, a material sparsely available currently in Thanjavur area where the temple is located.
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The temple had its foundations laid out by the Tamil emperor Arunmolivarman, popularly called Rajaraja Chola I, in 1002 CE, as the first of the great Tamil Chola building projects.[7] According to tradition, the temple was built by the Chola king Rajaraja in compliance of a command given to him in his dream[6]. The scale and grandeur is in the Chola tradition. An axial and symmetrical geometry rules the temple layout.[8] Temples from this period and the following two centuries are an expression of the Tamils (Chola) wealth, power and artistic expertise. The emergence of such features as the multifaceted columns with projecting square capitals signal the arrival of the new Chola style.[9]
The Brihadeeswarar Temple was built to be the royal temple to display the emperor's vision of his power and his relationship to the universal order. The temple was the site of the major royal ceremonies such as anointed the emperor and linking him with its deity, Shiva, and the daily rituals of the deities were mirrored by those of the king. The temple maintained a staff of 600 people in various capacities[citation needed]. Besides the Brahmin priest, these included record-keepers, musicians, scholars, and craftsman of every type as well as housekeeping staff.In those days the temple remained a hub of business activities for the flower merchants,milk vendors, oil merchants, ghee merchants, all of whom made a regular supply of their respective goods for the temple for its pujas and during festival seasons.Moreover as evidenced by the inscriptions that found in the compound wall of this temple, the temple had always been serving as a platform for the dancers who excelled in the traditional dance form of Bharatha Natyam. Even today, the Brihadeeswarar Temple remains India's largest.[10]
There are many myths about the temple; one of the most popular is that the gopuram does not cast a shadow at any time of the day outside its perimeter - a testament to the early Dravidians' mathematical prowess.
The temple is also an architectural exemplar showcasing the pure form of the Dravida type of temple architecture and representative of the Chola Empire ideology and the Tamil civilisation in Southern India. The temples "testify to the brilliant achievements of the Chola in architecture, sculpture, painting and bronze casting".[11]
The temple complex sits on the banks of a river that was channeled to make a moat around the complex's outer walls, the walls being built like a fortress. The complex is made up of many structures that are aligned axially. The complex can be entered either on one axis through a five-story gopuram or with a second access directly to the huge main quadrangle through a smaller free-standing gopuram. The massive size of the main sikhara (although it is hollow on the inside and not meant to be occupied), is 63 meters in height, with 16 severely articulated stories, and dominates the main quadrangle. Pilaster, piers, and attached columns are placed rhythmically covering every surface of the shikhara.[10]
The main temple is in the center of the spacious quadrangle composed of a sanctuary, a Nandi, a pillared hall and an assembly hall (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 different levels by sharply cut sculptures and pilasters providing deep bays and recesses. Each side of the sanctuary has a bay emphasizing the principle cult icons.[8] 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 Literally the word Karuvarai means "womb chamber" from Tamil word Karu for foetus. Only priests are allowed to enter this inner most chamber.[12] 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. [9] 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.[8] The circumambulation winds around the massive lingam in the garbhagriha and is repeated in an upper story, presenting the idea that Chola Empire freely offered access to the gods.[10]
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, Shiva's sacred bull mount.[8]
Surrounding the main temple are two walled enclosures. The outer wall is high, defining the temple complex area. Here is the massive gopuram or gateway mentioned above. Within this a portico, a barrel vaulted gorpuram with over 400 pillars, is enclosed by a high wall interspersed with huge gopurams axially lined up to the main temple.
The wish to build a mammoth temple like this is said to have occurred to Raja Raja while he stayed at ealam (ஈழம்) (today's Sri Lanka) as a war head. He saw a lot of Buddha statues that were very tall and huge, which would have made him wish to build a great temple to his cordial deity Shiva in such a large scale.
Not only the temple and the "moolavar", (prime deity, Shiva) but all other deities (Koshta Moorthigal) like Dakshinamurthy, Suriya (Sun), Chandra (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 status i.e approximately 6 feet tall.
Thanjavur 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.In fact from the State capital Chennai, a National Highway (NH 45-A) linking Chennai with Chidambaram,Mayavaram,Kumbakonam, Tanjore, and Nagappatinam runs across, which is the proper route for the Foreigners, who come to visit Tanjore and the adjoining towns.There are equal number of buses operated by the private bus operators too.
Rail services are run by Indian Railways from many cities across India including the nearby Chennai, Trichy, Tirunelveli, Madurai and Nagore. "Tanjore Junction" is the name of the train station.
The nearest airport located 65 KM away is Tiruchirapalli Airport, Trichy.
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 Nandi, looking peaceful. |
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