| Peruvudaiyaar Temple | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Coordinates: | 10°46′50″N 79°08′30″ECoordinates: 10°46′50″N 79°08′30″E |
| Name | |
| Other names: | Brihadeeswarar Temple |
| Proper name: | Peruvudaiyaar Temple |
| Location | |
| Country: | India |
| State: | Tamil Nadu |
| Location: | Thanjavur |
| Architecture and culture | |
| Architectural styles: | Dravidian Architecture |
| History | |
| Date built: (Current structure) |
11th century AD |
| Creator: | Raja Raja Ch |
The temple had its foundations laid out by the Tamil emperor Arulmozhivarman, popularly called Rajaraja Chola I, (Tamil: இராசராச சோழன், Rājarāja Choļan ) in 1002 CE, as the first of the great Tamil Chola building projects. The temple was built by Rajaraja Chola, one of the greatest Tamil emperors to grace the throne of the Chola empire in compliance of a command given to him in his dream. The scale and grandeur is in the Chola tradition. An axial and symmetrical geometry rules the temple layout.
Temples from this period and the following two centuries are an
expression of the Tamils (Chola) wealth, power and artistic expertise.
The emergence of such features as the multifaceted columns with projecting square capitals signal the arrival of the new Chola style.
The Brihadeeswarar Temple was built to be the royal temple to display
the emperor's vision of his power and his relationship to the universal
order. The temple was the site of the major royal ceremonies such as
anointing the emperor and linking him with its deity, Shiva,
and the daily rituals of the deities were mirrored by those of the
king. The temple maintained a staff of 600 people in various capacities. Besides the Brahmin
priests, these included record-keepers, musicians, scholars, and
craftsman of every type as well as housekeeping staff. In those days the
temple was a hub of business activities for the flower, milk, oil, and
ghee merchants, all of whom made a regular supply of their respective
goods for the temple for its poojas and during festival seasons.
Moreover as evidenced by the inscriptions that found in the compound
wall of this temple, the temple had always been serving as a platform
for the dancers who excelled in the traditional dance form of
Bharatnatyam.It has been said that the temple's kalasam
weighs 50 tons which has since been a mystery on how it may have been
transported to the top.In addition,much confusion has remained between
arechaeologists due to the fact that the temple has been built more than
1000 years ago and has never met construction failure because of the
supposed weight of the kalasam.
This displays the ancient Tamil's excellent knowledge in craftmanship
and construction. Even today, the Brihadeeswarar Temple remains India's
largest temple.
It is an architectural exemplar showcasing the pure form of the Dravida type of temple architecture and representative of the Chola Empire ideology and the Tamil civilisation in Southern India. The temples "testify to the brilliant achievements of the Chola in architecture, sculpture, painting and bronze casting."
The temple was consecrated in 1010 CE by Raja Raja Chola I. In 2010
there was a celebration commemorating the temple's thousandth
anniversary.
Temple complex
The temple complex sits on the banks of a river that was channeled to
make a moat around the complex's outer walls, the walls being built
like a fortress. The complex is made up of many structures that are
aligned axially. The complex can be entered either on one axis through a five-story gopuram or with a second access directly to the huge main quadrangle through a smaller free-standing gopuram. The massive size of the main sikhara (although it is hollow on the inside and not meant to be occupied) is 63 meters high, with 16 severely articulated stories, and dominates the main quadrangle. Pilaster, piers, and attached columns are placed rhythmically covering every surface of the shikhara.
[edit] Main temple
The main temple is in the center of the spacious quadrangle composed of a sanctuary, a Nandi, a pillared hall and an assembly hall (mandapas), and many sub-shrines.
The most important part of the temple is the inner mandapa which is
surrounded by massive walls that are divided into levels by sharply cut
sculptures and pilasters providing deep bays and recesses. Each side of the sanctuary has a bay emphasizing the principle cult icons. The karuvarai, a Tamil word meaning the interior of the sanctum sanctorum, is the inner most sanctum and focus of the temple where an image of the primary deity, Shiva, resides. Inside is a huge stone linga. The word Karuvarai means "womb chamber" from Tamil word karu for foetus. Only priests are allowed to enter this inner-most chamber.
In the Dravida style, the Karuvarai takes the form of a miniature vimana
with other features exclusive to southern Indian temple architecture
such as the inner wall together with the outer wall creating a pradakshina around the garbhagriha for circumambulation (pradakshina). The entrance is highly decorated. The inside chamber housing the image of the god is the sanctum sanctorum, the garbhagriha. The garbhagriha is square and sits on a plinth,
its location calculated to be a point of total equilibrium and harmony
as it is representative of a microcosm of the universe. In the center is
placed the image of the deity. The royal bathing-hall where Rajaraja the great gave gifts is to the east of the hall of Irumudi-Soran.
The circumambulation winds around the massive lingam in the garbhagriha and is repeated in an upper story, presenting the idea that Chola Empire freely offered access to the gods.
The inner mandapa leads out to a rectangular mandapa and then to a twenty-columned porch with three staircases leading down. Sharing the same stone plinth is a small open mandapa dedicated to Nandi, Shiva's sacred bull mount.
Adjoining structures
Surrounding the main temple are two walled enclosures. The outer wall
is high, defining the temple complex area. Here is the massive gopuram
or gateway mentioned above. Within this a portico, a barrel vaulted gorpuram with over 400 pillars, is enclosed by a high wall interspersed with huge gopurams axially lined up to the main temple.
Origin of idea
The wish to build a mammoth temple like this is said to have occurred to Raja Raja while he stayed at Sri Lanka as an emperor.
Other
Not only the temple and the "moolavar", (prime deity, Shiva) but all other deities (Koshta Moorthigal) like Dakshinamurthy,
Suriyan (Sun), Chandran (Moon) are very huge sized. Especially,
Brihadeeswar temple is one of the rare temples which has statues for
"Ashta dik paalakas" (Lords of all Eight Directions) — Indra, Varuna,
Agni, Eesana, Vayu, Niruthi, Yama, Kubera — each of which is a life-like
status, i.e., approximately 6 feet tall.
Features
The temple is made up of 130,000 tons of granite. The 60-metre tall
vimana is the tallest in South India. A European-like figure which is
carved on the vimana is believed to be an ancient warning of the arrival
of the British. Later investigations by archaeologists proposed that
this carving may be a hoax. It is widely believed that the shadow of the
gopuram never falls on the ground. However, some scholars have
dismissed this as a myth.
The tons of stone was taken, with the help of hundreds of elephants,
from Thirukoilore (birth place of Raja raja's mother) near Sri
Virateshvara swamy temple. The kumbam, on top of the temple was believed
to have taken to the top by creating a slope from the ground to the 66m
gopuram made of soil. Then elephants would drag the stone to the top of
gopuram. This is the only temple whose shadow of the pillars and the
gopuram does not fall on the ground.
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