Brihadisvara Temple
By,
Pankaj Kumar Nanda
History of Art, 1st SEM
INTRODUCTION
The three centuries that followed the advent of stone as the fabric of construction of temples of vimana type in south and prasada type of north in India, witnessed remarkable strides in architecture and sculpture with the almost simultaneous collation and codification of the Vastu, Silpa and Agama canons, as developed and systematised by different guilds and schools of ‘Silpacharyas’ or Perum-tachchhars and the religions creeds that flourished developing thoughts, concepts, rituals and tenets. Thus in the period between the 10th-12th centuries A.D, some remarkably great temples that came to be built in different parts of India, including Tamil Nadu, which mark the crescendo in architectural and sculptural achievement.
Peru-Udaiyar temple or the ‘Great Temple’ of Thanjavur, stands out , because of its great size as also the perfect balance between architecture and concomitant sculpture.
THE first sight that greets a visitor to Thanjavur is the majestic ‘vimana’ (the tower above a temple 's sanctum sanctorum) of the Rajarajesvaram temple. The vimana and the gopurams (towers above the gateway) soaring skyward add to the temple 's resplendent glory.
A United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Heritage Monument, the 1,000-year-old temple is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. Although it was originally called “Rajarajesvaramudaiyar temple”, it came to be known as Brihadisvara (brihan in Sanskrit means big), or the Big Temple, during the Nayaka and Maratta rule because of the gigantic proportions of its vimana, linga, Nandi (sacred bull) and dvarapalas (doorkeepers).
Exactly 1,000 years ago, Emperor Raja raja Chola I, the greatest monarch of the Chola dynasty, ordered the building of the “imperial monument” of Rajarajesvaram. It was on the 275th day of his 25th regnal year (1010) that Raja raja Chola (who ruled from 985-1014 Common Era) handed
Pankaj Kumar Nanda
History of Art, 1st SEM
INTRODUCTION
The three centuries that followed the advent of stone as the fabric of construction of temples of vimana type in south and prasada type of north in India, witnessed remarkable strides in architecture and sculpture with the almost simultaneous collation and codification of the Vastu, Silpa and Agama canons, as developed and systematised by different guilds and schools of ‘Silpacharyas’ or Perum-tachchhars and the religions creeds that flourished developing thoughts, concepts, rituals and tenets. Thus in the period between the 10th-12th centuries A.D, some remarkably great temples that came to be built in different parts of India, including Tamil Nadu, which mark the crescendo in architectural and sculptural achievement.
Peru-Udaiyar temple or the ‘Great Temple’ of Thanjavur, stands out , because of its great size as also the perfect balance between architecture and concomitant sculpture.
THE first sight that greets a visitor to Thanjavur is the majestic ‘vimana’ (the tower above a temple 's sanctum sanctorum) of the Rajarajesvaram temple. The vimana and the gopurams (towers above the gateway) soaring skyward add to the temple 's resplendent glory.
A United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Heritage Monument, the 1,000-year-old temple is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. Although it was originally called “Rajarajesvaramudaiyar temple”, it came to be known as Brihadisvara (brihan in Sanskrit means big), or the Big Temple, during the Nayaka and Maratta rule because of the gigantic proportions of its vimana, linga, Nandi (sacred bull) and dvarapalas (doorkeepers).
Exactly 1,000 years ago, Emperor Raja raja Chola I, the greatest monarch of the Chola dynasty, ordered the building of the “imperial monument” of Rajarajesvaram. It was on the 275th day of his 25th regnal year (1010) that Raja raja Chola (who ruled from 985-1014 Common Era) handed
Bibliography: K.R Srinivasan: The Peruvudaiyar (Brihadisvara) Temple, Tanjavur. Krishna Deva: Temples of India.