Brihadishvara Temple, also called Rajarajesvaram (‘Lord of Rajaraja’) and known locally as Thanjai Periya Kovil (‘Thanjavur Big Temple’) and Peruvudaiyar Kovil.
is a Shaivite Hindu temple built in a Chola architectural style located on the south bank of the Cauvery river in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India.
It is one of the largest Hindu temples and an exemplar of Tamil architecture, a subset of Dravidian architecture. It is also called Dakshina Meru (Meru of the South). Built by Chola emperor Rajaraja I between 1003 and 1010 CE, the temple is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the “Great Living Chola Temples”. The main temple tower is 216 ft high and the tallest of its kind in the world.
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. 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.
In the sanctuary there is a large Shiva Linga. It is 8.7 m (29 ft) high, possessing two accounts of the sanctum. It is one of the biggest solid Siva Lingas in India.
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 the 11th century. The complex includes shrines for Nandi, Parvati, Murugan, Ganesha, Sabhapati, Dakshinamurti, Chandeshvara, Varahi, Thiyagarajar of Thiruvarur, Siddhar Karuvoorar and others. The temple is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Tamil Nadu. The intricate carvings are simply superb.
The architecture used is truly amazing.
It is a temple without foundation. It is made of interlocking method, no cement, plaster or any kind of adhesive material is used between the stones in its construction, yet it has survived 6 major earthquakes in the last 1000 years and Today it is in its original form.
In this technique: Each stone block is precisely carved with grooves, ridges, or joints. Stones interlock like a puzzle, distributing weight evenly. The force of gravity and the stone’s own weight hold them firmly together. Stones were shaped with male-female slots that locked into each other to ensure no slipping or shifting. Hidden dovetail joints ensured stability even during earthquakes or time erosion.
Circular ceilings (like in temple mandapams) use a central keystone that holds the rest of the stones in compression. Vertical pillars were designed to bear load and transfer it down without requiring glue-like materials.
Even after all these years this 216 feet high Brihadeeswarar Temple, being older than the Leaning Tower of Pisa, does not tilt even a single degree on its axis.
1.3 lakh tonnes of granite was used in the construction of this temple which was carried by 3000 elephants from a distance of 60 km. This temple has been constructed without digging the ground, that means this temple is a temple without foundation.
The spire at the top of the temple tower weighs 81 tonnes, in today’s time modern machines would fail to lift a stone weighing 81 tonnes to such a height.
The level of engineering used in the construction of the Brihadisvara Temple cannot be compared to the technology used in the construction of any of the Seven Wonders of the World, and given today’s technologies, such a construction would be possible several centuries into the future. Till now not possible.
The temple is rich in symbolic elements, especially those tied to the number nine and its multiples. The temple complex houses 252 Shiva Lingas, 1008 Nandis, 9 main pillars in the mandapa, an 81-ton Kumbam (dome), and 18 Dwarpals (door guardians), symbolizing spiritual completeness and protection. These elements are intricately tied to the temple’s overall spiritual and architectural harmony.
The Brihadeshwara Temple houses a famous statue of a large Nandi Bull, considered sacred among Hindus. It is believed to have been created from a single rock piece and is said to weigh 25 tonnes.
Brihadeshwara Temple is a major example of the amazing progress made by the Cholas in Tamil architecture. Dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva, it is India’s largest temple and the world’s first temple structure built completely in granite. The grandeur and the sheer scale of serenity emanating from the temple, coupled with its architectural brilliance has resulted in it being a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site’s ‘Greatest Living Chola Temples’. It was built by Rajaraja Chola –
I. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture.
The temple is also famous for a large brass Nataraja.
It is located in the city of Thanjavur, about 350 kilometres (220 mi) southwest of Chennai. The city is connected daily to other major cities by the network of Indian Railways, Tamil Nadu bus services and the National Highways 67, 45C, 226 and 226 Extn. The nearest airport with regular services is Tiruchirappalli International Airport, about 55 kilometres (34 mi) away and also from Chennai 220km.
