The Brihadisvara temple (also spelled Brihadeshvara Temple) is an ancient Hindu temple located at Thanjavur in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. This 10th century CE temple, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Great Living Chola Temples", is a brilliant example of the Dravidian style of temple architecture. The central temple known as the Periya Kovil (Big Temple) stands within a fort, whose walls are later additions built during the 16th century. The name periya kovil came from its original name "periya aavudayar kovil" (aavudayar being a local name of Lord Shiva). The vimana (main tower) of the temple is about 70 m high and is the tallest in the world. It was so designed that the vimana never casts a shadow at noon at any part of the year. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Thanjavur (தஞ்சாவூர் in Tamil), formerly known as Tanjore, is a city in Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... As a means of recording the passage of time, the 10th century was that century which lasted from 901 to 1000. ... The Common Era (CE or C.E.), sometimes known as the Current Era or Christian Era, is the period of measured time beginning with the year 1 (the traditional birthdate of Jesus) to the present. ... UNESCO logo UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... Site #86: Memphis and its Necropolis, including the Pyramids of Giza (Egypt). ... The Great Living Chola Temples are temples built during the Chola rule in the south of India. ... The Dravidian Race is the name sometimes still given to the peoples of southern and central India and northern Sri Lanka who speak Dravidian languages, the best known of which are Tamil (தமிழ்), Telugu (తెలుగు), Kannada and Malayalam. ... The Angkor Wat Hindu temple in Cambodia is the largest in the world. ... The Parthenon on top of the Acropolis, Athens, Greece Architecture (from Latin, architectura and ultimately from Greek, αρχιτεκτων, a master builder, from αρχι- chief, leader and τεκτων, builder, carpenter) is the art and science of designing buildings and structures. ... Fortifications (Latin fortis, strong, and facere, to make) are military constructions designed for defensive warfare. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... Shiva (Sanskrit: शिव; Hindi: शिव (when used to distinguish lordly status), and written Åšiva in the official IAST transliteration, pronounced as ) is a form of Ishvara or God in the later Vedic scriptures of Hinduism. ... The metre, or meter (US), is a measure of length. ...

Description

Frontal-right view of the main temple

Rear-right view of the main temple

The shikaram (crown), an octagonal, carved cupola, itself is very large and heavy (81.25 tonnes) and (until a few years back) was thought to be carved out of a single stone. However during one of the cleaning efforts, it was found to be in two pieces. The task of carrying this huge crown to a height of 70 m is another feat worth mentioning. In order to do this, an inclined plane of sand was built from a distance of nearly 11 km. The place where this scaffold began is called the Sarap pallam ("Scaffold Pit"). A regular octagon. ... Cupola of St Peters Basilica, Rome In architecture, a cupola consists of a dome-shaped ornamental structure located on top of a larger roof or dome, often used as a lookout or to admit light and provide ventilation. ... Crown names several entities associated with monarchy: A crown (headgear), the headgear worn by a monarch, other high dignitaries, divinities etcetera. ... An inclined plane is a plane surface set at an angle, other than a right angle, against a horizontal surface. ... Patterns in the sand Sand is an example of a class of materials called granular matter. ... A kilometer (Commonwealth spelling: kilometre), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1,000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ... Scaffold may refer to: scaffolding as used in construction A gallows The Scaffold, UK musical group Scaffold - GNOME Development Environment Scaffold (Protein ECM) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

The Brihadisvara temple was built by the great Tamil ruler, Rajaraja Chola I of the Chola dynasty. In the twenty-fifth year of Rajaraja Chola (1009–1010 CE), on the 257th day of the year, the king handed over the copper pot for the final decoration atop the Vimana. It weighed about 107 kg and was overlaid with gold plate of the weight of 292.5 Kalanju (nearly 13 kg). The main deity worshipped the temple is Śiva, in the usual form of a linga. The Tamil people are an ethnic group from South Asia with a recorded history going back more than two millennia. ... Rajaraja Chola I ascended the Chola throne in July 985 C.E. Raja Raja the Great, as he is known in history reigned for 29 years, and conquered the whole of southern India and the Chola empire expanded as far as Sri Lanka in the south, and Kalinga (Orissa) in... The Cholas were the most famous of the three dynasties that ruled ancient Tamil Nadu. ... // For other uses, see Dynasty (disambiguation). ... Events February 14: First known mention of Lithuania, in the annals of the monastery of Quedlinburg. ... Events The Ly Dynasty in Vietnam is established (or 1009). ... The international prototype, made of platinum-iridium, which is kept at the BIPM under conditions specified by the 1st CGPM in 1889. ... General Name, Symbol, Number gold, Au, 79 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 6, d Appearance metallic yellow Atomic mass 196. ... Look up deity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ... Linga worship (Estate of Cynthia and Harlen Welsh) Lingam or Linga is the Sanskrit word for mark. ...

The Shivalinga of Sri Brihadisvara is probably the grandest in existence. It is the largest Shiva linga in the world^{[citation needed]}. This image was originally called Adavallan (Expert Dancer). Another name was Dakshina Meru Vitanken. Both the names occur in Thiruvisaipa as the names of the deity at Chidambaram. This possibly indicates that the Śaiva creed derived its support at the time mainly from Chidambaram. Rajaraja Chola calls the image Rajarajeswaramudaiyar (The Lord of Rajarajeswaram). The tower over the shrine is named Dakshina Meru after the abode of Lord Śiva at Kailasa. Shiva (Sanskrit: शिव; Hindi: शिव (when used to distinguish lordly status), and written Åšiva in the official IAST transliteration, pronounced as ) is a form of Ishvara or God in the later Vedic scriptures of Hinduism. ... Chidambaram is a town of India, in the South Arcot district of Tamil Nadu, 11 km from the coast and 240 km south of Chennai by rail. ... Kailasa (also called Kailash) is believed to be the home of Lord Shiva by Hindus, and is a pilgrimage site. ...

A remarkable feature of the temple is the great Nandi (stone bull). The Nandi that figures at the entrance is immense in size (a popular belief is that it is growing by the day), and the ceiling of its enclosure is decorated with frescoes in the typical painting style of Thanjavur. The Nandi weighs 27 tonnes and is the second largest in the world. An idol of Nandi in a Chennai temple Nandi is the white bull which Shiva rides, and the leader of the Ganas. ... Fresco by Dionisius representing Saint Nicholas. ...

The tall Rajagopuram of the temple also found use as a survey platform during the measurement of the Great Arc, by the Survey of India under William Lambton. The Great Theodolite used during the Survey of India was damaged in a fall from the roof, and its carefully calibrated plates were bent. This instrument was later repaired at Trichy. Each millennium had thrown up passion for doing something unique. ... The Survey of India is Indias central agency in charge of mapping and surveying. ... William Lambton (1756-1823) was a British soldier, surveyor, and geographer. ... Each millennium had thrown up passion for doing something unique. ... Tiruchirapalli (also spelled Tiruchchirappalli, commonly known as Tiruchi or Trichy, formerly known as Trichinopoly under British rule) is a city situated on the banks of the Kaveri river, centrally located in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. ...

Rajagopuram (main tower) of the temple Image File history File links Download high resolution version (784x1156, 140 KB) Gopuram (main tower) of the w:Brihadisvara temple, located in Thanjavur, India. ...	An ornamented pillar in the temple courtyard Image File history File links Download high resolution version (752x1188, 130 KB) Ornamented pillar at w:Brihadisvara temple, India. ...	The Nandi, with the main Gopuram in the background Image File history File links Download high resolution version (779x1140, 134 KB) Nandi (temple bull) & Gopuram (tower) at w:Brihadisvara temple, India Photo created (scanned & GIMPed) : January 2005 Photo taken : May 2004 Photographer : Amar File links The following pages link to this file: Brihadisvara Temple User:AmarChandra ...	Frescoes on the enclosure roof Image File history File links Download high resolution version (794x1190, 173 KB) Nandi (temple bull) & a ceiling fresco at w:Brihadisvara temple, India Photo created (scanned & GIMPed) : January 2005 Photo taken : May 2004 Photographer : Amar File links The following pages link to this file: Brihadisvara Temple User:AmarChandra ...
Entrance to the Brihadisvara Temple Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2409x1622, 1497 KB)Front Entrance to Brihadisvara Temple Photo created (scanned & GIMPed) : 26 September 2005 Photo taken : 24 September 2005 Photographer : Navendu File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old...

History

The temple was commissioned by King Rajaraja who ruled from Thanjavur. It was built between 1003 to 1010 and is the greatest of Chola temples. In many ways the temple is typical of the south Indian or Dravidian style of architecture. The temple is dedicated to Lord Brihadeshvara, a manefestation of Shiva.^[1] Thanjavur (தஞ்சாவூர் in Tamil), formerly known as Tanjore, is a city in Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. ... The Cholas were the most famous of the three dynasties that ruled ancient Tamil Nadu. ... Dravidian may refer to: Dravidian languages, including the Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada languages spoken especially in southern India and Sri Lanka. ...

Temple

The temple is approached from the East via two gopuras or gateways, flanked by two huge guardian figures with various Shaiva legends represented in the carvings below. The shrime tower is thirteen stories tall. The exterior is decoration with hundreds of painted stucco sculptures. In the interior, the inner sanctum contains a massive Shiva lingam that is the object of devotion. The inner gopura is the Brihadeshvara temple which has a circle of sea monster heads topped by a protective monster mask. Plaster sculptures on the roof were added later. The dome topping the sanctuary is carved out of a single large stone weighing 81 tons.^[2] Åšaivism, also transliterated Shaivism and Saivism, is a branch of Hinduism that worships Siva as the Supreme God. ... Linga worship (Estate of Cynthia and Harlen Welsh) The Lingam (also, Linga; Sanskrit , meaning mark or sign) is used as a symbol for the worship of the Hindu god Shiva. ...

The temple compound includes a Chandeshvara shrine with octagonal dome, a Nandi pavillion, a porch with overhanging eve, a mandapa or columned hall, an antechamber, and a towered sanctuary, and other, smaller shrines. Most Shiva temples and shrines have a sculpture of Nandi, Shiva's mount, who faces the linga enshrined within the temple. The columned porch fronts the columned hall which leads to the sanctuary. A colonade is built along the outer enclosure wall surrounding the temple complex.^[3] In Hinduism, Nandi is the white bull which Shiva rides, and the leader of the Ganas. ... Linga worship (Estate of Cynthia and Harlen Welsh) Lingam or Linga is the Sanskrit word for mark. ...

In the sanctuary niches in the walls contain finely carved figures of Shiva and other gods. Dancing Shive figures cover one wall. Shiva (Sanskrit: शिव; Hindi: शिव (when used to distinguish lordly status), and written Śiva in the official IAST transliteration, pronounced as ) is a form of Ishvara or God in the later Vedic scriptures of Hinduism. ...

References

1. ^ Brihadeshvara Temple. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
2. ^ Brihadeshvara Temple (11th century). Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
3. ^ Temple compound. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.

2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... September 14 is the 257th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (258th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... September 14 is the 257th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (258th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... September 14 is the 257th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (258th in leap years). ...

External links

• Brihadeshvara Temple
• Bragatheeswarar Temple, The Big Temple
• Photos

See also

• Thanjavur
• Hindu temple architecture
• Śiva