Marvel of a milliennium

 இந்த கட்டுரை  13-Aug-2010 அன்று Deccon Chronicle - ல் படித்தேன் மிகவும் பெருமையாகவும் கர்வமாகவும் இருந்தது. நன்றி பல.... டெக்கான் க்ரொனிகல் தினசரி இதழுக்கு....

The world famous Brihadiewara temple in Thanjavur, decelared as a World heritage site by Unesco, and popularly known as Big Temple, is an architectural marvel and reflects the brilliance of Dravidian architecture.

According to epigaphical evidence, Raja Raja Chola started building the temple in his 19th year and completed it on the 275 day of his 25th year in 1010A.D. Raja Raja Chola anmed in the temple as Rajarajeswaram. Subsequently, during the period of the Maratha rulers, when Sanskrit war popular, the temple was named as Brihadiswaram in Sanskrit and the main deity, LordShiva, as Bridhadiswarar.


For the first time in the world , the archaeological survey of India(ASI) has restored 16 paintings which were superimposed on the magnificient structure. The temple has withstood nature’s fury on several occasions and still retains its original grandeur.

The Brahadiswara temple was the largest in its time and was nearly 800 feet long and 400 feet wide.
The temple tower, at a height of 216 feet, is considered to be the larges in the world.

The Kalash of the temple is not carved out of a single stone as is widely believed . But there is a big statue of Nandi carved out of a single rock. At the entrance, measuring about 16 feet in length and 13 feet in height. The entire temple structure is made from hard granite.
The inscriptions also give, apart from a history of the times, a full enumeration of all the metallic images set up in the temple. Numering about 66, these icons are referred to with a description of the minutest details of size,shape and composition. This alsone is a mine of information for the art historian. The temple also sports a depiction in stone, of 81 of the 108 karanas of BharaMuni,s Nataya sastra – the first of its kind – setting the pace for others to follow in the succeeding centuries.

The 1000 – year-old Brahadiswara temple in Thanjavur, the pride of Tamilnadu., showcases the brilliance of Dravidian architecture and attracts people from different walks of life and vocations with its beautiful engravings that speak of bygone era. It is a veritable treasure trove of knowledge.