THANJAVUR

BRIHADEESWARAR TEMPLE
(RAJARAJESWARA TEMPLE)

BRIHADEESWARAR TEMPLE
RAJARAJESHWARA TEMPLE TANJAVURU TEMPLE
It is one of the largest temples in India and one of India's most prized architectural
sites. Built by emperor Raja Raja Chola I and completed in 1010 AD, Peruvudaiyaar
Temple, also popularly known as the 'Big Temple', turned 1000 years old in 2010.

Thanjavur Periya Kovil stands amidst fortified walls that were probably added in the
16th century. The vimanam (or temple tower) is 216 ft (66 m) high and is among the
tallest of its kind in the world. The Kumbam (Kalasha or Chikharam, the apex or the
bulbous structure on the top) of the temple is carved out of a single rock and it weighs
around 80 tons. There is a big statue of Nandi (sacred bull), carved out of a single rock,
at the entrance measuring about 16 feet long and 13 feet high.The entire temple
structure is made out of granite, the nearest sources of which are close to
Tiruchirappalli, about 60 km to the west of Thanjavur.

the Tamil emperor Arulmozhivarman, popularly called Rajaraja Chola I, ( Rājarāja

The Brihadeshwarar Temple was built to grace the throne of the Chola empire in
compliance to a command given to him in his dream.The scale and grandeur is in the
Chola tradition. An axial and symmetrical geometry rules the temple layout. Temples
from this period and the following two centuries are an expression of the Tamils
(Chola) wealth, power and artistic expertise. The emergence of such features as the
multifaceted columns with projecting square capitals signal the arrival of the new
Chola style.

The Brihadeshwarar Temple was built to be the royal temple to display the emperor's
vision of his power and his relationship to the universal order. The temple was the site
of the major royal ceremonies such as anointing the emperor and linking him with its
deity, Shiva, and the daily rituals of the deities were mirrored by those of the king. It is
an architectural example showcasing the pure form of the Dravida type of temple
architecture and representative of the Chola Empire ideology and the Tamil civilisation
in Southern India. The temple "testify to the brilliant achievements of the Chola in
architecture, sculpture, painting and bronze casting."
Sculpture and Bronze

With heavily ornamented pillars accurate in detail and richly sculpted walls, the
Airavateswara temple at Darasuram is a classic example of Chola art and architecture

Chola Bronze icon. Shiva and Parvathi c. 1200 C.E.

The Chola period is also remarkable for its sculptures and bronzesAmong the existing
specimens in the various museums of the world and in the temples of South India, may
be seen many fine figures of Siva in various forms accompanied by his consort Parvati
and the other gods, demigods and goddesses of the Saivaite pantheon, Vishnu and his
consort Lakshmi, the Nayanmars, other Saiva saints and many more. Though
conforming generally to the iconographic conventions established by long tradition,
the sculptor could also exercise his imagination within the boundaries of the canonical
Hindu iconography and worked in greater freedom during the eleventh and the twelfth
centuries. As a result, the sculptures and bronzes show classic grace, grandeur and
perfect taste. The best example of this can be seen in the form of Nataraja the Divine
Dancer.

Lost Wax technique

Beeswax and kungilium (a type of camphor) are mixed with a little oil and kneaded
well. The figure is sculpted from this mixture fashioning all the minute details. This is
the wax model original.

The entire figure is then coated with clay made from termite hills until the mould is of
a necessary thickness. Then the whole thing is dried and fired in an oven with cow-
dung cakes. The wax model melts and flows out, while some of it vapourises.

The metal alloy of bronze is melted and poured into the empty clay-mould. This
particular bronze alloy is known as Pancha Loham. When the metal has filled all
crevices and has settled and hardened and cooled, the mould is broken off. The bronze
figure thus obtained is then cleaned, finer details are added, blemishes are removed,
smoothened, and polished well. Hence each bronze icon is unique and the mould
cannot be used to create copies.

List of Chola kings

Early Cholas

 Ellalan
 Ilamcetcenni
 Karikalan
 Nedunkilli
 Killivalavan
 Kopperuncholan
 Kocengannan
 Perunarkilli

Interregnum (c.200–848)
 Medieval Cholas

Vijayalaya Chola 848–891(?)

Aditya Chola I 891–907

Parantaka Chola I 907–950

Gandaraditya Chola 950–957

Arinjaya Chola 956–957

Sundara Chola 957–970

Uttama Chola 970–985

Rajaraja Chola I 985–1014

Rajendra Chola I 1012–1044

Rajadhiraja Chola 1018–1054

Rajendra Chola II 1051–1063

Virarajendra Chola 1063–1070

Athirajendra Chola 1067–1070

Later Cholas

Kulothunga Chola I 1070–1120

Vikrama Chola 1118–1135

Kulothunga Chola II 1133–1150

Rajaraja Chola II 1146–1173

Rajadhiraja Chola II 1166–1178

Kulothunga Chola III 1178–1218

Rajaraja Chola III 1216–1256

Rajendra Chola III 1246–1279

Chola society

 Chola government
 Chola military
 Chola Navy
 Chola art
  Chola literature
 Solesvara Temples
 Poompuhar
 Uraiyur
 Melakadambur
 Gangaikonda Cholapuram
 Thanjavur
 Tiruvarur

Gangaikonda Cholapuram
The city was as founded by Rajendra Chola to commemorate his victory over the Pala Dynasty. The name means
The town of the chola who brought Ganga (water from Ganga) or who defeated (the kings near) Ganga. It is now a
small village, its past eminence only remembered by the existence of the great Siva Temple.[1]

Rajendra Chola-I (1012-1044 A.D) son of the Great Rajaraja-I, established this temple after his great victorious
march to river Ganges on Northern India. He assumed the title of Rajendra during his coronation and continued to
rule along with his father Rajaraja-I for a while. He was awarded the supreme title of the Cholas known as
Parakesari.

Rajendra-I, a great warrior, assisted his father in numerous expeditions to elevate the Cholas to supreme power. The
various expeditions he conducted, were : Gangetic expedition, eastern/Western Chalukyas expedition, war against
Cheras/Pandyas, Ceylon expedition, Kataram (currently called as Kedah) expedition.

His empire included the whole of southern India to the river Thungabathra in the north. For administrative and
strategic purposes he built another capital and named it Gangaikondacholapuram. The Gangaikondacholapuram
temple he constructed consists of 3 stories and was surrounded by a huge fort-like wall, the outer wall largely
destroyed during the English rule (1896) to reuse the building material (granite rocks) for constructing the Lower
Anicut the dam built across river Kollidam. He built around 10 temples at various places.

He assumed the title of Gangaikonda Cholan and named his new capital as Gangaikondacholapuram and he also
constructed a huge Lake known as Chola Gangam that spreads 22 km mainly used for drinking and irrigation. A
statue of Rajendra-I is found in Kolaram temple at Kolar of Karnataka state in India.