Brihadeeshwara Temple, Thanjavur

Midhun

Degree coffee. Carnatic music. Bharatnatyam. Temples resounding with bells. Wooden bobblehead dolls on a perpetual dance. Tanjore paintings. Brass artefacts. And Puliodare (Tamarind Rice). Yes, Thanjavur is home to all of these and more. It’s the crucible of Tamil culture: after all, more than a thousand years ago it was the capital of the Chola empire.

Brihadeeshwara temple, Thanjavur. Not for nothing that they call it the Periya Kovil or the Big Temple! Built by Raj Raja Chozha more than 1000 years ago!! Degree coffee. Carnatic music. Bharatnatyam. Temples resounding with bells. Wooden bobblehead dolls on a perpetual dance. Tanjore paintings. Brass artefacts. And Puliodare (Tamarind rice). Yes, Thanjavur is home to all of these and more. It’s the crucible of Tamil culture: after all, more than a thousand years ago it was the capital of the Chola empire. It’s a small bustling city revolving around the railway station and bus stand. But it has three outstanding Cholaera temples built as far back as 1010 AD, known as The Great Living Chola Temples, all UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The largest is the Brihadeeswarar Temple or the Periya Kovil (simply translates into big temple) located within the city.

From the outside, you cannot judge how big the temple really is, until you enter the main complex through a gate that has a five-storey tower (gopuram), followed by a second gate with a smaller gopuram. The main temple complex has a huge vimanam or central tower, which is 16-storey- high and apparently made of 60,000 tonnes of granite. It is difficult to fathom how this engineering marvel was built in the early 11th century AD. It also has one of the largest statues of the Nandi or Shiva’s bull in the main quadrangle. The temple has rows of pillars holding up the tall tower and there are elaborate sculptures depicting icons of the day and smaller deities all around the main sanctum, which is dedicated to Shiva. The temple, built during the regime of Raja Raja Chola I, played a huge role in promoting the arts and culture, especially Bharatnatyam and Carnatic music. Legend has it that the Chola king inscribed all the names of the court dancers and musicians on the temple walls. The other two shrines that are part of the Great Living Chola Temples are not in the city but within an hour’s drive from there. The second temple, known as Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple, is a smaller replica of the Periya Kovil. The city of Gangaikonda Cholapuram was built around 1025 AD as a new capital of the Chola empire and remained so for 250 years. While the city no longer exists, the temple remains. The third temple is even smaller than the second and is located in a small town called Darasuram. It looks like a giant chariot from the outside and has several lion icons; similar to the ones you see in any of the Hindu temples in Southeast Asia — from Cambodia to Singapore. Thanjavur is the heart of Tamil culture.