The Brihadeeshwara Temple (Peruvudaiyar Kovil) is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva in Thanjavur in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is also known as Periya Kovil, Raja Rajeswara Temple and Rajarajesvaram. It is among the largest temples in India and is an example of Dravidian architecture of the Chola period. It was built by Emperor Raja Raja Chola I and completed in 1010 AD. in 2010, the temple turned 1000 years old. The temple is part of the World Heritage Site UNESCO, which is known as the "Great Living Chola Temples. The other two temples are Brihadeeswarar Temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram and Airavatesvara Temple.

The temple stands amidst fortified walls that were probably added in the 16th century. The vimanam (temple tower) is 216 feet (66 m) high, the tallest in the world. The kumbam (the spire or bulbous structure at the top) of the temple is carved from a single rock and weighs about 80 tons.

At the entrance is a large statue of Nandi (sacred bull), carved from a single rock and measuring about 4.9 meters long and 4.0 meters high. The entire temple structure is made of granite, the nearest sources of which are located about 60 km west of the temple. The temple is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Tamil Nadu.

History of Brihadeeswarar Temple

Brihadeeswarar Temple

Arulmozhivarman, a Tamil emperor known as Rajaraja Chola I, laid the foundation of Brihadeeswarar Temple in 1002 CE. It was the first among other major building projects of the Tamil Chola. A symmetrical and axial geometry determines the layout of this temple. Temples from the same period and the following two centuries are expressions of the power, artistic competence and wealth of the Tamil Chola. The appearance of these types of features, such as versatile columns along with projecting signals of square capitals, signifies the arrival of the Chola style, which was new at that time.

It is an architectural example that shows the true form of Dravida architecture in temples and represents the ideology of Chola Empire and Tamil civilization of South India. The Brihadeeswarar Temple "testifies to the brilliant achievements of the Chola in architecture, painting, bronze casting and sculpture."

It is said that Emperor Rajaraja Cholan, after seeing the Pallava Rajasimha temples at Kanchipuram, had a dream to build such a grand temple for Lord Shiva. The Brihadeeswarar temple is the first structure made entirely of granite and was completed within five years from 1004 AD to 1009 AD.

The greatest Chola emperor Rajaraja-I (985 AD - 1012 AD), the son of Sundara Chola (Parantaka- II) and Vanavan mahadevi, built this magnificent temple called Brihadeeswarar in Thanjavur - the capital of the Chola dynasty.

From the epigraphic evidence, Rajaraja-I started the construction of this temple in his 19th year and completed it on the 275th day of his 25th year. It took only 6 years to complete this work in 1010 AD.

Great temple sculptures

The rule of the Chola declined and they were supplanted by the Pandyas, who in turn were overthrown by the Vijayanagara Empire. In 1535, the Vijayanagara king installed a Nayak king, and the clan, called Tanjore Nayaks, ruled until the mid-17th century. In 1674, the Marathas conquered Tanjore. Later, Thanjavur, like the rest of the country, also fell into British hands.

The inscriptions and frescoes on the walls of the Brihadeeswarar temple record the rise and fall of the city's fortunes. Shiva is depicted in the form of a gigantic stone lingam. This is covered by a vimanam that extends 216 feet. It is built of stones joined together without mortar and notched. The top stone, an engineering marvel, weighs about eighty tons.

Rajaraja-I named this temple as Rajarajesvaram and the deity Shiva in linga form as Peruvudaiyar, the temple is also known by the name of the deity as Peruvudaiyarkovil (in Tamil language). In later times, Maratta and Nayaks rulers built various shrines and gopurams of the temple.

The Brihadeeswarar temple was completed around 1010 in the southeastern part of the new capital Thanjavur in the basin of the river Kaveri (Cauvery) by the king of the Chola dynasty, Rajaraja I (r. 985-1014). It is also called Rajarajesvara temple, after the name of the king. It is one of the two largest temples of the Chola dynasty period, along with the Rajendra Cholisvara Temple in the next new capital, Gangaikondacholapuram, built by his successor Rajendra I.

It is said that the Brihadeeswarar temple was built in only seven years. Its grounds are surrounded by cloisters that cover an area of 120 by 240 meters, and the exterior is also surrounded by heavy brick walls covering an area of 350 square meters, including a large basin (reservoir).