Thousand years of Brihadeeswarar Temple

Thousand years of Brihadeeswarar Temple
V. Shanmuganathan

One thousand years ago, the great emperor of Chola dynasty, Raja
Raja-I built a majestic temple for Lord Shiva in Thanjavur (Tanjore),
Tamil Nadu. Called Peruvuidayar Kovil, or Brihadeeswarar Temple, or
sometimes Rajarajeswaram it is on rolls of UNESCO heritage sites as
part of the circuit called “Great Living Chola Temples”. The Tamil
Nadu government recently organized a grand function, spanning over
five days, to celebrate the millennium of its consecration. A
scintillating Bharatnatyam recital by 1,000 artistes, led by eminent
danseuse Padma Subrahmanyam, took the cream of the cake. A host of
events including exhibitions, cultural shows, seminars and
deliberations were also organized to mark the occasion.
Tamil Nadu remains as the wonderful resort of classical India whether
it temple architecture, dance, vocal or instrumental music. It hosts
the oldest living temples in India, which remained unaffected by
iconoclasm of Turks, Mughals and Bahmani invaders. Temples in ancient
India were not merely centres of religion, but also art, culture,
literature and vocational training. The Brihadeeswarar Temple stands
as a reminder to our great culture, art, architecture, religion and
language. It is also a symbol of the great wealth and prowess of Chola
dynasty, which expanded its empire on Indian Ocean.
The construction of this ‘Big Temple’ begun in 1003 AD and was
completed in six years before being consecrated in 1010 AD. The unique
archaeological feature of the temple is its Vimana (temple tower)
standing 216 feet tall. The summit stone weighing about eighty tons
was dragged on to the top through a slope path from a distant Village,
called ‘Sarapallam’. It rises over the sanctum, on a square base about
a hundred feet, dominates the whole structure. Its shadow never falls
on the ground.
The valiant king Raja Raja-I, who reigned between 985 and 1014 AD, was
renowned for land and naval conquests. He found peace at the feet of
Lord Shiva. The construction of Brihadeeshwara temple coincides with a
visible shift in his policies from military expansion to internal
administration. But here is a lesson for us. Neither he, nor his
illustrious son Rajendra I (who built the famous Shiva temple at
Gangaikonda Cholapuram similar in design to Brihadeeshwara temple)
neglected external and internal security unlike some people, who
weakened the martial spirit of India through.
The distinct feature of Brihadeeshwara temple is magnificent monolith
Nandi bull, the mount of Lord Shiva, facing the temple tower. The
shrine of goddess Brihanayaki, Ganapati, Subrmanya, Dakshinamurty,
Nataraja are finely carved. The corridor surrounding the sanctum is a
treasure chest 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.
The paintings, which have survived time and a seventeenth century
coat of paint, are very beautiful in detail and colour and accuracy.
The story of Sundaramurthy Nayanar reaching Kailash on a white
elephant is depicted on another wall. Karuvur Thevar, the Guru of Raja
Raja is portrayed in an impressive manner. While the sculptures of
Shiva in this corridor are imposing and colossal, the series of eighty
one dance poses are superb illustrations of the Natya Sastra.
There is an interesting and popular story about the deep personal
interest that the King evinced in the construction of the temple. It
is said that one day, when the chief sculptor was deeply absorbed in
chiseling the huge Nandi, King Raja Raja Chola went and stood by his
side. The sculptor, thinking that it was his boy attendent standing by
his side ordered him to prepare a pan (betel leaf with araca nut and
lime). The king calmly obliged, folded a couple of betel leaves and
handed it over to the sculptor who received it without seeing the
hands that supplied them. Chewing the pan in his mouth, the sculptor
started uttering words of praise, appreciating the king who planned
this unique monument. Later he asked his attendant to bring the
spitton near him. The king silently obeyed. When the sculptor raised
his head after spitting the chewed betel leaves, he was terribly
shocked to see the great Raja Raja Chola standing in front of him
Immediately he touched the feet of the king with tears and made an
apology to the emperor, in a voice choked with emotion. The king, with
a smiling face, lifted him up and consoled him by telling that it was
a rare privilege for him to serve the sculptor whose hands chiseled
the sculptures of the magnificent temple. Raja Raja Chola, though a
worshiper of Shiva, at the same time, was tolerant to other religions.
He endowed and built temple of Maha Vishnu. He granted a village to
the Buiddhist Vihara at Nagappattinam.
The Brihadeeswara temple was not act of royal fancy. It is iconic of
the glory of Tamil Saiva Siddhanta. Amongst two principal schools of
Bhakti cult prevalent in South India, Saivism has a larger following.
In Tamil districts of Sri Lanka Saivism holds unchallenged sway. In
Saiva Siddhanta Shiva is believed to exercise the functions of
creation, protection, destruction, prevention from lapses is the
result of enjoyment of one’s action and beneficent action. These
functions He is said to discharge with a view to release the
struggling souls from the bondage of karma, and present unto them the
ultimate knowledge of Shiva. The goal of individual souls is to
realize that it is made of Shiva-Tatva (element of Shiva), and though
not merging in Shiva, remain at its feet like beloved child. The icon
of Lord Nataraja is most symbolic of Saiva Siddhanta. Temple worship
is an indispensable part of Saiva Siddhanta. That might explain why
Tamils have an image of orthodox and scrupulous temple goers.
Raja Raja Chola’s period was one of height of Saivism. This had been
made possible by the surge of Shiva devotion brought by Nayanar saints
in previous centuries. The heart melting hymns (Devaram) to Lord Shiva
by Sambandar, Appar and Sundaramurthy as well as Manikkavasagar in the
9th century who wrote Tiruvasagam. They, in reality, were the pioneers
of Bhakti movement that later swept across other parts of India in the
medieval age.
He was an extra ordinarily powerful king and a grand monrch of
southern India. His army crossed the ocean by ships and conquered many
islands. His was a versatile personality. It is a matter of pride that
Tanjore temple attracted the appreciation of UNESCO for its art and
architecture. Brihadeeswara Temple, is the shining Jewel in the crown
of Bharatmata. Nodout, it is, Tamilnadu’s contribution to the pride of
India. Let us all celebrate this one thousand years architectural
wonder.