Brihadeeswarar temple

Brihadeeswarar temple

Name
Proper Peruvudaiyaar Kovil - Brihadeeswarar
name: Temple
Location
Location: Thanjavur
Architecture and culture
Primary ெபருவுைடயார்(Peru vudaiyar)/
deity: Brihadeeswarar (Shiva)
History
Date built: 11th century AD
Creator: Raja Raja Chola

The Peruvudaiyar Kovil or Brihadeeswarar Temple

(Tamil: ெபருவுைடயார் ோகாவில், 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.

History

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]

Temple complex

Temple gateway

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]

Main temple
The apex of the tower is the octagonal single stone granite piece of 81.25 tons
[9]

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]

Adjoining structures
Shrine of Ganapathy

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.

Origin of Idea

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.

Other

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

Brihadeeswarar Temple in Historic Novels

1. Balakumaran has written the story Udaiyar based on the life of Raja
Raja Chola I and the building activities around Brihadeeswarar temple