Brihadeeswarar Temple, Thanjavur: A Chola Architectural Marvel

Who built it and when

The temple was built by Rajaraja Chola I, one of the most powerful kings of the Chola dynasty. It was completed and consecrated around 1010 CE, which means it has been in continuous use for over a thousand years. In 2010, Thanjavur marked its millennium with large celebrations.

Rajaraja named it Rajarajeswaram, after himself. The name the people kept is Peruvudaiyar, which tells you what they thought of its scale.

The temple is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site called the Great Living Chola Temples, along with the temples at Gangaikonda Cholapuram and Darasuram. The word "living" matters. These are not ruins. Worship still happens here every day.

The tower: the vimana

The most striking feature is the vimana, the tower over the sanctum. It rises in tiers to about 66 meters, which is roughly 216 feet. It is built of granite and shaped as a stepped pyramid that tapers as it climbs, ending in a rounded capstone.

That capstone is a famous detail. It is commonly said to be carved from a single block of stone and to weigh around 80 tonnes. Popular accounts say it was raised using a very long ramp that began far from the temple. These numbers are repeated everywhere, but they come from tradition and local lore more than from precise records, so treat them as approximate.

Whatever the exact figures, the engineering is remarkable for the time. There is no mortar holding the main tower's granite blocks together, as most accounts describe, and the structure has stood through centuries of Tamil Nadu weather.

Granite from far away

Thanjavur sits on a river delta, and the surrounding land has little granite. The stone for the temple had to be brought in from quarries some distance away, often described as tens of kilometers. How thousands of heavy blocks were moved and raised is part of what makes the temple a marvel. The exact source and method are still discussed by historians.

The great Nandi

At the entrance to the sanctum sits an enormous Nandi, the bull that faces the Shivling. It is carved from a single stone and is roughly 5 meters long and about 4 meters high, according to most descriptions. It is among the largest Nandi sculptures in India.

Nandi has been placed to look steadily at the Lord, which is the way every Shiva temple arranges him. At Thanjavur, the devotee feels the scale of that gaze.

The sanctum

Inside the sanctum is a large Shivling, known as Brihadeeswarar or Peruvudaiyar. The sanctum is approached through a series of halls. A circumambulatory passage runs around the sanctum inside the walls, and there you will find something many visitors do not expect: paintings.

Faint remains of Chola-period frescoes survive on the passage walls, discovered in the 20th century beneath a later layer of Nayak-era paintings. They show scenes of Shiva and temple life. They are delicate and fading, and photography is generally restricted, so check on the day.

Details worth looking for

• The sculpted walls. The outer walls are carved with many forms of Shiva and other deities, in deep niches.
• Dance figures. Carvings of dance poses are found in the temple, in keeping with the Chola tradition of linking Shiva with dance, as in Nataraja.
• Inscriptions. The walls carry long inscriptions, in Tamil, recording gifts, dancers, musicians and officials attached to the temple. They are an important source for Chola history.
• The scale of the courtyard. The temple stands in a large walled enclosure with gateways, and the open space makes the tower feel even taller.

A shadow story

You may hear that the shadow of the great tower never falls on the ground, or that it vanishes at noon. It is a popular claim, repeated by guides and websites. It is best treated as local lore, not something to plan your visit around, and different people report different things.

Festivals and worship

The temple is busy on all major Shiva days. Two stand out:

• Maha Shivratri, with all-night worship.
• Aippasi full moon (Annabhishekam). Devotees come for a special offering in which the lingam is covered with cooked rice. It is held in the Tamil month of Aippasi, around October or November, and the date changes each year.

Many people also visit on Pradosh days, when Nandi receives special abhishekam, as is the custom in many Shiva temples.

Planning a visit

Where: Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, in the Cauvery delta, about 55 to 60 kilometers from Tiruchirappalli (Trichy).

How to reach it: The nearest major airport is Tiruchirappalli, with the Thanjavur railway station in the city and good road links from Trichy, Madurai and Chennai.

Timing: The temple is usually open in the morning and again in the late afternoon and evening, with a midday break. Timings vary, so check locally. Early morning is the best time for quiet and good light.

Dress and conduct: Dress modestly, remove footwear at the entrance, and follow the local dress rules. See our guide to what to wear and avoid at a Shiva temple.

Time needed: At least two hours, and longer if you want to read the inscriptions and look closely at the sculpture.

Nearby: The Thanjavur Palace and its art gallery, the Saraswathi Mahal Library and the town's famous bronze and painting traditions are all close by.

A note on where it sits

Brihadeeswarar is one of the great Shiva temples of the south, though it is not one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. Its importance lies in its history, its architecture and the unbroken worship that has gone on there for a thousand years.

What you take away

Standing in the courtyard with your head tilted back, it is hard not to think of the people who made it, who had no machines, and who chose stone because they wanted something to last. It has.