| Brihadeeswara Temple |
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Information AboutBrihadeeswara Temple |
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The ''shikaram'' (crown), an Octagon al, carved Cupola , itself is very large and heavy (81.25 tonnes) and (until a few years back) was thought to be carved out of a single stone. However during one of the cleaning efforts, it was found to be in two pieces. The task of carrying this huge crown to a height of 70 m is another feat worth mentioning. In order to do this, an Inclined Plane of Sand was built from a distance of nearly 11 Km . The place where this scaffold began is called the ''Sarap pallam'' ("Scaffold Pit"). The Brihadisvara temple was built by the great Tamil ruler, Rajaraja Chola I of the Chola dynasty. In the twenty-fifth year of Rajaraja Chola ( 1009 – 1010 CE), on the 257th day of the year, the king handed over the copper pot for the final decoration atop the ''Vimana''. It weighed about 107 Kg and was overlaid with Gold plate of the weight of 292.5 ''Kalanju'' (nearly 13 kg). The main deity worshipped the temple is Śiva , in the usual form of a '' Linga ''. The Śivalinga of Sri Brihadisvara is probably the grandest in existence. It is the largest Shiva linga in the world. This image was originally called ''Adavallan'' (Expert Dancer). Another name was ''Dakshina Meru Vitanken''. Both the names occur in ''Thiruvisaipa'' as the names of the deity at Chidambaram . This possibly indicates that the ''Śaiva'' creed derived its support at the time mainly from Chidambaram. Rajaraja Chola calls the image ''Rajarajeswaramudaiyar'' (The Lord of Rajarajeswaram). The tower over the shrine is named ''Dakshina Meru'' after the abode of Lord Śiva at '' Kailasa ''. A remarkable feature of the temple is the great '' Nandi '' (stone bull). The ''Nandi'' that figures at the entrance is immense in size (a popular belief is that it is growing by the day), and the ceiling of its enclosure is decorated with Fresco es in the typical painting style of Thanjavur. The ''Nandi'' weighs 27 tonnes and is the second largest in the world. The tall ''Rajagopuram'' of the temple also found use as a survey platform during the measurement of the Great Arc , by the Survey Of India under William Lambton . The Great Theodolite used during the Survey of India was damaged in a fall from the roof, and its carefully calibrated plates were bent. This instrument was later repaired at Trichy . SEE ALSO That the shadow of the crown never falls on the ground is popular belief but not a fact. Experts including Dr.Kalaikovan of Dr.Rajamanickanar institute attest to this. At around 3 P.M IST you can see the shadow near Nandi Mandapam. |
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