Brihadisvara
Temple The
Brihadisvara temple is a symbol of greatness of the
Chola Empire under its founder, Emperor Rajaraja(985-1012.A.D.),
whose splendor it reflects. The long series of epigraphs
incised in elegant letters on the plinth all round the
gigantic edifice reveals the personality of the Emperor.
The Brihadisvara temple is a monument dedicated to Siva,
and he named lord as Rajarajesvaram-udayar after himself.
As we gather from the inscriptions running throughout
the plinth, the king, on the two hundred and seventy-fifth
day of the twenty-fifth year of the reign (1010 A.D)
presented a gold-covered finial to be planted on the
top of the Vimana of the temple. |
Chola
Tribute To Lord Shiva - Brihadisvara Temple, Thanjavur
Architecturally, it is the most ambitious structural
temple built of granite. Brihadisvara Temple is within
a spacious inner Prakara of 240.90 m long (east-west)
and 122m broad (north-south), with a Gopura at the east
and three other ordinary 'Torana' entrances one at each
lateral sides and the third at rear. The Prakara is
surrounded by a double-storeyed 'Malika' with 'Parivaralayas'.
The Sikhara, a cupolic dome, is octagonal and rests
on a single block of granite, a square of 7.8 m weighing
80 tons. The majestic 'Upapitha' and 'Adhishthana' are
common to all the axially placed entities like the 'Ardhamaha'
and 'Mukha-Mandapas' and linked to the main sanctum
but approached through a north-south transept across
the 'Ardha-Mandapa', which is marked by lofty 'Sopanas'.
The
moulded plinth is extensively engraved with inscriptions
by its royal builder who refers to his many endowments,
pious acts and organisational events connected to Brihadisvara
Temple. The Brihad-Linga within the sanctum is 8.7 m
high. Life-size iconographic representations on the
wall niches and inner passage include Durga, Lakshmi,
Sarasvati and Bhikshatana, Virabhadra Kalantaka, Natesa,
Ardhanarishvara and Alingana forms of Shiva. The mural
paintings on the walls of the lower ambulatory inside
are finest examples of Chola and later periods. Sarfoji,
a local Maratha ruler, rebuilt the Ganapati shrine.
The celebrated Thanjavur school of paintings of the
Nayakas are largely superimposed over the Chola murals. |
