Brhadiswara Temple, Tanjavur
The Brhadiswara Temple at
Tanjavur is the first temple in the world to be built in granite. The sikhara
is made from a single 80-tonne piece of granite. Also, this magnificent temple
was built in just five years between 1004-1009 CE during the reign of Rajaraja
Chola.
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Tanjore or Tänjävur (its Tamil
name) was the capital of the Chola empire between the 9th and 13th
century. Rajaraja Chola I who ruled between 985-1013 CE built the Brhadiswara
Temple, that is considered a symbol of the greatness of the Chola empire. The Temple is the finest contribution to Dravidian art by the Chola Dynasty. The construction
is unique; the vimanam, known as
Dakshina Meru soars high, while the gopuram
remains stunted. The 64.8-metre-tall, 14 tier and pyramid shaped vimanam rises from a square base and is
topped by a huge monolithic cupola weighing 81.3 tonnes.
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The Temple is dedicated to Lord Brhadiswara and
Goddess Brhannayaki. The deities are also known as Peruvudaiyar and
Periyanayaki. Brhannayaki is in a separate shrine. The shrine of Lord
Subramanya is an exquisite piece of decorative art, and looks like a miniature
of the main temple.
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Sama Varma, the chief architect
began to design a structure, which stood on a square base of 29 m and rose to a
height of about 65 m. The temple stands within a fort with a towering vimanam, about 200 feet high. The
octagonal sikharam (crown) rests on a
single block of granite weighing 81 tons. The size of the Nandi matches that of
the huge lingam. The kalasam on top
is about 3.8 m in height.
The Temple stands within a huge
compound walls, rising above 15 m. Sama Varma crowned its glory with a 12.5
feet tall finial of 9.25 kgs of copper, plated with 800 kg of gold.
The lofty sanctum
is enclosed by a rectangular corridor, consisting of two squares, with the main
tower occupying the central part of the rear square. The central tower has 16
tiers up to a height of 200 feet. On the inner walls of the garbhagrha are sculpted 108 karanas (dance poses) performed by Lord
Siva.
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Legend goes that King Rajaraja Chola was
suffering from black leprosy. He was advised that if he built a Temple for Lord
Siva, then his illness would be cured. He was advised to bring a Sivalingam from Narmada River in north
India to install in the Temple. It is said that when the Sivalingam was taken out of the river, it grew in size. This Sivalingam that is installed is gigantic
(about 8.7 metres high). Equally massive is the Nandi (the Bull) installed at the portals of the Temple. The Nandi is 12 feet tall, 19 feet long and
9 feet wide, weighing about 25 tons. It is the second largest monolithic Nandi
in the country, next only to the colossal Bull at the Lepakshi Virabhadra
Temple in Andhra Pradesh.
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