Brihadeeswara Temple in Tamilnadu, Timings, Built by- Full details

by Radha Ramesh | Dec 8, 2022

Brihadeeswara Temple timings, who built it, History, architecture, and complete details are mentioned in this article.

Brihadeeswarar temple in Thanjavur, also known as Tanjore, Situated near the banks of Kaveri, dominates the then capital of the Cholas, Tanjavur.

It is famous for the temple’s lack of shadows, use of non-local materials, and extensive network of underground passageways.

Rajarajeswara Temple, Periya Kovil, and Rajarajesvaram are additional names for it.

The Tamil King Arulmozhivarman, also known as RajaRaja Chola, built this temple in 1010 CE to carry out a command he received in a dream.

Location: Thanjavur, Tamilnadu, India

Main Deity: ShivaArchitectural style: Dravidian architecture

Architect: Raja Raja Perunthachan & Raja Raja Cholan

Festivals: Maha Shivaratiri

Creator: Raja Raja Chola I

It is an exquisite example of Chola Dravidian temple architecture. The temple was known as Rajarajeshwaram while it was under the control of the Cholas, one of India’s longest-reigning dynasties.

It served as the centerpiece for all religious celebrations and events. Later, after being invaded by the Nayakas and Marathas, the temple gained fame as the Brihadeeswarar Temple.

There are two Lord Ganesh statues at the entrance, and tapping on one causes sound waves to be heard in the other.

The tapping pillars are yet another iconic aspect of those temples. When tapped, the musical pillars emit a variety of sounds.

This is undoubtedly a contribution, as is the architectural genius of the temples built in this era’s Dravidian style.

In 2011, the temple performed a spectacular assembly of Bharatnatyam dancers to commemorate the completion of its 1000-year history. al underground, undiscovered passages link Brihadeeshwara Temple to other significant temples in the area.

Table of Contents

The myth behind Brihadeeshwara Temple-(Temple with no shadow)

It is an Old Myth. The shadow does fall on the ground. This is the only structure in the world with this unusual feature. The shadow can be seen falling on the ground in the morning and evening.

Only at noon, the shadow of the Gopuram falls on itself rather than the ground. The main reason is the structure’s basement, which is big enough to absorb the shadow of the Gopuram on its base itself. This temple was built with the engineers’ brilliance.

The architecture used is the interlock method, where no cement, plaster, or adhesive was used between the stones. It has survived 1000 years and six earthquakes.

Brihadeeswara Temple Timing and how to reach

Morning Darshan Timings: 06:00 to 12:30
Evening Darshan Timings: 04:00 to 8.30

Brihadeeswara Temple Timings for Pooja

Palabhishekam 08:30
Vucha Kalai Pooja 12:00
Sai Rakchay Pooja 18:00
Arthajamam 20:30

By Air: The closest international airport, the Trichy International Airport, is 65 kilometers away. There are flights to Trichy from all the major Indian cities and other countries. Take a taxi or a government bus to Tanjore after landing at the airport. Brihadeeswarar Temple timings are also convenient for Darshan

By Rail: Villupuram (76 km) and Katpadi are the two nearest train stations (65 km). These two stations are frequently served by trains coming from all parts of the nation. To get to Arunachaleswarar Temple from the railway station, take a taxi or board a public bus. Brihadeeswarar Temple timings are also convenient for Darshan.

By Road: All major South Indian cities have good road connections to Tiruvannamalai. Buses and cars make it simple and more convenient to get to Tiruvannamalai. Brihadeeswarar Temple timings are also convenient for Darshan.

Brihadeeshwara Temple, Built By

During the first decade of the eleventh century, the Chola King Raja Raha Chola I (985–1014) constructed the Brihadeeswara Temple at Thanjavur. A part of the “Great Living Chola Temples” UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Mysterious Temple in India, Vijayalaya Choleeswaram, Tamilnadu ruled by the great Chola dynasty.

Which is also home to several other temples collectively called “The great living Chola Temples.” Moreover, it is one of India’s most famous ancient temples. Thanjavur, or Tanjore, is the cultural hub of Tamil Nadu.

Brihadeeshwara temple is built without any binding agents.

The Brihadeeshwara Temple’s structure contains no cement, soil, or other binding materials. It was constructed using Interlocking stones for the entire construction of temple.

According to legend, the vimana was constructed using an interlocking technique in which stone blocks are placed strategically to distribute pressure evenly.

The vimana’s base is sufficiently wide to support the weight of the massive structure on top. The result is that the vimana stands tall without any traces of inclination.

Beautiful niches and god images are positioned regularly in each tier to decorate the entire tower. The stupika is the focal point of the vimana (large domed structure crowning the last tier).

Engineers and architects have pondered how this stupika, a stone block weighing more than 80 tonnes, was raised to such a height over the years.

Other temples of Brihadeeswarar Temple

Ganesha Temple
Karuvur Dewar Temple
Subramanya Temple

History of Brihadeeshwara Temple

Rajaraja gave the temple his name, Rajarajeswaram. According to the inscriptions, the King placed a large Shivalinga in the sanctum sanctorum and was given the names Adavallan, Dakshina Meru Vitankan, and Rajarajaesvaram Udaiyar.

One of the few temples has Ashta-dikpalakas (dik means direction, and palakas means ruler). Dikpalakas (the direction-ruling deity).

Thanjavur’s Brihadeeswarar Temple is the world’s first entirely constructed granite structure and weighs more than 130,000 tonnes.

The 212-foot-tall Thanjavur temple, a towering Shiva temple, is the birthplace of one of the largest Shiva Lingas in the country.

A massive Nandhi Shrine, carved out of a single rock and standing tall at the entrance, is 16 feet long and 13 feet high.

This Nandhi is the second-largest in India. Because the Chola dynasty was Shaivite, a temple was built specifically for Lord Shiva.

Arulmozhivarman, a Tamil emperor famous as Rajaraja Chola I, laid out the foundations of the Brihadeeswarar Temple during 1002 CE.

The Tamil Chola’s great construction projects were ranked after this one. It is an example of Dravida-style temple architecture in its purest form, symbolizing the Chola Empire and Tamil civilization in Southern India.

It is also a great example of architecture. The Brihadeeswarar Temple “reveals the brilliant accomplishments of the Cholas in sculpture, painting, and architecture.”

According to legend, Emperor Rajaraja Cholan had the vision of building such a sizable temple for Lord Shiva after visiting the Pallava Rajasimha Temples in Kanchipuram. This is the first building to use granite entirely.

According to the inscriptions, Raja Raja Perunthachan was the chief architect who carried out the ruler’s plan and built some of the most significant temples of the time, proving that Rajaraja hired the best architects, artisans, and sculptors to build this magnificent temple (perum meaning significant and thachan meaning carpenter).

According to one Inscription reads, ‘The King, on the two hundred and seventy-fifth day of the twenty-fifth year of reign (A.D. 1010), As part of the final consecration of the temple, Raja Raja Chola gave a gold-plated Kalasam (copper pot or finial) to crown the vimana (dome). G

The heart of the Chola Empire, Brihadeeswarar Temple, attracted musicians, scholars, artisans, and traders.

It specifically provided a stage for dancers who excelled in the conventional Sadir dance style, now known as Bharatha Natyam.

A massive rectangular wall that measures 270 meters by 140 meters surrounds the entire Brihadeeswarar Temple structure and serves as its outer boundary.

The 3.7 m tall Shiva Lingam, which is kept for worship in the innermost sanctum of the temple where the energy flows and fills the hearts of all visitors, represents the temple’s deity, Lord Shiva.

Compared to the other lingams in Tamil Nadu temples, it is the largest and made of a single piece of limestone.

There is a massive 20-ton statue of Nandi the bull, Lord Shiva’s Vahana. The Nandi statue, which is 2 meters high, 6 meters long, and 2.5 meters wide, has the inspiring characteristic of being carved out of a single stone.

Additionally, sunlight falls on Nandi each day, reflecting the sun’s rays onto the Shiv Linga, allowing devotees to see the Lord even when there is no external light.

The Shiva linga is positioned at the exact center. Surya, Chandra, and Dakshinamurthy are the deities housed in the exterior wall’s different areas.

This demonstrates the sculptors of the Cholan period’s even more impressive artistic and conceptual abilities.

Following the Chola era, the Pandya, Vijayanagaram, and Maratha kings contributed significantly to temples like the Goddess Shrine, Subramanya Shrine, and Vinayaka Shrine.

According to legend, the Brihadisvara Temple was built between 6-7 years. Its precincts are encircled by cloisters measuring 120 by 240 meters in size, and they are also enclosed on the outside by thick brick walls covering a 350-meter square area that includes a sizable tank (reservoir).

The Pandyas, who were then succeeded by the Vijayanagara Empire, overthrew the Cholas as their rule of India faded.

The Tanjore Nayak clan ruled from 1535 until the middle of the 17th century after the Vijayanagara king assembled a Nayak king.

The Marathas governed Tanjore until 1674. Thanjavur eventually became a British possession, just like the rest of the nation.

Sri Vimana of Brihadeeswarar Temple

A Nandi Shrine, continuous large Mandapas, an Antarala (antechamber), and a Vimana with a tall tower are all arranged in a line on the east-west axis.

At the eastern corner of the cloister and the brick wall, early Gopurams (temple gateways) are situated on the same axis. The temple precincts can only be entered through these locations.

Dwarapalaks pics

The second gopura on the cloisters’ line is 24 meters wide and tall, making it smaller than the first gopura, but it has more giant sculptures and two Dvarapalas on either side of the doorway.

Architecture of Brihadeeswaralayam

Raja Raja Perunthachan served as the temple’s principal architect. Vastu Shastra guidelines served as the foundation for the temple’s design.

The ancient Hindu science of architecture and ancient writings explain the foundational ideas of the temple.

The exterior walls of the Brihadeeshwara Temple have “81 postures of Bharatnatyam” carved into them. Traditional classical dance from South India, particularly from Tamil Nadu, is known as Bharatnatyam.

The three types of Indian temples described in the Shilpashastra are as follows:

1. The temples in the region between the Himalayas and the Vindhya Mountains were built in the Nagara Style (North Indian style).

2. The temples between the rivers Krishna and Kaveri were built in the Dravidian (South Indian) style.

3. The temples in the region between the Vindhyas and the River Krishna were built in the Vesara (a hybrid of the northern and southern styles).

The following characteristics set the Dravidian architectural style :

Vimana: The tall building atop the sanctum sanctorum is called the Vimana (garbhagriha).

The vimana is a square building with a pyramidal shape that has several tiers stacked, one on top of the other in descending order.

Gopurams: A distinctive feature of South Indian temple architecture, gopurams are tall gateways. Over time, the gopurams changed and eventually took center stage in South Indian temples.

The gopurams on the later temples are usually more elevated than the vimana itself.

Tamil Inscriptions on wall in brihadeeswara temple tamilnadu

The Brihadeeshwara Temple is unique as the central tower is smaller than its gates. Contrary to most other temples in South India, this one has large gates but a smaller tower itself.

Stupika: The sizable stone known as Stupika stood atop the vimana’s top tier. The final at the stupika’s top raises the vimana’s overall height.

Engineers and architects have begun to wonder how this stupika, a stone block weighing more than 80 tonnes, was raised to such a height over the years.

On each corner of the stupika, two Nandi statues are positioned sideways with their heads turned forward.

The gold-covered kalasam, which the inscriptions refer to and which signifies the completion of the temple’s construction, is placed atop the stupika.

One of the giant monoliths, Nandis in India, is located at the temple’s entrance. It is carved from a single stone.

It weighs 20 tonnes and is almost 12 feet high and 8 feet wide. Brihadeeswarar Temple timings are also convenient for Darshan

Conclusion

No binding agents were used in the construction of Raja Raja Cholas Brrihadeeswaralayam. The whole temple is constructed with granite stones.

The Marvelous architectural skill of the shadow not falling on the temple in the afternoon is an Engineering Marvel. The temple was just built by interlocking the stones. Ancient Indians moved mountains and manufactured monuments inside India.

Brihadeeswarar Temple timings are also convenient for Darshan to Devotees coming from different parts of the world

Frequently Asked Questions

Thanjavur Brihadeeswara temple shadow Mystery

It is an Old Myth. The shadow does fall on the ground. This is the only structure in the world with this unusual feature. The shadow can be seen falling on the ground in the morning and evening. Only at noon, the shadow of the Gopuram falls on itself rather than the ground. The main reason is the structure's basement, which is big enough to absorb the shadow of the Gopuram on its base itself. This temple was built with the engineers' brilliance.