‘A sculptor's dream, a historian's mine, a dancer's vision and a sociologist's scoop that's the Brahadeeswara Temple
Periya Kovil (Big temple) or Brihadeeswarar Temple
In front of the temple is a very big statue of Nandi (Nandi is a Sanskrit word for bull), which is a monolith - 16 feet long and 13 feet tall. Nandi is a common sight in front of all Shiva temples as it is considered to be the gate keeper of Shiva and Parvathi.
The 'Vimana' - or the temple tower - is 66 meters tall and is among the tallest of its kind in the world. Something very striking with this temple is that the entire temple structure is made out of hard granite stones, which is sparsely available in Thanjavur area where the temple is located. This means that all the granite required to build this temple was brought form hundreds of miles away! This would have been a phenomenal task, considering the fact that cranes and other related infrastructure that are required to transport these granite stones were not available thousand years back when this temple was built! Inconceivable indeed!
This marvelous structure was built by one of the greatest kings who ruled this part of the world centuries back – Rajaraja Chozhan I.
Rajaraja Chola the Great was the first Chola King to document archives of his rule in the form of written evidence on stone tablets and copper plates. In the famous inscriptions in the Brahadeeswara temple complex, he records not only the donations given by him and his sister and relatives, the noblemen but also the commoners who donated to the temple.
This temple is unique in many respects.
An all stone structure of such stupendous proportions had never been attempted before. In height, elegance and simplicity of design and plan, the temple has few parallels.
It attracts the curiosity of not merely the historians but also the sociologists, not to speak of the dancers and the painters, for it is perhaps the only temple in the world which carries on its walls the engraved evidence, in beautiful calligraphy, of its entire history and the story of the contemporary society.
An exhaustive documentation ranging over almost a hundred long inscriptions engraved on the walls, pillars and podium, is a rare wealth and indeed of immeasurable value to the scholar.
The inscriptions found on the temple walls and pillars give a comprehensive history of the times. The temple also sports a depiction in stone, of eighty one of the one hundred and eight karanas of Bharata Muni's Natya Sastra - the first of its kind - setting the pace for many others to follow in succeeding centuries.
The inscriptional data also abound in mention of the jewelry of the period; about sixty-six different types of ornaments and jewelry are listed with all the details.
Besides all this information there is a fund of material on the social and cultural life of the people of the times. Contrary to the general belief that the Indian community lacked a sense of history, this temple sets an example of the ability of Indians in documenting history.
The details of Rajaraja's conquests, his army and navy, his administrative ability and his religious tolerance, are gleaned from the inscriptional evidence on the temple walls.
The inscriptions also describe the types of jewellery, the composition and the content and the highly advanced techniques in fashioning them. They also mention twenty-three varieties of pearls, and eleven very clearly defined varieties each of diamonds and rubies alone; which only shows how exhaustive is the recording left behind for posterity.
The Thanjavur Peria Kovil is one thousand years old this year, 2010. Rajaraja Chola I commissioned this greatest edifice of Tamil history and performed the sacred dedication of the temple in the year 1010, the 25th year of his reign.
A temple for the Cholas was not merely a house of worship. It was the fulcrum of life, for the king linked himself closely with the deity of his choice. War booty was gifted to the temple which was the Treasury as well as the Public Record Office.
The learned scholar, the sculptor and the architect, the dancer and the musician, the blacksmith and the carpenter, and a host of others depended on the temple for their livelihood. Thus, the temple was an institution of activities which touched upon every aspect of a person's life.
The construction of the temple is said to have been completed on the 275th day of the 25th year of his reign. After its commemoration the great temple and the capital had close business relations with the rest of the country and acted as a centre of both religious and economic activity.
The towering vimanam is built up with stones with bonding and notching, without the use of mortar. The topmost stone, weighing about 80 tons, is still a matter of discussion for engineers who are baffled as to how the builders lifted it to that height without the help of modern contrivances. A charming tale is told about a ramp being built from a village — Sarapallam — four miles away, from where the giant stone was pulled up by elephants!
The details of the stone work of this imposing vimanam are representative of the masterly craftsmanship of South Indian artisans. The shilpi (sculptor) and the sthapathi (architect) came together to create their fanciful abode for Shiva. Naturally, the shape had to echo Mount Kailash
Any write up on ‘Big temple’ will not make much sense without making a reference to the great King who built this wonderful edifice. Rajaraja Chozhan I, who built this temple, was the greatest king of Chola dynasty. Tamil historical novel “Ponniyin Selvan” (The son of Ponni) written by Kalki Krishnamurthy narrates the story of Rajarja Chola. Ponniyin Selvan is a famous 2400 page 20th century Tamil historical novel. Rajaraja Chola I holds the distinction of being one of the Six Indian kings who never lost out on the battlefield to the enemies.
After visiting three times, I still had the feeling that I had missed to photograph something in this temple. This marvelous structure has been there for one thousand years spreading the greatness of the greatest Chola King - Rajaraja Chozhan I. I am sure, when I visit this temple next time, I will definitely find something else which I did not capture this time.
Big temple is truly an architectural marvel!
