Notes

During the times of the Cholas (900-1155 A.D.) temple arcitecture in the South reached its climax. The famous Chola temple built at Tanjavur (Tanjore) is known as the Brihadeshvara temple. It is also called the Rajarajeshwara temple after the name of king Rajaraja who built it in honour of Lord Shiva in about 1009 A.D.

The Brihadeshwara Temple This Temple is one of the most outstanding monuments of the Chola Period. It is composed of many interconnected structures such as the Nandi pavilion, a pillared portico and a large hall. Its vimana(a temple like structure having thee cella in which the deity is enshrined) is 66 metres high. The inner walls of the temple have extensive paintings and sculpture. The tower of the temple rises to a height of 57 metres, like a pyramid, in 13 successive storeys. Its top has a single block of stone, 25 feet high and weighs about 80 tonnes. The structural idea of constructing a Gopuram (or a fine gateway to the enclosed walls of the temple) was first conceived by the Chola kings.

The Temple stands in the middle of a rectangular enclosure entered from the east through a gateway, now dilapidated. The Double pilastered walls of the sanctuary are elevated on a moulded basement with lions. Those on the central niches, on both storeys depict - Dakshinamurti(south) ,Vishnu(west) and Brahma(north).

A massive linga on the central pedestal is enshrined within the sanctuary. A stone altar carved with a lotus on the top has the Navagrahas carved on to the sides. Another small structure in the south-west corner of the enclosure houses a Ganesha image. A large Nandi sculpture constructed of blocks is constructed in the front(east) of the principal temple.

The temple, especially its tower, is the finest example of Dravidian art. The Chola architecture is so executed that it is said that the Cholas conceived like giants and finished like jewelers. The Brihadeshwara temple combines the best in the tradition of temple building - architecture, sculpture, painting and other allied arts

Tanjore big temple mysteries
Tanjore Big temple Side View
Tanjore is an excellent place with good water facilities and fully covered with beautiful palm forests. It is a smooth and green place where the great Raja Raja Chola ruled. There are many mysteries present in the Tanjore big temple. The whole construction procedure of theTanjore big temple is that of a great mystery to the archeologists. The great legends who made research on the Tanjore big temple couldn't find out what is the actual fact behind the construction of the Tanjore big temple. Some of the edible mysteries of the Tanjore big temple are

• Underground passages in Tanjore big temple
• Huge cap stone at the top of Tanjore big temple
• Painting in Tanjore big temple
• Granite stones used for the temple construction
• Cutting and carving of Granite stones
• Secret passages in Tanjore big temple

The construction of the world's difficult temple is a great mystery to the people of world. As of now we can go only to the prediction on how theTanjore big temple was created and we cannot conclude on how the construction part would be.
Underground passages in Tanjore big temple

The Tanjore big temple contains more than 100 underground passages to various places. The underground passages also contain some secret passage that leads to various places like thePalace of Raja Raja chola and also to other important places. The underground passages lead to the other temples and also to the other places in and around Tanjore. Most of the underground passages were sealed and if the people choose the wrong passage then there are possibilities that the path may also lead to the dangers. This can also be a trap for the kingdom safety of Raja Raja Chola.
Underground passages in Tanjore big temple

The Tanjore big temple contains more than 100 underground passages to various places. The underground passages also contain some secret passage that leads to various places like thePalace of Raja Raja chola and also to other important places. The underground passages lead to the other temples and also to the other places in and around Tanjore. Most of the underground passages were sealed and if the people choose the wrong passage then there are possibilities that the path may also lead to the dangers. This can also be a trap for the kingdom safety of Raja Raja Chola.
Paintings in Tanjore big temple
Painting in Tanjore Big temple
There are lots of high quality paintings in the Tanjore big temple that explain many things about the kingdom of Raja Raja Chola and also the greatness of the Raja Raja Chola. Some paintings also explain about the Raja Raja Chola's favorite God Shiva. There were also some stories present in the painting present in Tanjore big temple. In the secret passage from Tanjore big temple there were great paintings present that explain about many great things. The most admiring part of thepainting in Tanjore big temple is the painting of Raja Raja Chola offering his respect to his Guru. The colors chosen for the painting are great such that the paintings are still good and healthy to see.
ranite stones for Construction of Tanjore big temple

The granite stones are one of the strongest stones in the world. With the strength of the granite stone the stone is also equally heavy enough that it cannot be carried from one place to other place in the easy way. The stones that are used in Tanjore big temple were brought from a place that is 50 miles away from the Tanjore big temple. Without elephants the work might not be possible for the transportation of the rocks from that place. It is said that more than 1000 elephants were used for the construction of the Tanjore big temple. The ancestors of Chola kingdom were good enough to build temples with the granite stones.
Cutting and carving of the granite stones
Carving and cutting of Granite stones
The cutting and carving of the granite stone is not an easy task even today. We can't even imagine how this would have made possible in those days without any special equipment. The Granites are the strongest stones in the world and it is definitely not an easy task to cut and carve the granite stones. When compared to carving cutting and shaping is the definitely difficult task. Those days the rocks were made small holes as a like and the holes were filled with the water and after a long period of time the rocks will automatically break. This was how the rocks were broken. But even today the cutting of a granite rocks take more than one hour and several gallons of water for the cutting with the help of the advanced equipments.
Secret passages in Tanjore big temple

The secret passages were also built by Raja Raja Chola in his period of time. The secret passages were something different from the underground passages. The underground passages were built to connect several temples built by him together. Secret passage were built in such a way that it connects the secret places of the chola kings together like the one that connects the Palace of Raja Raja Chola and the Tanjore big temple. The secret passages in Tanjore big temple also consisted of many paintings that represent the greatness of Raja Raja Chola. There will be one painting that represents Raja Raja Chola offering his respect to his Guru. Most of the underground passages were blocked and closed because of the safety reasons. There were also some dangers in some of the underground passages from Tanjore big temple.