The Brihadisvara temple (also spelled Brahadeeswarar temple) is an ancient Hindu temple located at Thanjavur in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. This 10th century CE temple, one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, is a brilliant example of the Dravidian style of temple architecture. The central temple known as the Periya Koil (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 the name of Lord siva). The vimana (main tower) of the temple is about 70 m high and is the tallest in the world. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Thanjavur, 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), sometimes known as the Christian Era or Current Era, is the period of measured time beginning with the year 1 until the present. ... UNESCO logo The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, commonly known as UNESCO, is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... Elabana Falls is in Lamington National Park, part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves World Heritage site in Queensland, Australia. ... 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. ... (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. ... The metre, or meter, is a measure of length. ...

Rajagopuram (main tower) of the 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"). Image File history File links Download high resolution version (784x1156, 140 KB) Gopuram (main tower) of the w:Brihadisvara temple, located in Thanjavur, India. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (784x1156, 140 KB) Gopuram (main tower) of the w:Brihadisvara temple, located in Thanjavur, India. ... 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 remove stale air. ... 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). ...

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. ... 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. ... 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 Śivalinga of Sri Brihadisvara is probably the grandest in existence. It is the largest Shiva linga in the world. 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. 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. ...

An ornamented pillar in the temple courtyard

The Nandi, with the main Gopuram in the background

Frescoes on the enclosure roof

Entrance to the Brihadisvara Temple

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (752x1188, 130 KB) Ornamented pillar at w:Brihadisvara temple, India. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (752x1188, 130 KB) Ornamented pillar at w:Brihadisvara temple, India. ... 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 ... 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 ... 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 ... 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 ... 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... 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...

See also

• Thanjavur
• Hindu temple architecture
• Śiva

That the shadow of the crown never falls on the ground is popular belief but not a fact. Experts including Dr.Kalaikovan of Dr.Rajamanickanar institute attest to this. At around 3 P.M IST you can see the shadow near Nandi Mandapam. Thanjavur, formerly known as Tanjore, is a city in Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. ... Temple architecture in the Hindu tradition is connected to astronomy and sacred geometry. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ... Agra Fort is located in Agra, India. ... Ajanta takes the name after the village Ajinţhā in Aurangabad district in the state of Maharashtra(N. lat. ... Bhimbetka is a place in Madhya Pradesh where the earliest known traces of human life in India were found. ... Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) (better referred to by its acronym CST) - is a historic railway station on Mumbai suburban railway. ... The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, nicknamed Toy Train, is a 60cm narrow-gauge railway from Siliguri to Darjeeling in the state of West Bengal in India. ... Carvings line the walls inside the caves. ... Jain cave in Ellora Ellora is an ancient village 30 km (18. ... Fatehpur Sikri is a 16th-century capital city built by the Mughal emperor Akbar on a rocky outcrop near the city of Agra in India. ... Virupaksha Temple Hampi (ಹ೦ಪೆ, Hampe in Kannada) is a village in southern Karnataka, India. ... Kaziranga National Park is situated on the south bank of the Brahmaputra river in Assam, India. ... The Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan, India is a famous avifauna sanctuary that sees thousands of rare and highly endangered birds such as the Siberian Cranes nest here during the winter season. ... Sculpture from a temple at Khajuraho Hermit monk performing auparashtika on a princely visitor. ... Mahabalipuram (also known as Mamallapuram) is a 7th century port city of the South Indian dynasty of the Pallavas around 60 km south from the city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu. ... The Mahabodhi Temple is a Buddhist temple in Bodh Gaya, the location where Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, attained enlightenment. ... Manas National Park, a Project Tiger reserve, lies among the foothills of the Bhutan Himalayas, in the far eastern state of Assam, India. ... The Nanda Devi National Park is a national park situated around the peak of Nanda Devi (7,800m) in Jammu and Kashmir in India. ... Valley of flowers is the name of the Himalayan area in Uttaranchal, India. ... A typical Nilgiri train on the rack section The Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) connects the town of Mettupalayam with the hill station of Ooty (correctly Udhagamandalam), in the Nilgiri Hills of southern India. ... Pattadakal is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka famous for its group of monuments that comprise of initial experiments in Hindu temple architecture. ... The Qutub Minar and surrounding ruins. ... Sanchi is a small village of India, located 46 km north east of Bhopal, in the central part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. ... The Sundarbans National Park is a national park located in the Sundarbans delta in India. ... This article is about the Indian monument. ... Ganges River Delta, Bangladesh and India The Sundarbans delta is the largest mangrove forest in the world. ... Vijayanagara (often written Vijayanagar, meaning the city of victory), in northern Karnataka, is the name of the now ruined capital city of the historic Vijayanagara empire in the Southern part of India. ...