The Brihadisvara Temple is one of the oldest Temples, situated in Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu. This Temple is called “Great Living Chola Temples” by the UNESCO , which is a part of the World Heritage site.
History
In 2010, the Brihadisvara Temple was 1000 years old. The Brihadisvara Temple having the Dravidian architecture was built in the Chola period. This Temple was the first Temple built with the granites within a period of five years from 1004AD to 1009AD. This largest Temple in India was also the called Rajarajeswaram, RajaRajeswara Temple and the Periya Kovil.
In the Tamil language, originally this Temple was known as “Thanjai Periya Kovil “(meaning Thanjai Big temple). Once the Maratha rule came here, the Sanskrit became popular. Then the Temple was named as Brihadisvaram in Sanskrit and deity was called Brihadisvara.
Story of the Temple
The famous Tamil King Rajaraja Chola( known as Arulmozhivarman) set out the foundations for the Brihadeeswarar Temple in 1002CE. Once the emperor Rajaraja Cholan saw the Pallava Rajasimha Temples in Kanchipuram and he intended to build a large Temple for Lord Shiva.
Architecture
A tallest tower of 216 feet which was built over the sanctum of the Temple is the main source of attraction. In this Temple, there is a large Nandi( Bull, the vehicle of Lord Shiva) statue of 2m height, 2.5m and 6m length. This statue with a weight of 29 tonnes was engraved out of a single rock of 13feet height and 14feet length at the entrance. Then the whole Temple is made of granite. The Vimana(dome) was the final consecration in this Temple, which was made using the gold plated Kalasam that was given by the King Raja Raja Chola.
The structure of the Temple proves the brilliancy of the Dravidian Architecture with a magnificent look. This Temple was built using the 130000tons of granite which represents the architectural mastery of Tamil South Indian Kings.
Other features of this Temple
This Temple has a largest Shiva lingam in India. The Lord Nataraja(Lord Shiva in dance form) made of brass is found in this Temple. Then the other deities like the Nandi, Kartikeyan, Ganesha, Parvati, Chandeshvara, Varahi and Dakshinamurthi are found in this Temple.
Stone inscriptions
The Temple is full of inscriptions in Tamil and the Grantha scripts. Most of the inscriptions tells about the gifts and donations given by the Kings to the Brihadisvara temple and their personals. On the walls of this Temple, you can see the 64 inscriptions of King RajaRajaChola I, 1 inscription of Kulottunga I, 24 inscriptions of Rajendra Chola I, 1 inscription of Vikrama Chola and 1 inscription of Rajendra Chola II. Then other than the Chola Kings, the 3 inscriptions of Pandyan King and 2 inscriptions of Vijayanagara Kings are seen on this temple.
Celebrations
The Maha Shivaratri in the month of February is the main festival in this Thanjai Big Temple. On this day, dance festivals are conducted by the Temple Organization. Then the other festivals of this Temple, are the Aarudhra Darisanam, Navratri, Chithirai Brahmotsavam, Girivalam(on full moon day), Aadi pooram, Thanoormadha poojai( from mid December to mid January), Chithirai, Maasi and Sathyavizha are the other celebration time. The monthly Prathosam Pooja is performed for Lord Shiva grandly in this Temple.
Traditional events
During the Mahashivaratri, the festival of Dance is celebrated here. The artists and groups of main classical dances of India take part in this festival. Here the main Tamil dance form Bharatanatyam is performed for the devotional songs. This celebration goes for nearly 10 days.
Chariot festival
Like other important temples of Tamil Nadu, the Chariot of the Temple is run during the important occasion as a part of the tradition. In this event, a large number of devotees take part to see this Chariot. In 2015, this Temple Chariot was run opposite to Sri Ramar temple after hundred years.
Consecration
The consecration is a big event performed in each temple in Tamil Nadu. In 2020, the consecration of this Thanjai Periya Kovil (Thanjai Big Temple) took place.
Transport facilities
You can reach this Temple through the trains or the buses. The Thanjavur Railway station is the nearest Railway station to this Temple. Many buses are available to Thanjavur from Chennai. Both the Government and the private buses run frequently to this site. Then the nearest Airport is the Trichy Airport. From there, you can pick a train or a bus to reach this site. Many Private hotel rooms are available in Kumbakonam and Thanjavur for the devotees for resting during their Temple tour.
Location: Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu.
Timings: Morning – 5.30 A.M to 12.00 P.M (Timings may vary with festivals)
Evening – 4.00 P.M to 8.00 P.M.