Brihadisvara Temple facts for kids
The Brihadishvara Temple, also known as Rajarajesvaram or the Big Temple of Thanjavur, is a famous Hindu temple in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India. It's dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. This amazing temple was built by the powerful Chola emperor Raja Raja Chola I between the years 1003 and 1010 CE. It's one of the largest Hindu temples ever built and a fantastic example of Chola architecture. People even call it Dakshina Meru, which means "Meru of the South," comparing it to the mythical Mount Meru.
The Brihadishvara Temple is so important that it's part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site called the "Great Living Chola Temples". This site also includes two other Chola-era temples: the Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple and the Airavatesvara temple.
When it was first built in the 11th century, the temple had a moat around it. It included a grand entrance tower (called a gopura), the main temple with its huge tower, carvings, paintings, and sculptures. Most of these artworks show stories and figures related to Shaivism (worship of Shiva), but there are also some from Vaishnavism (worship of Vishnu) and Shaktism (worship of the Goddess). Over time, some parts of the temple were damaged, but new sections and repairs were added in the centuries that followed. Today, the temple stands within strong, fortified walls that were added after the 16th century.
The temple is built using granite stone. Its main tower, called the vimana, is one of the tallest in South India. Inside, there's a huge corridor and one of the largest Shiva lingas (a symbol of Shiva) in India. The temple is also famous for its beautiful sculptures. It's even where the famous bronze statue of Nataraja (Shiva as the lord of dance) was first created in the 11th century. The temple complex also has smaller shrines dedicated to other gods like Nandi (Shiva's bull), Parvati (Shiva's wife), Murugan (Shiva's son), and Ganesha (Shiva's other son). The Brihadishvara Temple is one of the most visited places in Tamil Nadu.
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What's in a Name?
Rajaraja Chola, the king who ordered the temple to be built, called it Rajarajeshvaram. This means "the temple of the god of Rajaraja." Later, people started calling the main god of the temple Periya Udaiya Nayanar. This name is where the modern names Brihadisvara and Peruvudaiyar Kovil come from. Locally, people often call it Thanjai Periya Kovil, which means "Thanjavur Big Temple."
Where is it?
The Peruvudaiyar Temple is in the city of Thanjavur, which is about 350 kilometers (217 miles) southwest of Chennai. You can easily reach Thanjavur by train or bus from other major cities in India. The closest airport is Tiruchirappalli International Airport, about 55 kilometers (34 miles) away.
Even though the city is inland, it's located at the beginning of the Kaveri River delta. This means it had access to the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean for trade. In the 11th century, the Tamil people also built a large irrigation system here for farming and moving goods.
Temple History
Temple building styles in South India changed and grew over many centuries. From the 5th to the 9th century, different dynasties like the Chalukyas and Pallavas built many temples. Then, between 850 and 1280 CE, the Cholas became the most powerful rulers.
The early Chola kings focused more on protecting their kingdom. But in the 10th century, a new Chola style of architecture began to appear. This style became fully developed in the Brihadishvara Temple, which was built by King Raja Raja Chola I between 1003 and 1010 CE.
Changes Over Time
The main temple and its entrance towers were built in the early 11th century. But the temple has seen many additions, changes, and repairs over the last 1,000 years. Sometimes, wars caused damage, which was later fixed by Hindu kings who regained control. Rulers also added new shrines. For example, the important shrines for Kartikeya (Murugan), Parvati (Amman), and Nandi were added in the 16th and 17th centuries.
What Does it Look Like?
Temple Design
The Peruvudaiyar temple is designed using careful geometry and symmetry. It's known as a Perunkoil, which means a "big temple" built on a raised platform. The temple complex is a large rectangle, about 240 meters (789 feet) from east to west and 122 meters (400 feet) from north to south. Inside, there are five main parts: the main shrine with its tall tower (sri vimana), the Nandi hall in front, a main community hall, a great gathering hall, and a pavilion connecting the halls to the shrine.
The temple complex has a large covered walkway (prakara) around its spacious courtyard, which is about 450 meters (1,476 feet) long. Outside this walkway, there are two more walls. The outer wall was added in 1777 by French forces for defense, and it has gun-holes.
The original main entrance tower (gopuram) is on the east side. It's less than half the size of the main temple's tower. Over the centuries, more structures were added, like extra halls and gateways, but these new builders tried to keep the original design and symmetry. Inside the main courtyard, besides the main shrine and Nandi hall, there are two major shrines for Kartikeya and Parvati, plus other smaller shrines.
The architects of the Chola era were very skilled. They were able to build this massive temple, especially the 63.4-meter (208-foot) high towering vimana, using heavy stones.
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The temple faces east and used to have a water moat around it, which has now been filled. The fortified wall runs around where the moat was. The two walls have beautiful gateways called gopurams. The main gateways are on the east side. The first one is called Keralantakan tiruvasal, named after King Rajaraja. About 100 meters (328 feet) further is the inner courtyard gopuram called Rajarajan tiruvasal, which is even more decorated.
The inner eastern gopuram leads to a huge courtyard. All the shrines inside are lined up with the east-west and north-south directions. The main temple and its great tower are in the middle of this courtyard. Around the main temple (dedicated to Shiva) are smaller shrines for his wife Parvati, his sons Murugan and Ganesha, and others. The Nandi hall has a huge bull statue facing the main shrine. This Nandi statue weighs about 25 tons and is made from a single stone! It's about 2 meters (6.6 feet) tall, 6 meters (20 feet) long, and 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) wide.
Keeping it Safe
As a World Heritage Site, the temple is looked after by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). They make sure it's safe, preserved, and restored. The area around the temple has been improved with special lighting, signs, and facilities for visitors. The lighting is designed to show off the natural color of the stone and the beautiful sculptures.
The Main Shrine and Tower
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The main shrine, or sanctum, is in the center of the western part of the temple. It's surrounded by thick walls with many sculptures and pillars. Inside the sanctum, there's a huge stone linga, which is a symbol of Shiva. This inner room is called the Karuvarai in Tamil, meaning "womb chamber." Only priests are allowed to enter this special room.
The main tower, or Vimana, is a massive 16-story tower that gets narrower as it goes up. It stands over a 30.18-meter (99-foot) square base. The tower is decorated with many pillars and columns.
Gods and Dance Poses
The temple is dedicated to Shiva, shown as a huge linga that is 8.7 meters (28.5 feet) tall and goes through two floors of the shrine. It's one of the largest single-stone linga sculptures in India.
The temple also honors other Hindu traditions by having sculptures of gods from Vaishnavism (like Vishnu) and Shaktism (like Durga). These sculptures are usually placed symmetrically around the temple. The walls of the ground floor of the shrine have many sculptures, including different forms of Shiva, Ganesha, Vishnu, and Durga.
Above the main shrine, the sri-vimana tower rises 13 stories high. On top of these stories is a single square block of granite weighing 80 tons! At the corners of this block are Nandi bull statues. Above the center of this granite block is the sikhara (cupola-shaped top) and the stupi (finial), which was once covered in gold. The sikhara alone weighs 25 tons.
The outer wall of the upper floor corridor has carvings of 81 of the 108 dance karanas, which are postures from the Natya Sastra. This ancient text is the foundation of Bharathanatyam, the classical dance of Tamil Nadu. These carvings show how important classical Indian dance was in the early 11th century.
Halls (Mandapa)
The temple has two main halls, the maha-mandapa and mukha-mandapa, which are square and lined up with the main shrine and the Nandi hall. The maha-mandapa has six pillars on each side and also features artwork. Both halls have large stone dvarapalas (guardians) at their entrances.
Inside the halls, there were originally eight small shrines for dikpalas, who are guardian deities of different directions like Agni (fire god) and Indra (king of gods). Some of these shrines and their original statues are now missing.
Wall Paintings (Murals)
The temple has an older layer of Chola paintings (frescoes) on the walls of the main shrine's walkway. These paintings, which cover the walls from floor to ceiling, were found in 1931. The artists used natural colors mixed into wet limestone. Most of these Chola frescoes show stories about Shiva, but some also show Vishnu, Durga, and scenes of Chola royalty and everyday life.
Over the centuries, smoke and soot from lamps damaged some of these paintings. The Archaeological Survey of India has done amazing work to restore them, even finding a way to preserve older Chola paintings that had newer Nayaka paintings painted over them. Some of these restored paintings are now displayed separately.
Carvings and Writings (Inscriptions)
The temple walls have many inscriptions written in Tamil and Grantha scripts. Many of these start by introducing the king who ordered them. Most of them talk about gifts given to the temple or to the people who worked there. There are 64 inscriptions from Rajaraja Chola I and 29 from Rajendra Chola I, along with some from other later kings.
Temple Workers
An inscription from 1011 CE lists over 600 people who worked at the temple and were supported by it. This included priests, lamp lighters, tailors, jewelers, carpenters, dancers, singers, musicians, and accountants. They were often paid with land, so their temple work might have been part-time.
The temple also employed devadasis, who were dancers and singers of religious songs. The temple was a major charity in its history, providing free meals for pilgrims and visitors every day. On Hindu festival days, special elaborate meals were served.
Celebrating 1,000 Years
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The Brihadishvara Temple, built in 1010 CE, turned 1,000 years old in September 2010! To celebrate this amazing milestone, the state government and the town held many cultural events. They remembered the day in 1010 CE when King Rajaraja I placed a gold-plated pot (kalasam) on top of the 59.82-meter (196-foot) tall tower.
Dance Festival
To mark the occasion, a huge Bharatanatyam dance show was organized. One thousand dancers from India and other countries like Singapore, Malaysia, and the US performed together. They danced to 11 verses of divine music composed by Karuvur deva, who was King Rajaraja's guru. The town of Thanjavur became a cultural hub for two days with street performers and dancers everywhere.
Special Stamps and Coins
On September 26, 2010, India Post released a special 5 INR postage stamp featuring the temple's tall main entrance tower (Raja Gopuram).
The Reserve Bank of India also released a special 5 INR coin with the temple's image on it. The Mumbai Mint even issued a 1,000 INR commemorative coin, which was the first 1,000 Rupees coin ever released in India!
In 1954, the Reserve Bank of India had released a 1,000 INR currency note featuring a panoramic view of the temple. These notes were later taken out of circulation but are now popular with collectors.
In 2010, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu renamed a high-productivity rice type as Raja Rajan-1,000 to honor the temple's builder, Rajaraja Chola, during its millennial year.
Who Manages the Temple?
The Brihadishvara Temple is currently managed by Babaji Bhonsle, who is the head of the Thanjavur Maratha royal family. He serves as the hereditary trustee of the palace Devasthanam, which manages 88 Chola temples, including the Brihadishvara Temple.
Images for kids
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Brihadisvara Temple, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India
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An elephant relief on the Brihadisvara Temple, Thanjavur
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Ardhanarishvara (half Shiva, half Parvati) symbolizing that the male and female principles are inseparable
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Ganesha is depicted both in the main temple and a separate shrine.
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Separate Ganesha shrine with temple corridor in the back
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Subrahmanyar shrine in the north part of the courtyard. Also called "Murugan", "Kartikeya" or "Skanda".
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Chandeshvara shrine. On right is the wall of main temple, in back the eastern gopuram. Chandeshvara is a meditating yogi and Nayanmar Bhakti movement saint.
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Lakshmi statue, a Vaishnava sculpture reverentially displayed
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Gaja-lakshmi mural, another Vaishnavism themed artwork
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Vishnu sculpture at the Shaivism temple
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A yoga and meditation relief; the temple portrays numerous secular and saint scenes.
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Krishna playing prank on gopikas by hiding on the tree, with their clothes
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Nandi shrine
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Sculpture
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Vimana outer wall detail
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Reliefs adorning the stairs
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Relief detail
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Relief detail
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Entrance
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Vimana view
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Left profile view
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The view at night
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Early hours at Tanjore Periya Koil
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A yoga and meditation relief
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Tamil inscriptions at Brihadisvara Temple
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See also
- Penneswaraar Temple
- Thanjavur Chariot festival
- Raja Raja Chola I
- Chola Dynasty
- List of largest monoliths
- List of tallest structures built before the 20th century
- Great Living Chola Temples
