Purana Sthalam - Thirunarayanapuram - Thiru Narayanan Temple, Melkottai

Thiru Narayanapura Sthalam is also called as "Yadhothakari Kshetram" and "South Badrikashramam".

Sri Rangam is termed as "Bogha Mandapam" whereas Thiru Narayanapuram is greatly termed as "Gnana Mandapam".


This Purana Sthalam is found on the Eastern side of Cauvery River.


It is said that a king from the descendent of Yathu Vamsam raised great walls and palaces keeping the temples as the center point. And, these palaces are called as "Mel Kottai" and due to the bhakti he had towards the perumal, he worshipped the perumal daily by taking bath in the Kalyani Pushkarani and finally attained Mukthi

Deities
 
Moolavar : Thiru Narayanan

Goddess : Yathu Giri Naachiyar


Utsavar : Selva Pillai (Sampath Kumar)
Utasava Goddess: Kalyani (Selva Nayagi)

ThiruNarayanapuram is referred to as ‘Dakshina Badri’

Located about 35kms North East of Srirangapatna on the banks of the Cauvery in the Pandavapura Taluk-Mandya District of Karnataka at the foot of the Yadava Giri is one of the most sacred and historical Vaishnavite temples - the Thiru Narayana Perumal Koil in ThiruNarayanapuram (now Melkote), one that dates back to the Kretha Yugam. Brahma’s sons Sanatkumaras brought their father’s pooja idol ‘Lord Narayana’ and installed it at Melkote.



An interesting feature at the Thiru Narayanan temple is that there is a separate sannidhi for the Utsava deity, ‘Selva Pillai’ (Sampath Kumaran) not seen anywhere else. Only one day in the year, are both Moolavar and Utsavar deities seen together at this temple to celebrate the home coming of Selva Pillai Sampath Kumaran [in the Picture below]

The Story- Ramanuja consecrates the temple



Driven out of Srirangam by the chozhas, Ramanuja came to a place called Thondanur (Bhaktha Puri) near ThiruNarayanapuram.The daughter of the Jain King Bitta Deva, who was ruling the region with Thondanur as his headquarters, had developed a disease. Using his powers, Ramanuja cured the king’s daughter.

                                                     Ramanuja

Later, Ramanuja found him self short of Thiruman (the special thick white ash that Vaishnavites wear on their fore head). That day Lord Narayanan appeared in his dreams and informed him that he was residing in a pit in a hill nearby and that the Thiruman he is looking for can also be found there.


With the help of Bitta Deva, Ramanuja came to Thiru Narayanapuram and located the moolavar lord and performed consecration of the temple.

Story 1 of the Utsava deity as Rama Priyan



After Lord Rama had given his pooja idol, Ranganatha, to the newly crowned Lankan King Vibheeshana, he was left without an idol for his daily poojas. Brahmma is said to have provided this idol to Rama. Later, Rama passed this on to his sons Luva and Kusha. When Kusha’s daughter got married to a Yadava prince, this idol was given as part of the gifts to be given by the Bride and thus this idol landed up in the lunar dynasty from the solar dynasty.


Years later, when Balarama came to this place on a religious trip, he found the moolavar deity resembling the idol at his home, back in Dwaraka. Krishna and Balarama came back to this place with the idol and they decided that this was the ideal Utsava deity for Thiru Narayanan and placed it here. The Utsava deity having been Rama’s pooja idol was called ‘Rama Priyan’.

Story 2 of Rama Priyan becoming Selva Pillai



Coming back to Ramanuja, while he was happy to have found the moolavar deity of Thiru Narayanan, Emberumaanar was keen to have regular festivals at this temple round the year. However, he found he could not do this as there was no Utsava deity, the processional idol.


Once again, the Lord came in his dreams and suggested that his utsava idol was now under the custody of a sultan king. Immediately, Ramanuja approached the king briefing him of the situation at the temple. The king asked Ramanuja to identify his idol amongst the many that the king had taken custody of. Unable to find his Lord, Ramanuja spent the night there. The next morning he called out ‘Adiyen Vareeren Enthan Selva Pillai’ and like a small child, the lord ran up to Ramanuja, from the chamber of the princess, and sat on his lap.


Delighted at finding the processional deity, Ramanuja brought the Lord back to Thiru Narayanapuram. With the Lord having reacted to Ramanuja’s call of ‘Selva Pillai’, the name stuck and from that day, Rama Priyan came to be called ‘Selva Pillai. Unhappy at the departure of her favourite Lord, the princess followed suit and joined Selva Pillai at Melkote and she is said to have remained there ever after serving at the feet of the Lord.

Having found the Utsava deity, Ramanuja stayed here for 12 years and set up processes for daily poojas, rituals and annual festivals.

                                                  Kalyani Pushkarani

One day, when he was performing his pooja at Kalyani pushkarani, he heard the news of the death of the chozha king and decided that it was time for him to head back to Srirangam. He brought 52 Bhattars (Aivattiruvar) from Srirangam to perform the daily poojas at this temple - http://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2007/05/108-divya-desam-thiruvellarai.html



Unhappy on hearing the news of his proposed departure from Melkote, the people for whom he was so dear, wanted him to stay back.


As an alternate, Ramanuja created a bronze image of his and left this behind with a request asking them to always take care of his beloved ’Selva Pillai’. Ramanuja is seen here with an ‘Ugantha Thirumeni’

Architecture

                                       
Over the last 1000 years, Vijayanagara kings, the Hoysalas and more recently the Wodeyar dynasty have made significant contributions to this temple.



Dakshina Badri


The ThiruNarayanan Temple is also referred to as the ‘Dakshina Badri’. A reference to this is found in 12 chapters under the topic Yadava Giri Mahatmiyam in the Narada Puranam.


It is one of the four Swayambu Kshetrams


ThiruNarayanapuram in Melkote is one of the four famous Swayambu Kshetrams, the others being Srirangam, Kanchipuram and Tirupathi.


Araiyar Sevai


One of the other highlights at this temple is the continued performance of the Araiyar Sevai, an artistic song and dance enactment of the Naalayira Divya Prabandham. This is one of the four Vishnu temples in India where Araiyar Sevai is still performed, the others being Srirangam, Srivilliputhur and Azhvaaar Thirunagari.


Archakas of Melkote


A special mention must be made of the archakas of ThiruNarayana Perumal temple. In these days of short cuts every where, these Bhattars follow every pooja ritual with a commitment that is sublime.

Festivals

                                                       Vaira Mudi

Vaira Mudi Festival in the Tamil Calendar month of Panguni is the most important festival at this temple and attracts several thousand devotees. On the 6th day of the Brahmotsavam, Selva Pillai is adorned with a diamond crown and taken on a street procession.



Ashta Theertotsavam during Raja Mudi Brahmotsavam in Karthigai is another popular festival.

                                                       Raja Mudi

Thai Punarvasu festival - This is a special festival commemorating Ramanuja’s arrival in Thiru Narayanapuram on the Makara Shukla Punarvasu day



Krishnaraja Thirunaal (9days), Aadi Pooram (for Thaayar)are a few of the other important utsavams at the ThiruNarayanan temple in Melkote.


Prarthana Sthalam


Childless couples who bathe in the Kalyani Pushkarani for 8 days and offer sincere prayers to ThiruNarayanan are said to be blessed with a child.

Temple Time : 730am-1pm, 4pm-6pm and 7pm-830pmIt is advisable to get the darshan of Sri Narasimhar in early morning itself as it might be hot as the day progresses and since we need to climb almost 400 steps to have His darshan. How to reach this Sthalam

Contact : S.Narasaraja Bhattar
Contact Telephone number: 94487 54696, 94488 13124 or 08236 298 913









1.  You can take Train No. 6222 Chennai- Mysore Kaveri Express, Get down at Pandava Pura [715am arrival approx.]
2.  Then you can take the Tumkur bound bus and get down at Jakkanahalli junction [about 15kms from Pandava Pura]
3.  Auto from Jakkanahalli to Melkote temple [about 5kms] will cost about Rs.50/-
4.  One can reach Melkote in 2 hours from Bangalore [about 135kms] via Mandya- Jakkanahalli.

Purana Sthalams - Pandaripuram - Sri Pandarinathar Temple, Maharashtra

Divyadesams are sthalams where the great 12 Alwars praise Sriman Narayanan with Mangalasasanams.


Purana sthalams are the temples where the Perumal and the sthalam in which he resides are well explained in bhagavath puranam and on various puranams.  The Bhakti is also spread throughout our Country in the same way as to how India is surrounded by Oceans and the Sea.  Emperumaan Sriman Narayanan who is the Paramathma is found in all of the minds and heart of the Jeevathmas, is found from Kanyakumari to Himalayas in various Thirukkolams [postures] in various Sthalams.



In this section, I would like to bring before you a complete picture about these great Purana Sthalams other than the 108 Divyadesams.


Pandaripuram - Sri Pandarinathar Temple

*Location : Maharashtra
*Deities : Sri Pandarinathar and Sri Rukmini Devi
*Special : The speciality of this Sthalam is the position in which the perumal is found.

The Deities :
The Perumal of this sthalam is Sri Pandurangan. He is also called with the names 'Sri Vittobha' and 'Pandarinathan'. He is found to be giving his seva in Nindra thirukkolam facing his thirumugham towards east direction.



The Perumal gives his seva in such away that he keeps his two hands in his hip and found to enjoy the Bhajans of Bhagavathas.

The Thaayar of this temple is Rukmanibhai Thaayar.

General Information
1. This sthalam is also called as "Pandarpur".

2. Since, the Perumal stood in a place called "Pandari" this sthalam is so called as "Pandaripuram".
3.  2 Kms away from Pandaripuram there is a place named "Gopalpur", where a Vishnu Paadham [divine feet] of Sri Vishnu is found.

Speciality of this Sthalam

The speciality of this sthalam is the position in which the perumal is found. His hands are placed in his hip and the expression of this posture explains that he is enjoying the Bhajans of his devotees.

There is another great specialty in this sthalam and it is the way we worship the Perumal. They adopt a process called "Padha Sparisa Seva" which means that we can place our fore head touching the divine feet of the Perumal in Garbagriham [Moolavar Sannadhi]. It is considered as very auspicious if we do it on Wednesdays.

General Information of Pandaripuram:

Sthalapuranam


In earlier times, this location [where now Pandaripuram is found] was known as "Thandiravanam". In the nearby forest area, there lived an aged couple by name  Muthabhai and Sanadevan. They had a beautiful child by name "Pundareegan" and he had  great love towards his parents.


The story goes that, Indiran killed an Asuran, Virutharasuran, and he was given a sabham[punishment] that he would become a brick / stone because of his sin and as a stone, he was thrown in front of the house of Pundaleegan.


This being the case, Lord  Krishna wanted to test the love and affection of Pundareegan. When Bhagavan came towards his house, Pundareegan was serving his parents. Sriman Narayanan asked him to come out of the hut, but Pundareegan, doesn't want to break the service that he is doing to his parents and asked Lord Krishna to stand on the stone that is placed in front of their hut. But, soon after Sriman Narayanan's divine feet was placed on the stone, Indiran got his original appearance and thanked both Lord Krishna and Pundareegan. 


After serving his parents, Pundareegan came out of the hut and worshipped the perumal. By fully convinced on the bhakti of him, Lord Krishna stood in that place and as asked by Pundareegan, the perumal stood there as "Vittala". Since, the perumal gave his seva for Pundareegan, the perumal is also called as "Pundareega Varadhan".

                                   Pandarpur Yatra.......

Gorakkumbhar and Pandarinathan


There once lived in this place, a person called "Gorakkumbhar". He had  great faith and bhakti towards Sri Pandarinathan. Just like how we breathe and release air, he expressed Vittalans thiru Naamam and chanted it. He led his life by making pots. To make pots, the clay, sand and water needs to be mixed together and they usually mix it using their feets. One day while he was stamping to make the clay, his small child just happened to come near the place where he was stamping the clay. Because of joy and the bhakti, along with the clay, he accidentally stamped his small child also. And after some time, his wife returned and searched for the child, but could see only the cloth of it, which got mixed with the clay. Then only, she came to realize that her child has been killed in the process of making the pots.  Gorakkumbhar and his wife cried and the Perumal as Sri Pandurangan came in front of the couple. He gave back the life of the child because of the great bhakti of Gorakkumbhar. The Paintings and the expressions of this story can been seen in Pandaripuram temple.

Temple Tour :


On the south direction of Chandrabaga River, Sri Vittalan temple is located. On the south side of the river, Chakkubhai temple is found. In front of the Moolavar Sannadhi, a big mandapam is found and all the bhaktas sit in this mandapam and perform Bhajans and expressing the Naama "Jai Jai Vittala - Panduranga".


On the left side of this Mandapam, a huge pillar which is covered with silver coating is found and it is believed that Sri Narasimhar came out this pillar to rescue Prahaladhan, It is said that the people who visit this temple, place their forehead in this pillar and worship the Perumal.


Milk Guava, Laddu, corn are given as the Prasadham in these places.


There are lots of other Sannadhis for Sri Ganesha, Sri Garudalwar, Hanuman, and Saurangi Devi etc.  And, a separate Sannadhi for Pundareegan is found on the shore of the Chandrabagar River.


Places of InterestAll the Bhaktas should visit this great shrine atleast once in their liftime to have darshan and also be showered with Lord Krishna's  Blessings.


1.  Pundalika Temple - The Pundalika Temple is about a half km from the Vitthala Temple. This temple marks the spot where Pundalika, the Lord's devotee, spent the last years of his life. It is in the middle of the riverbank.

2.  Vishnupada Temple - The Vishnupada Temple is about a kilometre south of the Pundalika temple. The Vishnupada Temple is in the middle of the river connected by a causeway to the shore. During the rainy season this temple is under water for about three months.In the middle of this temple is a square five feet by five feet. There are three rocks in this square that have the foot-prints of Lord Krishna and of a cow embedded in them. Krishna's footprints are in two positions. In one position He is standing on both feet, and in the other position He is standing on His left foot with His right foot crossed and resting on His toes. There are footprints of a cow at each corner of the square.

On the first day of the month of Margashirsha the sandals of Vitthala are taken to this temple. On the last day of the same month the chariot of Vitthala is brought to this temple in a grand procession. Sraddha is performed at this temple. Pilgrims perform funeral rites here for their departed ancestors.

Jai Jai Vittala
Panduranga vittala.

Location:


By Road
There are lots of transportation facilities available to reach Pandaripura sthalam. One can reach Pandaripuram through a separate path, which is found near Meeraj - Nakaj - Sangoli near Kolapur. While traveling from Hyderabad to Pune, through NH - 9, which travel via Kolapur and Mokkol, we can reach this sthalam. Through NH 13 - while traveling from Bijapur to Kolapur, a separate road leads to this sthalam.


By Rail
 While traveling from Chennai, one has to travel from Chennai in Mumbai Express from a junction by named Kurdhuvadi, a narrow gauge train will lead us to Pandaripuram. So, one has to get down in Kurdhuvadi and from there we can reach Pandaripuram. Even we can reach this sthalam from Mokkol railway station and from there, this sthalam is reachable and is 40 Kms away.


By Air
There is no direct flight to Pandaripuram. But, however the nearest Airport is Pune. From Pune, Pandaripuram is about 213 Kms. Distances between Pandaripuram and various major cities / towns.

Distances between Pandaripuram and various major cities / towns.


*Nagpur to Pandaripuram - Around 768 Km.
*Delhi to Pandaripuram - 1580 Km.
*Bangalore to Pandaripuram - 750 Km
*Kolapur to Pandaripuram - 75 Km
*Coimbatore to Pandaripuram - 1110 Km.

The Big Temple [also Known as Brahadeeswara Temple] - Thanjavur

A magnificent glory of Chola - The Big Temple, Thanjavur - India's Greatest Architectural Wonder!


The reason for this Post of mine is to let the world know of the Chola architetectural and engineering skills, the sculptural and painting marvels and of course the careful planning and execution involved to build such a huge, magnificent monument.

 RajaRaja Chola the GreatRajaraja Chola I [ 985 to 1015 CE] was an unequalled monarch who ruled the entire Southern part of India over thousand years ago, whose greatness and glory can still witnessed by the world by his magnum opus the Brahadeswara Temple in Thanjavur.

I
ts not an exaggeration to call RajaRaja Chola an all round genius earning him the various titles which can be found in his inscriptions.



Rajaraja built the Great temple of Thanjavur and covered the two hundred feet high tower with gold to signal his contribution. The temple survives to this day in its original grandeur. It is a magnificient haven of architecture, sculpture and paintings.

Rajaraja was a staunch follower of Saivism but ensured religious tolerance and patronized all religions Saivism, Vaishnavism, Saktam, Jainism and Buddhism alike.

HistoryThe greatest of Chola emperors Rajaraja-I (985 A.D - 1012 A.D) the son of Sundara Chola (Parantakaa-II) and Vanavanmahadevi built this magnificent temple named Brihadisvaram at Thanjavur - the capital of Chola dynasty.


From the epigraphical evidence it is known about Rajaraja-I started building this temple on his 19th year and completed on 275th day of his 25th year. It took just 6 years to complete this work on 1010 A.D.

Rajaraja-I named this temple as Rajarajesvaram and the deity Shiva in Linga form as Peruvudaiyar, the temple is also known in the deity's name as Peruvudaiyarkovil [in Tamil language]. In later period Maratta and Nayaks rulers constructed various shrines and gopurams of the temple. In later period when the Sanskrit language was more popular during the Maratha rule the temple was named in Sanskrit as Brihadisvaram and the deity as Brihadisvara. Now-a-days it is called as Thanjai Periyakovil (Tanjore Big temple).

Keralaanthagan Gopuram


Rajaraja Chola assumed the title of Keralaanthakan meaning Destroyer of Kerala (Chera's). after his victory over Kerala king Baskararavivarma This gopuram is named after this title .

This is a five stage gopuram. In the front side of the gopuram one can see various forms of Shiva - Rudhrathandava pose (a fierce Shiva in dancing form), Shiva with Parvathi, Bichadanar (Shiva as beggar).


In the rear side of the gopuram one can see Krishna Leela, MahaVishnu in the first stage, Narasimha combating with Hiranyakasibu in one side and Hiranya Samkara on the other side. On the top stage Shiva and Vishnu idols are seen.

The Keralaanthakan gopuram is constructed on the same architectural concept of the Srivimana. Firstly, the load is distributed on two huge granite walls and the walls are merged into single structure as it approaches the height. Secondly, the Ball and Lock of the huge granites locks themselves with the neighboring rock, one can see the small projections evenly distributed on the base of the structure. Thirdly, the huge base platform distributes the load to the ground with the minimum foundation depth.

Rajarajan Gopuram

This gopuram is built by Rajaraja-I and depicts the mediaeval chola architecture where the Raja gopuram (the entrance gopuram) diminish in size and the Karpagraham (the main deity's gopuram) is significant.


The two huge 15 feet monolithic Dwarapalas on either side of this entrance is seen The 15 feet huge monolithic stone sculpture of the Dwarapala revals the Thattva (concept) that God is Everywhere as shown by the upper two hands and the pose of right hand index finger denotes that God is one and only one. On keen notice one can see a Elephant is being swallowed by a snake and the Lion standing behind. This denotes even if one faces such a big problem as of this magnitude a strong stand (a firm belief in God) similar to that of a Lion's strong standing posture will lead ways to realize God.
The temple is open daily. The sanctum sanctorum opens only during Pooja times. Please check with temple pooja timings. 

Considering the technology of those ancient times, it is undoubtedly a marvel of engineering.


More on this Grand structure, as we celebrate a thousand years of the ‘Big Temple' in Thanjavur – Rajaraja Chola dedicated it to Brahadeeswara, Lord of the Universe in 1010 – an ode to the monument that has never ceased to amaze with its simple design, stupendous proportions and grandeur...

This  “Big Temple” [Peria Kovil] in Thanjavur, is one thousand years old this year, 2010. Rajaraja Chola I commissioned this greatest edifice of Tamil history and performed the sacred dedication of the temple in the year 1010, the 25th year of his reign. It was the jewel-in-the-crown of Rajaraja, an extraordinarily powerful king, a grand monarch with a style of his own, a conqueror who also understood art and architecture, and a true devotee of Siva. It is a matter of pride that a Tamil king built the finest example of Tamil architecture, stupendous in proportion, yet simple in design. Siva in this temple is known as Brihadisvara — the Lord of the Universe. A gigantic stone “lingam” fills the sanctum sanctorum, sheltered by a vimanam (towering roof) which pierces the sky at 216 feet. One can gaze with awe at this majestic structure from a distance as one drives towards Thanjavur. However many times one has seen it, one cannot help but hold one's breath in amazement. And as you enter its precincts, this temple never fails to humble you, for, such is its magnificence. It is the perfect tribute to the Almighty, ordered by a great king and executed by his subjects who contributed to its building in more ways than one. To this day, it stands tall as a reminder of who we are in the history books of culture, art, architecture, religion, language, governance and trade.

The temple occupies an area measuring about 750 feet by 400 feet, in a fort, surrounded by a moat. It is a marvel of engineering, considering the technology of those ancient times. The towering vimanam is built up with stones with bonding and notching, without the use of mortar. The topmost stone, weighing about 80 tons, is still a matter of discussion for engineers who are baffled as to how the builders lifted it to that height without the help of modern contrivances. A charming tale is told about a ramp being built from a village — Sarapallam — four miles away, from where the giant stone was pulled up by elephants!

Representative of Craftsmanship

The details of the stone work of this imposing vimanam are representative of the masterly craftsmanship of South Indian artisans. The shilpi [sculptor] and the sthapathi [architect] came together to create their fanciful abode for Shiva. Naturally, the shape had to echo Mount Kailash itself. In its perfect geometry and distinct clarity of lines, this tower is unbeatable.

The Srivimanama, or tower over the main shrine, of the Brihadeswarar temple is 61 metres tall. Imagine that being built in 1002 CE. The foundations for it are only 2 metres deep - it is constructed in such a way that the weight of the Vimanam is evenly distributed on itself. It is hollow inside and layered to allow access for the intrepid.

The top the pyramid-shaped tower holds the Vimana - a monolithic huge rock spherical in shape, weighing approximately 81 tones. Above the Vimana the Kalasam made up of gold can just be seen - its height is 4m and it was originally presented by Rajaraja Chola 1.


On the flat roofed portions of the structure, you can see many Nandi statues. Each of the 16 or so layers of the tower contain intricate carvings. If you view this pic large (see link below), you can view some of them on the lower layers.

The Nandhi

Every feature of the temple is larger than life — the monolithic Nandi, the gigantic [12-feet high] Dwarapalakas [guardian deities] and the sculptures in the niches around the central shrine. They are distinguished by an elegant simplicity in lines and ornamentation. The faces of the figures like Dakshinamurthi and Yogalakshmi are beatitude in essence. Inside the vimanam, there is a hidden corridor surrounding the sanctum. Rarely open to visitors, this is a treasure trove of Chola painting and sculpture. The walls of this cave-like corridor were plastered with lime and used as a large canvas for the paintings. Perhaps the subjects chosen were dear to the great king's heart, for, he was a staunch Shaivite, a great warrior who took pride in his victories, and was responsible for the renaissance of the Bhakti movement through the spread of the songs of the saints ( Thevaram). The paintings, which have survived time and a 17th century coat of paint, are exquisite in detail and colour, and proportion. The colours in the paintings are subdued, the lines are delicate and the expressions vivid and true to life.

Figures of Dakshinamurthi, Nataraja in Thillai, surrounded by celestials, dancers and saints in a celebration, and Tripuranthaka, the gigantic warrior, are masterpieces of Chola painting. The story of Sundaramurthi Nayanar reaching Kailash on a white elephant is depicted on another wall.

The most telling of all is the portraiture of Raja Raja with his Guru Karuvur Devar. It was Karuvur Devar, the administrator, who master-minded the building of the temple, and fittingly he has a special shrine dedicated to him in the outer courtyard of the temple. While the sculptures of Shiva in this corridor are imposing and colossal, the fine series of 81 karanas (dance poses) are superb illustrations of the Natya Sastra. These figures are much bigger than the dance figures in Chidambaram and other temples.

Plenty of Documentation




The most exciting aspect of this temple is the vast number of inscriptions on its walls which record details of Raja Raja's reign as well as that of his successors.

They reveal that Raja Raja endowed a large number of villages, money and cattle to the temple for its maintenance, daily worship, festivals, singing of devotional songs and dancing. He and his queens presented fantastic gold and gem set jewels to the temple. The king's donations, as well as those of his favourite queen Lokamahadevi, and his sister Kundavai are recorded on a slab close to the sanctum. Among the most noteworthy inscriptions is the one about the two streets given over to the occupation of the 400 Devadasis who were pressed into the service of the temple from many surrounding temples of the region. Their names, places of origin, the door numbers of the houses they occupied are also part of the details inscribed. From the inscriptions we gather that the king, his queens, and their relatives set the example followed by the nobility, the merchants and even soldiers, to return to the people what was collected by taxes etc., by erecting irrigation canals, hospitals, schools, granaries etc.

One of the best bronze images of the period is that of Nataraja, referred to as “Adavallan” in this temple. Raja Raja named the currency of his reign, a coin, Adavallan.

Over time, many additions and improvements took place in this temple. Sevappa Nayak, the first of his dynasty who ruled Thanjavur, built the shrine for Murugan (Subrahamanya) as an integral part of the temple. It is a beautiful, elaborately-carved stone structure, a designer's delight. To copy the un-repeated designs on each of the short pillars of this shrine would take an artist weeks if not months. One can just imagine how long the stone chiseller would have taken to complete each piece. Facing this shrine one can also see a mandapam which houses a Maratha period portrait gallery. Done as mural paintings but in the style now known as “Tanjore painting” with gold leaf embossing, the portraits of Serfoji, his queen and other royals are a feast of colour.

One can spend a whole day in the Big Temple, and still want to come back to marvel at every detail of its beauty. Many kings had built temples to Shiva on the banks of the Kaveri. Many saints have sung in praise of these deities. But there is only one temple to Brahadeeswara, and it stands tall a thousand years after a devotee-king climbed a ladder with a copper pot [kalasam] anointed with holy water from all the sacred rivers, to dedicate it to our history. A stupendous marvel indeed!


The Architectural Beauty

Little is known as to who designed the Big Temple but it succeeds in projecting the grand imperial vision of a king who expanded the boundaries of the Chola empire.

In 1946, after Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) took charge of the conservation of Brahadeeswara temple at Thanjavur, conservationists noticed that the jambs and lintels of all the doorways in the tower were systematically damaged by gun fire [caused in the 19 century]. The intent behind this wanton destruction, the conservationists observed, “was perhaps to let the whole structure collapse by itself”.

None of that happened. Good design and sound structural logic served in good stead and for the last thousand years the structure has stood firm. The Brahadeeswara temple, completed in 1010 CE, for good reasons, is celebrated as a towering example of architectural excellence.

A monument was in order after Rajaraja I (985-1014), the Chola emperor, had vastly expanded the limits of the empire and brought immense wealth. It had to be ambitious and befit the imperial vision. By that time, temple architecture in South India had significantly advanced. The Pallavas of Kanchipuarm, in the 8th century, demonstrated how multilevel functional temples could be built. There were also examples of temples with more than three tiers. These structures offered a broad template, but it was clear to the architects of Rajaraja that the temple at Thanjavur should far exceed all of them.

Rajarajesvaram, as the temple complex was known in the inscriptions, when completed, was 40 times larger and five times taller than any average temple that preceded it and consumed 130,000 tons of granite. The 60-metre tall vimana[tower over the sanctum] built in 15 tiers, appeared like a huge mountain and remains the tallest in South India.


The unusually tall vimana alone weighed about 43,000 tons and supporting it was a challenge. Though the pyramidical shape of the vimana is self-stabilising, the architects could not afford to make the base appear wide and loose out on the visual appeal.


A proportionately large sanctum with double walls and circumambulatory passage in-between was designed. It rose to two tiers and merged at the third and held the tower.

Simultaneously, the vimana and the structures in front were consciously separated by a constriction in the elevation so that the tower could visually stand out.


Architectural studies show that a larger forecourt measuring 241 by 121 meters was specially designed to spatially hold the tower. The court was made of two equal square parts and the vimana was placed at the centre of the rear square. This provided the necessary foreground to view the elegance of the tower in full.

If the vimana was exceptional, the gopuras or gateways of this temple are milestones in architecture history. Rajarajesvaram was ‘the greatest single step forward' in the development of gopuras in South India. Their axial placement frames the view of the vimana impressively and visually anchors the visitor. Though many structures and shrines were added to Rajarajesvaram till 19th century, they have not fortunately cluttered the complex and the original design intent can still be appreciated.

What is not well known, despite abundant inscriptions, are the names of the architects who designed it and the methods of construction adopted.


It is popularly believed that a linear ramp stretching seven kilometres was built and stones were hauled to the top. Few others suggest that short ramps around the tower were constructed. There is no final word yet on this.


Popular Myths


A few of the myths, however, have been proved wrong. The cap-stone on the tower is not a monolith, but made of many parts. The belief that the shadow of the temple does not fall on the ground turns out to be incorrect.  It footnotes that a European-like figure carved on the vimana probably foretold the arrival of the British.


There are many versions of this myth, from the shadow of the whole Vimana doesn’t fall, shadow of the top copola doesn’t fall, the top Kalasam ( pot/spire) doesn’t fall etc......It does fall. [here are some pictures for you....]

Building a temple as large and as magnificent as Rajarajesvaram was a stupendous effort. Men and materials were mobilised from far-off places. Whether it took six or 30 years to complete the structure is still debated. Answers to questions as to why Rajendra, the illustrious son of Rajaraja, instead of completing the temple after his father's death commenced a new temple to rival it and why he moved the gifts and proceeds from the Thanjavur temple to his temple are yet to be fully known. The story of Rajarajesvarm, it looks, is not yet fully told.

Karana Depictions very unique and Incomplete

Dancing figures are found in plenty in South Indian temples, but only in five of them are the karanas or dancing postures depicted as a collection. Amongst them, Rajarajesvaram is the oldest. Here, the dance panels are placed right over the sanctum in the first floor of the vimana. At other temples such as the Sarangapani temple at Kumbakonam and Nataraja temple at Chidambaram, the karana panels are to be found at the outer gopuras or gateways.

Karanas are fundamental units of movement in classical dance and they `illustrate small movement formations'. Natya Sastra, the ancient texts on dance and drama, describe 108 different karanas. Of them, 81 are found carved together in a sequence at Thanjavur.



On can find the four-armed Siva performing the Talapuspaputa karana wherein the flowers are offered and ends abruptly with the Sarpitam, the 81st karana. The presence of uncarved stone blocks on the walls suggests that the original plan at Thanjavur was to complete the entire 108 karanas, but unfortunately that did not take place.


Rajaraja Chola the Great was the first Chola King to document archives of his rule in the form of written evidence on stone tablets and copper plates.



These recorded his achievements, his philanthropy, his judicial decisions, his administration, irrigation and healthcare systems.

In the famous inscriptions in the Rajarajeeswaram [Brahadeeswara temple] complex he records not only the donations given by him and his sister and relatives ,the noblemen but also the commoners who donated to the temple.

The Udayarkudi inscriptions record the punishment Rajaraja Chola gave to the traitors who killed his brother the crown prince Aditha Karikalan in the second year of his rule. Interestingly Rajaraja Chola let his uncle Uthama Chola for 16 years after the assassination of the crown prince Aditha Karikalan and then ascended the throne. The punishment he gave is again very novel since the miscreants were Brahmins he couldn’t sentence them to death instead he confisticated all their power and properties and evicted them with their families from his kingdom.

Rajaraja Cholan's dreams and aspirations were always huge. The visionary he was in all matters, there is no wonder that he envisaged a huge temple to celebrate the power of divinity.

Many a people, have wondered why he chose to build an imposing monument.
Did he want to showcase the power and might of his empire by building something colossal?
Did he want to stamp his authority and tell the world, 'Look what I have accomplished?' Did he want to get rid of sins wrought by years of warfare or get a magical cure to a disease of unknown origin, as some people claim?


May be the reason was simple.


He wanted to show the whole world the towering presence of God that is everlasting against human life that is highly evanescent.

It is happy to note that both the Archaeological Survey of India and UNESCO are closely monitoring and safeguarding this precious temple that has been declared as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations, by maintaining and periodically renovating this temple.

To know more about the Temple Town -Thanjavur, you may click on the link below:


http://www.hindu.com/fr/2010/12/10/stories/2010121051100100.htm


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HOW TO REACH THE BIG TEMPLE

By Air: The nearest airport is at Tiruchirappalli. Thanjavur is 55kms east of Tiruchirappalli. Next closest airport is at Madurai. It's about 200 Kms by road.


The Nearest International Airport is Chennai airport. Thanjavur is around 320 Kms south of Chennai by road.


By Road: Thanjavur is well connected with all the major cities and towns of Tamilnadu including Chennai, Kumbakonam, Tiruchirappalli, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Pondicherry, Coimbatore and Madurai. And also it is connected with Kochi, Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram, Mysore and Bangalore.


By Train: There is a Southern Railway junction in Thanjavur. It's well connected with Tiruchirappalli, Madurai, Chennai, Coimbatore, Mysore, Rameswaram, Kumbakonam, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam. Please check the time table of southern railway.