Brihadeeswara Temple in Thanjavur

Brihadisvara temple or Brihadeeswara temple or Brihadeeswarar temple in Thanjavur of Tamil Nadu state is also called BIG temple for it’s massive structure. It is also one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites. It was built by the Chola king, Rajaraja I between the years 1003-1010 CE and was designed to represent a cosmic structure, Mahameru. The temple is dedicated to Lord Siva and has a huge Siva linga which is 3.66 m high and is named Rajarajesvaramudayar after the king himself. The Vimana soars to a height of 60.96 m and the stone sikhara at the top weighs 81.284 tonnes. It is amazing how the stone was placed at such a height in those days when there was no advanced technology. The inner sanctum is a square.

The complex has the main temple with 5 subshrines for Chandikesavara, Amman, Subhrahmanya, Canesa and Karuvur Devar, the royal priest. There are also 2 mandapas for Nataraja and Nandi. The two gopuras are of the same period as the main temple and the arch is of the Maratha period. The Nandi mandapa houses a large monolithic sculpture of Nandi and is situated on the same axis as the garbagriha of the main shrine. The height of the Nandi is 3.65 m, it is 5.94 m long and 2.59 m broad. It approximately weighs 25 tons. The ceilings of the mandapa were painted with floral designs during the Maratha period. Timings: It is open from 6 am–12:30 pm and 4–8:30 pm daily.

This was covered as part of my Tamil Nadu road trip.