The Big Temple

Text by A. Srivathsan from the Hindu Young World.

It’s 1000 years since the Big Temple in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, was built. Rajaraja I, king of the Chola empire, wanted to build a grand structure in his capital. Something that would tell that tale of the greatness and grandeur of the empire. Today in 2010 we take a look at this magnificent structure.

The Brihadisvara — or Big Temple as it is popularly known — is the grandest Chola temple and a masterpiece of architecture. It was built in 1010 CE by Rajaraja I, the illustrious Chola emperor. This year, 2010, marks its millennium. There are very few temples that are as big and as tall as this.

What was the idea behind this magnificent structure and what makes it special?

The 10th century was a momentous time for the Chola kings. Their ambitious plan to build a great empire had met tough challenges and the tide turned in their favour only after Rajaraja I ascended the throne in 985CE. In the following 30 years, till he died in 1014, Rajaraja waged many successful military campaigns, expanded the territory, set up an efficient administration and brought immense wealth to his kingdom.

He wanted to build a grand structure in his capital Thanjavur. Something that had never been built before and would symbolise his achievements and the greatness of the Cholas. He knew well that only a structure built with strong material such as granite would last long. However there was a problem with this choice.

Ambitious plan

Thanjavur had no granite quarry around. This did not deter him. His men toiled and brought as much as 50,000 metre cube of stones from places as far as 45 km. After long years (historians still debate whether it took 10 or 30 years), the magnificent temple of Rajarajesvaran, as it was then known, was completed.

The description that a temple is ‘a mountain and cavern combined’ would best fit this structure. Nowhere else would a visitor literally see a hand-crafted mountain towering over the sanctum. A 60 metre tower known as srivimana was built with sufficient open space in front to view it well.

Building this was not simple. Rajaraja’s architects had to design an innovative double wall at the base to support the weight (about 40,000 tons) and laid the entire temple in great precision. However, we are yet to know how such large and heavy stones were lifted to such great heights.

Apart from impressive architecture, the Big Temple has some of the finest sculptures and beautiful frescoes (see box). Inscriptions on the walls describe that many wonderful bronze images were also gifted, but most of them are now lost.

To financially support and sustain the temple, Rajaraja endowed it with land and wealth and described in detail the duties of different groups of people who will keep accounts, sing, dance and guard. He also made sure they were well paid and even specified their places for living.

The Big Temple was not finished when Rajaraja died. His son Rajendra I, who succeeded, decided to build his own grand temple at Gangaikondacholapuram rather than complete it.

Three sets of paintings belonging to Cholas, Nayak and Maratha periods are found in the temple. While the Nayak and Maratha paintings were known for long, the Chola frescoes remained hidden till 1931. The Nayaks who ruled Thanjavur in the 17th Century covered the Chola frescoes on the passage walls around the sanctum by painting another layer over them. In 1931, S.K. Govindaswami, a young history lecturer from Annamalai University, discovered the Chola frescoes and the top layer was later removed to reveal the hidden paintings. The Chola fresco panels are 15 feet in height and 10 feet in width. They portray different forms of Siva such as Dakshinamurthy and Tripurantaka. The stories of the Saivite saints and Siva as Nataraja, the dancing form as seen at the Chidambaram temple, are also painted. These colourful paintings are richly detailed and carry historically important information.