Brihadeshwara The Architectural Heritage

Brihadeshwara Temple is a historic temple that was constructed in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, in 1010 AD by Raja Raja Chola I. The deity of the temple is Lord Shiva, who is depicted in the Nataraj dancing position. Rajeswara Temple, Rajarajeswaram, and Periya Kovil are additional names for this temple. To glorify the Chola Empire, the king constructed the temple on the river's edge in the style of a fortress. With its recent designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this 1,000-year-old temple has gained even more incredible historical and cultural worth. The beauty of temples is not a surprise to people who visit them. This amazing building, made of more than 130,000 tons of granite, exhibits the South Indian monarchs' talent for architecture.

The temple's main attraction is the 216-foot pagoda built over the temple's sanctuary. This ornate tower can be seen from afar by anyone who enters the city. Another amazing thing that surprises visitors is the magnificent Nandi statue built into the temple. It is 2 meters high, 6 meters long, 2.5 meters wide, and weighs 20 tons for a single stone statue. The outer walls of the upper floors of the temple are carefully carved with various poses of the famous classical dance Bharatanatyam.Several shrines were added to the temple by most of the following rulers such as Pandya, Vijayanagara ruler and Maratha. The architecture of the temple offers countless surprises to those who see this majestic temple. Another important architectural feature of the temple is that the temple's shadow does not fall to the ground at noon. The architecture of the temple is so clever that it does not cast shadows on the ground when the sun is at its highest point.

This is a phenomenon that attracts thousands of tourists and architecture enthusiasts from all over the world to uncover the architectural mysteries of the temple.Brihadeshwara Temple is also the first all granite temple in the world and the fact that there is no granite within 100 miles of the temple makes it all the more impressive. Granite is as difficult to transport as it is to carve, but that didn't seem to stop the king from realizing the temple he envisioned.When this temple was built in 1010 AD, it was the tallest temple in India and took only seven years to complete. The top structure of the temple, called Vimana, weighs about 80 tons, and how its builders built it is a mystery. There are several musical pillars in the temple that make different sounds when picked up. Anyone who visits will understand that this temple is a magnificent testament to the magnificent South Indian architecture.

Architecture of Brihadeshwara Temple

There are many wonders in this temple. The temple follows the rock architecture. The foundation of the temple is laid in a highly technical manner, taking into account the tilt of the earth's axis. The temple was carefully constructed using bipolar technology and the temple tower was designed with lightweight monoliths. This grand structure was designed to adapt to the rotation of the earth, so even after his five earthquakes hit Tangiore, the structure remained upright.Temples hide creativity and thousands of stories behind every stone. The temple serves not only as a place of spiritual significance, but also as a bank, art gallery and community attraction. The inscription on this temple refers to this place as 'Rajarajeshwaram'.

History of Brihadeshwara Temple

A.D. Arulmozhivarman, the Tamil emperor popularly known as Rajaraja Chola I, laid the foundation stone of Brihadeeswarar Temple in 1002 AD. This was the first among other great construction projects in Tamil his Chola. The layout of this temple is determined by its symmetrical, axial shape. His two-century temples of the same period and later represent the power, artistry and wealth of the Chola Tamils. The emergence of these types of features such as B. The projection of signals from faceted pillars and square capitals signifies the arrival of a new Chola style at the time.

A true example of Dravidian architecture in a temple, it represents the ideology of the Chola Empire of South India and the Tamil civilization. The Brihadeeswarar temple "represents the glorious achievements of his Chola in architecture, painting, bronze casting and sculpture." It is said that he dreamed of building a temple. Lord Shiva. The Brihadeeswarar Temple was the first of all buildings to use granite entirely and was completed within his five years from 1004 AD to 1009 AD.

The supreme Chola emperor Rajaraja I (985-1012 AD), son of Sundara Chola (Palantaka II) and Vanaban Mahadevi, built this magnificent temple called Brihadisvaram in Thanjavur, the capital of the Chola dynasty. built a temple. From inscription evidence, we know that Rajaraja I began construction of this temple at the age of 19 and completed it on his 275th day at the age of 25. It took only 6 years to complete this work in 1010 AD

On the 275th day of his 25th year as king (AD 1010), the Raja presented the Raja Chola with a golden karasam (copper bowl or finial) and crowned the Vimana (dome) as the final dedication of the temple. . The Brihadeeswarar temple was the centerpiece of his Chola empire and attracted musicians, scholars, artisans and merchants. In particular, it served as a platform for dancers who excelled in the Sadir traditional dance form, now known as Bharata Natyam.Chola rule declined and was replaced by the Pandiyas. In 1535, King Vijayanagara installed the Nayak King, and Tanjore his clan called Nayak ruled until his mid-17th century. In 1674 the Marathas conquered Tanjore. Thanjavur then fell to the British, like the rest of the country.

The inscriptions and frescoes on the walls of the Brihadeeswarar temple chronicle the city's rise and fall. The representation of Shiva is a giant linga made of stone. It is covered with vimanam that stretches up to 216 feet. Instead of using mortar, it is made by connecting stones and making notches. An engineering marvel, Top Stone weighs about 80 tons.

The Brihadeswara Temple was not only a place of worship, but also a gathering place where large numbers of people would gather in the evenings to watch the devadas dances accompanied by musicians. According to inscriptions, about 160 lamps and torches were lit to illuminate this magnificent temple. These lamps required large amounts of ghee, for which cows, sheep and female buffaloes were kept. The inscription details the number of animals assigned to each lamp to produce ghee. Either 96 ewes or 48 cows or 16 buffaloes. A total of 2,832 cattle, 1,644 ewes and 30 buffalo were kept by herdsmen who were granted land in the neighboring area of ​​Thanjavur for this purpose during Rajaraja's reign. The sole duty of these shepherds was to ensure that the required amount of ghee was delivered to the temple each day.

Who built the Brihadeshwara Temple?

There has long been a dispute as to who built the Brihadeshwara Temple. The book titled Brihadeeswara Mahamathiyam states that the great Karikala Cholan built this great structure to get rid of incurable diseases.In 1886, a German scholar named Heilsch began analyzing the temple inscriptions and after six years of intense research, he confirmed that the temple was built by the great emperor "Raja Raja Choran".

The Temple Inscriptions

During restoration work a few years ago, numerous pebbles were found at the base of the Prakaram temple, each with a name engraved on it, from the goldsmith to the donor of the stone. Everyone was amazed. Temple. Emperor Raja Raja Choran ensured that his name would not go down in history.Many people were involved in the construction of the temple, but there were only a few important people among them. chief his designer Kunjaramaran and his assistants Nitavinodapp Peruntachan and Kandalathita Peruntachan, Raja his Raja donation from his Choran's sister Kundavai and so on. ,

Temple Tower

The Temple Tower or Vimanam of the Peruvdial Temple is about 216 feet tall and weighs about 80 tons, making him one of the tallest in South India. The construction of the temple towers of this structure attracts experts from all over the world due to the techniques used.First, a tank-like structure about 350 feet deep is created, filled with sand from the rivers of the Western Ghats, and built like a double wall. The structure of the pagoda of this temple resembles that of the famous 'Tangjore Puppet' (Tarayati Bommai). The building's foundation consists entirely of sand and is designed to adapt to the movements of the earth, allowing the building to stand tall even after many natural disasters. This type of construction is called dynamic architecture.

Mahanandi

Mahanandi or Sacred Bull – the vehicle of Lord Shiva, located in his 16-legged hall at the entrance of Rajarajan, carved out of a monolith weighing about 80 tons and the tallest man of Nandi is one of in an Indian temple. This Nandi statue was sculpted by Emperor Nayak of the Vijaya Nagar dynasty in the 16th century AD. The Nanten on the south side of the Jurokuhondo was carved specifically for this temple.

The Maha Mandapam Temple and the Muk Mandapam O Brihadeshwara Temple are adjacent to Dwarpara and are colonnaded. Mandapa has his eight divine shrines which symbolize the guardian angels of the eight cardinal points. The walls of the cloisters are painted with murals depicting various forms of the dancing Lord Shiva. There are also many inscriptions in Tamil and Granta scripts providing information about the rulers involved in the construction and renovation of the temple in the years following its construction. Due to wars and invasions of various invaders, the architecture of the temple was destroyed several times, but it was always repaired or rebuilt by the ruling kingdom at the time.The temple also brings joy to the people through annual festivals and dances celebrating the Shivratri festival held in February. This temple is a remarkable example of the ornate craftsmanship and intricate detail that went into its 1,000-year-old architecture.

Conclusion

Apart from the building techniques used in the construction of this temple, what makes Brihadeswara special and unique is its detailed inscriptions. Rajaraja is said to have recorded the smallest details related to the maintenance of the temple. From detailed descriptions of the number of guards employed, to the cost of purchasing camphor to smell the hot water of the gods, everything was clearly listed in the temple inscription.Brihadeswara Temple at Tanjavur continues to amaze visitors. The fact that the 200-foot Vimana is still so tall after 1,000 years without tipping over is a testament to the excellent construction techniques employed. He is one of the temples of the Chola Complex, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. In 2010, Brihadeswara celebrated his 1000th anniversary and is one of his most visited monuments in India.