Brihadeeswarar Temple (Thanjavur Big Temple)

Thanjavur, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu

Famous temples

Photo: Rainer Halama; derivative work by UnpetitproleX, CC BY-SA 4.0

About

The Brihadeeswarar temple of Thanjavur, called Periya Kovil or the Big Temple, was built by the Chola emperor Rajaraja I between 1003 and 1010 CE. It is dedicated to Lord Shiv, and its sanctum holds one of the largest Shivlings in India. The whole temple is built of granite. The vimana (tower) over the sanctum rises about 66 metres, crowned by a single huge block of stone. A giant Nandi carved from one rock sits facing the shrine. The temple is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site 'Great Living Chola Temples', and daily worship still goes on.

The story

Rajaraja Chola I was one of the great kings of South India and a deep devotee of Shiv ji. To show the strength and devotion of his kingdom, he built in his capital Thanjavur a temple far larger than any of its time. He named it Rajarajeshvaram, the temple of the Lord of Rajaraja; later people called it Brihadeeswarar and Peruvudaiyar Kovil. On the 275th day of the 25th year of his reign, in 1010 CE, Rajaraja handed over a gold-plated kalash to crown the tower. The builders of that age raised heavy granite to this height without modern machines, which still amazes people. Inscriptions on the walls record the gifts made for worship, for feeding people and for repairs, and the passage around the sanctum has beautiful Chola-era wall paintings. The shrines of Nandi, Mata Parvati and Murugan were added later by the Nayak kings, and there is also a shrine of the saint Karuvurar in the complex. In September 2010 the temple's thousand years were celebrated with a great festival.

Visiting

October to March is best, as the stone courtyard gets very hot in summer. The temple looks lovely in the evening light. Thanjavur Palace and the Saraswathi Mahal Library are nearby, and the Airavatesvara temple at Darasuram and Gangaikonda Cholapuram are a short drive away.