Bliss-Girls

This post holds a very special place in my heart. I cannot explain the joy and pride I felt while writing this post. This post is about the one of the ancient masterpiece, the Brihadeshwara temple, located on the southern bank of river Kaveri, in Thanjavur.

A recap of river Kaveri route:

Kaveri yatra holy sites: Talakaveri -> Bhagamandala -> SriRangapatana -> T.Narsipura -> Shivana Samudra ->Bhavani Sangama -> Nattatreeshwarar -> Akhanda Kaveri -> SriRangam Ranganatha kovil -> Jambukeshwara koil -> Kallanai (Grand Anicut )-> Appakkudathaan Kovil  -> Thiruvaiyaru-> Brihadeshwara -> Sarangapani, Kumbakonam -> Parimala Ranganathar koyil-Mayavaram -> Poompuhar – Kaveri river meets Ganga sagar ( Bay of Bengal)

Kaveri River Splits into Arasalar, Kollidam and Vennar. The river Arasalar further splits into 5 different rivers when it enters into  Thanjavur district. Arasalar flows further from here and enters Bay of Bengal.

Kaveri is also known as the Ponni River in Tamil. A famous historical fiction novel, Ponniyin Selvan (Son of Kaveri), written by Kalki Krishnamurthy, features a protagonist saved by Mother Kaveri herself. This illustrates how revered the river has been to the people of South India for centuries.

Brihadeshwara is a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and is also known as Dakshina Meru. It was constructed in 11th century by Raja Raja Chola 1. This temple is considered as one of the three ‘Great Living Chola Temples’ along with the Gangaikondacholeeswaram Temple and Airavastesvara Temple. Brihadeshwara is known for its sculptures, frescoes, and inscriptions. This temple is a UNESCO heritage site and it is considered a testament to the power, culture, administration and architecture of Chola period.

A few aspects of this marvellous architect are as follows.

1. Towering Vimana: The temple’s vimana (tower)  is the tallest in the world and its height is 216 feet. It was constructed using interlocking granite blocks without any binding materials.

2. Massive Monolithic Cupola: The dome-shaped cupola atop the vimana weighs over 80 tons and is said to have been transported to the apex using a 4-mile-long ramp.

3. Intricate Sculptures and Carvings: The temple walls are adorned with elaborate carvings depicting Hindu deities, mythological scenes, and intricate designs.

4. Colossal Nandi Statue: A massive monolithic Nandi (bull) statue, carved from a single granite block, measures about 13 feet in length and 9 feet in height.

5. Musical Pillars: The temple features pillars that produce musical notes when struck.

6. Frescoes and Paintings: The temple’s ceilings and walls feature beautifully preserved frescoes depicting various deities, celestial beings, and mythological scenes.

7. Circumambulation Path: The sanctum is designed with inner and outer walls creating a path for circumambulation (pradakshina) around the main shrine.

8. Granite Construction: The entire structure is made out of granite.

You can read more about this temple on the UNESCO site here. Brihadeshwara temple is fully functional temple and is maintained by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Entry to this temple is free.

The beauty and glory of this temple cannot be expressed in words. To my dear readers I would like to recommend to watch this video on YouTube. It is one of the best videos I have seen about this temple. A massive thanks to visa2explore channel for this video.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post. If you have visited this temple, please share your experiences by commenting to this post.