Brihadishvara temple

Also called: Brihadisvara temple, Rajarajeshvaram, Big Temple, Brihadeeswarar temple, Rajarajeshvara temple, Brihadeshvara temple, Thanjavur · Topic: Southern Dynasties: Chalukyas, Pallavas, Cholas · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 4 "Turning Tides: The 11th and 12th Centuries"; Class 8, Ch 3 "The Marathas"; Class 12, Ch 2 "Bhakti-Sufi Traditions"; Class 12, Ch 3 "An Imperial Capital: Vijayanagara"

Meaning

The Brihadishvara temple (also called Rajarajeshvaram, or the "Big Temple") is a great Shiva temple at Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu. The Chola king Rajaraja I built it, and he consecrated (formally dedicated) it himself in 1009–10 CE [2]. It matters because it is the best example of Chola power shown in stone. Its huge vimana (the tower over the main shrine) made it a model of the Dravida style (the south Indian temple style). It is part of the UNESCO property called the Great Living Chola Temples [3].

Explanation

Background: why Rajaraja built it

• Rajaraja I came to the throne in 985 CE and ruled for about three decades (Britannica: 985–1012 CE) [4].
• He built an empire on land and at sea:
• On land, he took parts of present-day Karnataka and Andhra.
• At sea, he conquered the "islands of the sea", which most historians identify with the Maldives.

• He also took northern Sri Lanka, including Anuradhapura, the old Sinhala capital.

• The temple turned these victories into stone.

• A king who ruled a big empire needed a temple big enough to match it.
• The temple's inscriptions call it Dakshina Meru, "the Meru of the south". Meru is the holy mountain of the gods [2].
• So the king was saying that his capital was the centre of the sacred world in the south.

Main features: style, size and patron

• Patron: Rajaraja I. The temple is also named after him: Rajarajeshvaram means "the temple of the lord of Rajaraja".
• God: Shiva. The Cholas were mainly Shaivite, which means Shiva was their chosen god.
• Style: Dravida, the south Indian style, in which the vimana over the sanctum is the tallest part.
• The vimana:
• It rises 59.82 metres above the ground [2].
• It has 13 talas (storeys or tiers) [2].
• It is topped by an octagonal (eight-sided) shikhara (the crowning dome on top of the tower) [2].

• Its lines are straight and severe, like a steep pyramid.

• Material: mostly granite. This is a very hard stone, so building with it took a lot of labour and wealth.

• Gopurams: the temple has gateway towers, but they are much smaller than the vimana. In later south Indian temples this was reversed, and the gateways became the tallest parts.

How it was built and how it changed over time

• c. 1003–04 CE: work began, around Rajaraja's 19th regal year (his 19th year as king) [2].
• 1009–10 CE: Rajaraja consecrated it with his own hands in his 25th regal year [2].
• Next king, Rajendra I (1014–1044 CE) [4]:
• He moved the capital to Gangaikondacholapuram, and its temple was completed in 1035 CE [3].

• That temple's vimana is 53 m tall. It has recessed (stepped-in) corners and a gently curving outline, which looks softer than the straight Thanjavur tower [3].

• Later, Rajaraja II built the Airavatesvara temple at Darasuram. Its vimana is only 24 m tall [3].

• Worship never stopped. That is why UNESCO calls these temples "living" temples [3].

Results: what the temple did

• It was a political statement. Royal power, conquest and the god were shown together in one building.
• It was an economic centre. Chola temples received land grants and gifts. They employed priests, craftsmen, musicians and dancers, and they were linked to village life and local self-government.
• It was a religious centre. It supported Shaiva worship at the same time as the Bhakti movement of the Tamil Shaiva saints (the Nayanars).
• It showed that the king was open to other faiths. The same Shaivite king helped a Buddhist vihara (monastery) come up at Nagapattinam. The ruler of Srivijaya (in present-day Malaysia–Indonesia) built it. This shows that trade mattered more to Rajaraja than religious sect.

Time, place and evidence

• Period: early 11th century CE, during the height of Chola power (c. 600–1300 CE era of the southern dynasties).
• Dynasty and ruler: the Imperial Cholas. Built by Rajaraja I (985–1012 CE) [4].
• Place: Thanjavur, in the Kaveri delta of present-day Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur was the Chola capital under Rajaraja.
• Key people: Rajaraja I (builder), Rajendra I (who built the Gangaikondacholapuram temple) and Rajaraja II (who built Darasuram).
• How we know:
• The temple's own inscriptions call it Dakshina Meru and record when it was begun and consecrated [2].
• Rajaraja's inscriptions record his conquests, including the "islands of the sea".

• The Archaeological Survey of India records the vimana's height (59.82 m), its 13 talas and its octagonal shikhara [2].

• Heritage status: part of the UNESCO World Heritage property "Great Living Chola Temples", together with:

• the temple at Gangaikondacholapuram, and
• the Airavatesvara temple at Darasuram [3].

Don't confuse with

• Gangaikondacholapuram temple: built by Rajendra I and completed in 1035 CE. Its vimana is 53 m tall with curving lines. Thanjavur was built by Rajaraja I, and its vimana is 59.82 m tall with straight lines [2][3].
• Airavatesvara temple, Darasuram: built by Rajaraja II, not Rajaraja I. It is much smaller, with a 24 m vimana [3].
• Vijayanagara temples (Hampi): their main feature is very tall gopurams (gateway towers, the raya gopurams). At Thanjavur, the vimana over the sanctum is the tallest part, not the gateway.
• "Living" vs. ruined monument: UNESCO calls the Chola temples "living" because worship has never stopped in them [3]. The word does not refer to their age or their style.

Prelims Hooks

• Brihadishvara, Thanjavur was built by Rajaraja I (Chola). It was begun c. 1003–04 CE and consecrated by the king himself in 1009–10 CE [2].
• In its inscriptions the temple is called Dakshina Meru. Its vimana is 59.82 m tall, with 13 talas and an octagonal shikhara [2].
• Great Living Chola Temples (UNESCO) = Thanjavur + Gangaikondacholapuram + Airavatesvara (Darasuram) [3].
• Chronological order: Brihadishvara, Thanjavur (Rajaraja I, 1009–10) → Gangaikondacholapuram (Rajendra I, completed 1035) → Airavatesvara, Darasuram (Rajaraja II).
• Trap: the Darasuram temple was built by Rajaraja II, not Rajaraja I [3].
• Vimana heights: Thanjavur 59.82 m > Gangaikondacholapuram 53 m > Darasuram 24 m [2][3].

Mains Points

• The temple as a political statement.
• Rajaraja built it after conquests in the Deccan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
• By calling it Dakshina Meru [2], he placed his capital at the sacred centre of the south.

• Rajendra I's victory temple at Gangaikondacholapuram followed the same idea [3]. Chola kings turned conquest into stone.

• The temple as an economic and social hub.

• Chola temples received land grants and employed many people, from priests to craftsmen.
• They were linked to the village assemblies of Chola local self-government.

• The temple was the centre of the economy and of community life, not only a place of worship.

• Continuity and change in Dravida architecture.

• Thanjavur's tall, straight vimana was the high point of the style.
• Gangaikondacholapuram softened it with curves [3], and Darasuram is much smaller [3].
• Later, Vijayanagara moved the focus to huge gateway gopurams.
• Because worship has never stopped, the temple is still a "living" heritage site today [3].

Related concepts

• Rajaraja Chola I
• Larger Leiden plates
• Chudamani Vihara
• Rajendra Chola I
• Gangaikondacholapuram
• Shrivijaya
• Chola naval expedition to Shrivijaya
• Kulottunga I

Read more

• Rajaraja and Rajendra: empire and the navy