Brihadeeswarar Temple, Thanjavur
बृहदीश्वर मंदिर, तंजावुर
📍 Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu
Built by Rajaraja Chola I and completed in 1010 CE, Thanjavur's Brihadeeswarar is a masterpiece of Chola architecture. Its granite vimana soars about 66 m.
राजराज चोल प्रथम द्वारा 1010 ई. में पूर्ण — चोल स्थापत्य का शिखर, ग्रेनाइट का लगभग 66 मीटर ऊँचा विमान।
इतिहास History
Rajaraja Chola I built the temple as the crown of his empire, and the inscriptions on its walls record its endowments, dancers and staff in remarkable detail.
With the temples of Gangaikonda Cholapuram and Darasuram it forms the UNESCO World Heritage Site 'Great Living Chola Temples'. It completed a thousand years in 2010.
कथा The legend
Raising the great vimana's capstone, a single block of immense weight, has inspired legends of a ramp several kilometres long. Generations still marvel at how the Chola builders did it.
दर्शनीय Don’t miss
- The towering vimana built almost entirely of granite
- A great monolithic Nandi facing the sanctum
- Chola-era frescoes in the passage around the sanctum
- Carvings of Bharatanatyam karanas
उत्सव Festivals
मंदिर दर्शन Temple story
The secrets of Brihadeeswarar, from our YouTube series.
▶ Watch all 18 Temple Stories on YouTubePhoto: Original: Rainer Halama Derivative work: UnpetitproleX · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons