Fed
by the often bountiful, sometimes scarce (as is the case this year), waters of
river Kaveri flowing down from neighboring Karnataka state, Thanjavur in
Tamilnadu is well known as the rice bowl of south India. It is also equally famous for one of the
great architectural wonders of the region, the Big Brihadeeswara Temple, perhaps next in grandeur only to the Meenakshi temple in Madurai that was the
subject of one of my earlier blog posts [see: 44)
Madurai’s Magnificent Heritage – Personal Photo Album Part 13 (Feb 12)]. I
have visited it many times, but it was only during my last visit in January
this year that I was able to do photographic justice to this fabulous edifice. A bright Sun on an early morning, with
brilliant blue skies, provided the perfect setting for my visit, escorted by a
resourceful host from nearby Tiruchirapalli that is itself a major tourist
attraction.
Thanjavur
(better known as Tanjore in olden
days) is well connected by both rail and road and very easy to reach. The nearby city of Tiruchirapalli has air
services and just an hour’s drive away from Thanjavur. It is one of the major cultural and artistic
centres of Tamilnadu. The world famous bronze statue of a dancing Nataraja (Lord of the dance, Shiva), is traced to the Big Temple
here.
The
Brihadeeswara temple (brihad meaning
big), known in Tamil as Peruvudaiyar Koyil,
is indeed worthy of its name and dedicated to Lord Shiva of Hindu mythology. It is a magnificent example of Dravidian
temple architecture that seems to have reached its zenith during the reign of Raja Raja Chola I of the Chola empire about a thousand years
ago. Surrounded by tall fortified walls
and built entirely of large granite blocks, the great pyramidal temple tower (Vimana) stands 66 meters tall and is
among the tallest of its kind anywhere in the world. It is the centerpiece of the rectangular
temple complex measuring about 240 m by 125 m as can be made out clearly in the
Google terrain view shown below (click to enlarge):
After
entering through a rather ordinary looking gate from the roadside the visitor
encounters a quadrangle with well laid out lawns and paved path leading to a
massive main gate with equally massive ramparts on either side as evident from
the following picture:
[As in my previous albums, all pictures are in high resolution
and can be blown up to their full size by clicking on a picture and opening it
in a separate window]
The
temple tower itself is completely hidden in this view, but shows up prominently
when viewed from a lateral location.
Before showing this, I would like to highlight the row of three pedestal
displays, in Tamil, English, and Hindi respectively, visible at lower left in
the above picture. Here is a close-up
view of them:
This
picture is interesting not so much for the contents of the tablets as for the appalling
condition in which the Archaeological Survey of India has maintained at least two
of them. They proudly and unashamedly
proclaim that the temple is part of the (UNESCO) World Heritage, listing the
reasons as to why they are so regarded!
I was also puzzled by both the obscure context and the grammar of the
English sentence; “The Great Living Chola temples has been inscribed upon the World Heritage List”. However, it was nice to see the temple
complex itself very well maintained despite the large daily influx of
visitors. Incidentally, the name of the
temple has been spelt differently in different sources, including this tablet.
He
is a picture I took from a point just a short distance to the right of the entrance:
The
tall and stately main temple tower appears rather dwarfed, yet very impressive,
at a considerable distance behind the main gate. I zoomed in on it and captured the following
picture showing just the upper part of the tower in considerable detail:
On
either side of the main entrance gate are large dancing figures sculptured into
the rampart walls. One of them is shown
below. The temple complex is dotted with
such sculptures at numerous places, especially all around the big temple.
Looking
through the main entrance the visitor sees another gate, leading to the inner
quadrangle of the temple complex, with a wide superstructure (gopuram) bearing extensive and highly ornate
carvings seen in the next three pictures all of which were shot with the bright
morning sunlight falling on the structure at possibly the most desirable angle. I couldn't have hoped for better lighting conditions. The first picture was shot with part of the
upper arch of the first gate forming a silhouette. The beautifully perfect symmetry seen in this
picture was rather fortuitous and a pleasant surprise.
The
next picture shows a larger portion of the same superstructure with different magnification
and more detail.
The
next picture is a super high-zoom view of the uppermost part of the gopuram visible in the last one. The awe inspiring and intricately detailed
sculpture could hardly be more spectacular, but is rather commonplace within
the temple complex. It also speaks for
the quality and durability of the construction that has survived a whole
millennium and looks good for another.
As
one enters the inner quadrangle through the second gate the main focus of
attention in the foreground is a massive monolithic black stone statue of Nandi, the bull housed within a pillared
enclosure open on all sides, with the big temple itself in the background. Here is a picture of this, with the statue
facing the temple.
Except
for the lawns, there isn’t much greenery inside the temple complex, but I found
one spot where some greenery in the foreground accentuated both the beauty and
the size of the main temple as can be seen in the following picture:
The
next picture provides a closer view of the temple tower with some overhead
greenery coupled with the blue sky enhancing the quality of the view. Entry to the upper floors of the tower was
restricted and my host used his influence with the authorities to get me there
through the openings prominently visible in the picture. The interior is
adorned with carvings of dancing figures and other mythological themes all
around, coming to an abrupt end at one place signifying a halt to the
activities there some time in the distant past.
In keeping with the mindless official policy of not allowing interior
photography, practiced dutifully almost all over the country, I was not allowed
to use my camera.
From
the same spot I captured a super zoom view of the upper most part of the tower,
showing the bronze Kalasha atop the
huge dome with its intricate carvings.
It is not clear if the rather ugly looking vertical support is meant for
the Kalasha or the electric light bearing down on it. If it is for the latter, one wonders why somebody
chose to compromise so severely on aesthetics which is one of the hallmarks of
this great edifice.
Looking
up at a steep angle, the next picture was taken very close to the side entrance
to the big temple, marked by the small gathering of visitors there. It shows how really big the temple itself is. When enlarged, it reinforces the appeal of
intricate carvings adorning each of its pyramidal layers right up to the top
noticeable from a distance in previous pictures.
A
notable feature of temple architecture in south India is the elaborate inscriptions
carved on walls and stone slabs often extolling the virtues of the place,
achievements of the ruler and carrying administrative edicts as well. This is particularly noticeable in the
Thanjavur temple as the following picture illustrates (click to enlarge):
At
the back of the temple complex is a much smaller temple of very similar
architecture, yet no less beautiful, as seen in the following picture:
Here
is yet another view of the big temple showing a well maintained lawn and paved
pathways:
The
next picture showing the upper floors of the tower was taken from a vantage
point on the large platform in front of it on my way out from the interior
chambers.
From
the same point on the upper deck I shot the following picture showing two structures
in one corner of the temple complex, including the smaller temple shown in a
previous picture.
Finally, after some leisurely strolls inside
the vast quadrangle, I made an uneventful and unhurried exit from the historic
temple complex and shot the following parting picture near the exit gate. It is a beautiful blend of the
accomplishments of both man and nature. The center of attraction here is as much the magnificent young
tree, with its twisted root and branches, as the thousand year old handiwork of
a great extinct civilization. It reminded me of my earlier experience at
Hampi, the seat of another such equally great and extinct civilization [see my
earlier blog post: 46) Resplendent Ruins of
an Extinct Empire – Personal Photo Album Part 14].
