Brihadeeswarar Temple - Dravidian style Ancient Hindu Shiva Temple.

 

Brihadeeswarar Temple is a Dravidian style Hindu temple dedicated to the god Shiva located in South bank of Cauvery river in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the largest Hindu temples and an exemplary example of a fully realized Tamil architecture. It is called as Dakshina Meru. locally known as Thanjai Periya Kovil, and also called Rajarajeswaram. Built by Chola emperor Rajaraja I between 1003 and 1010 CE, this temple is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temple is dedicated to Shiva in the form of a huge linga. It is 8.7 m (29 ft) high, occupying two storeys of the sanctum. It is one of the largest monolithic linga sculptures in India.

 

The original monuments of this 11th-century temple were built around a moat. It included gopura, the main temple, its massive tower, inscriptions, frescoes, and sculptures predominantly related to Shaivism, but also of Vaishnavism and Shaktism traditions of Hinduism. The temple was damaged in its history and some artwork is now missing. Additional mandapam and monuments were added in the centuries that followed. The temple now stands amidst fortified walls that were added after the 16th century.

 

 

Built using granite, the vimana tower above the shrine is one of the tallest in South India. The temple has a massive colonnaded prakara (corridor) and one of the largest Shiva lingas in India. It is also famed for the quality of its sculpture, as well as being the location that commissioned the brass Nataraja - Shiva as the lord of dance, in 11th century. The complex includes shrines for Nandi, Parvati, Kartikeya, Ganesha, Sabhapati, Dakshinamurti, Chandeshvara, Varahi, Thiyagarajar of Thiruvarur and others. The temple is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Tamil Nadu.

 

An inscription on the north wall of enclosure, dated 1011 CE, gives a detailed accounts of people employed and supported by the temple. The inscription gives their wages, roles and names. It includes over 600 names including those of priests, lamp lighters, washermen, tailors, jewelers, potters, carpenters, sacred parasol bearers, dance gurus, dancing girls, singers, male and female musicians, superintendents of performance artists, accountants among others. Their wages was in parcels of land, so their temple employment was likely part-time. The temple employed devadasis who were dancers and singers of devotional hymns.

 

 

The inner wall of the sanctum has sculpted 108 dance poses called karmas performed by Lord Shiva himself. The Shaivism temple celebrates all major Hindu traditions by including the primary deities of the Vaishnavism and Shaktism tradition in the great mandapa of the main temple. The Brihadeeswarar Temple at Thanjavur is the site of annual dance festivals around February, around the Mahashivratri. Major classical Indian dance form artists, as well as regional teams, perform their repertoire at this Brahan Natyanjali festival over 10 days.

 

October to March is the best time to plan your travel to Brihadeeswarar Temple at Thanjavur. The weather is pleasant between October to March, with warm days and cool nights. The temperature is also moderate with an average maximum of 30 degrees celsius and average minimum of 18 degrees celsius. Thanjavur is a well connected city in Tamil Nadu, at about 56 kilometers distance from Tiruchirapalli. You can take either railway or roadway to Thanjavur.