BRIHADEESHWARA TEMPLE - GANGAI KONDA CHOLAPURAM

 BRIHADEESHWARA TEMPLE - GANGAI KONDA CHOLAPURAM - RAJENDRA CHOLA 1.1000 YEARS

Brihadeesvara Temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram is a temple dedicated to Shiva. Completed in 1035 AD by Rajendra Chola I as a central theme of his new capital, Gangaikondacholeeswaram.

This Chola dynasty era temple is similar in design, and has a similar name, as the older 11th century, Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur. The Temple is smaller yet more refined than the Thanjavur Temple. Both are among the largest temples in South India and examples of Dravidian style temples.

The main temple dedicated to Shiva is based on a square plan, but it reverentially displays other Hindu deities such as Vishnu, Durga, Surya, Harihara, Ardhanarishvara, and others. The temple is famed for its bronze sculptures, artwork on its walls, the depiction of Nandi and the scale of its tower. As well as its notability for having been built by Rajendra I.The Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple remains an active temple.

Prominent features

1. The vimanam traces a curve, unlike Thanjavur temple. Compared to the Thanjavur Temple, which has straight contours, this temple has a curvilinear contour, slightly concave towards the top. This gives the vimana an uncommon parabolic form.

2. The Vimanam (Sanctum tower) is 180 ft high, in comparison to the 216 ft in the Thanjavur Temple. The height of the temple is deliberately kept low in dimensions compared to the Thanjavur temple as a mark of respect of Rajendra I towards his father Raja Raja Chola I’s masterpiece.

3. Both the temple’s have Vimana’s over the Garbhagriha, which are taller than the Rajagopuram.

4. The Sri-vimana at Choleeswaram has nine storey’s including those at the lower levels, in contrast to the thirteen storey’s at Thanjavur.

5.Like the Thanjavur Temple, Nandi bulls sit on its top corners of the Vimana.

6. This lingam is 13.5 ft tall and the base has a circumference of 59 ft in the Cholapuram temple. In Tanjavur the lingam is 12.5 feet on an avudayar or pedestal of 55 ft.

7.Thanjavur lingam is in the shape of a Ural(mortar) masculine, while in Cholapuram it is in the shape of an Udukkai, (Damru) musical instrument related to shiva.

8. Nandi in this temple is bigger and placed on the ground 200 mtrs away from the sanctum,while in Tanjavur it is placed on a pedestal 100 mtrs away. This nandi is made from lime stone while the Tanjore one is carved out of a monolithic rock

9.Sunlight falls on this Nandi and reflects on the Lord in the Sanctum.(Very unique).

10 Navagraha’s the nine planetary gods are carved in a monolithic rock in a lotus shaped peetam, while in Tanjore the Navagraha’s are in the form of 9 Shivalinga’s at the back side of the temple.

11.Image of a Durga as a 9 year old smiling girl, with 20 arms killing Mahisha, also a family diety of Rajendra Chola.

12.The Ganesha shrine is called Kanakku Vinayagar, as the minister who had forgotten the cost of the construction of the temple(when asked by Rajendra Chola) remembered only after paying to Lord Vinayaka here.

The temple complex includes Nandi Mandapa, Alankar Mandapa, Maha Mandapa, Mukha Mandapa and Ardha Mandapa. Some of these were added and restored by Hindu kingdoms after the 14th century.

The temple is one of the earliest ones to have pillared halls, which became a common feature in subsequent temples.

The sanctum doorway is flanked by dvarapala, the guardians, each 6 ft tall. The sanctum contains Brihadeeswarar (Shiva) in the form of lingam. There is an image of a seated Nandi bull in the courtyard, aligned axially (660 ft) facing the sanctum. There are five shrines around the sanctum and a Lion well, which was added during the 19th century. The temple site has a monolithic representation of Navagrahas, the nine planetary deities.

There are about fifty sculptural reliefs around the walls of the sanctum, three of which — Nataraja, Saraswati and Shiva anointing the flower Kridam (Crown)on the devotee Rajendra Chola I the king — being the most prominent. There is a shrine for Shaiva saint and scholar Chandeshvara (one of the sixty-three Nayanars). There are other niches around the temple walls depicting various forms of Shiva, Durga and Vishnu. There are many bronze statues in the temple depicting Chola art of the 11th century, with the one of Kartikeya being the most recognisable.

The temple was constructed in 1035 AD by Rajendra Chola I (1014-44 CE), the son of the famous Chola king Raja Raja Chola I, who built the Brihadeeswarar Temple at Thanjavur. Rajendra wanted to emulate the temple built by his father after his victory over area’s that covered Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Bengal. After his victory, he demanded that the defeated kingdoms send pots of Ganges River water and pour them into the temple's well. The well was originally called Cholagangam as it was filled with water from Ganges.

Rajendra I, then assumed the name Gangaikonda Cholan, meaning the one who conquered the Ganges. He established Gangaikonda Cholapuram as his capital from the earlier Chola capital of Thanjavur. Gangaikonda Cholapuram remained the Chola capital for the next 250 years. Rajendra I built the entire capital with several temples using plans and infrastructure recommended in Tamil Vastu and Agama Sastra texts. These included a Dharma Sasta, Vishnu and other temples. However, these structures were destroyed in the late 13th and 14th centuries except this temple. The other Chola landmarks, clearly shown by soil covered mounds and excavated broken pillar stumps and brick walls, are found over a large area nearby. The earliest inscription that mentions this city by name is dated 1029, while the earliest reference to Rajendra I's expedition towards the Ganges river in the north is dated 1023. The first gift to the newly built Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple is dated 1035.

The destruction of the town and all other temples is attributed to the raids, plunder and wars & invasion of the capital city and the territories, that were earlier a part of the Chola and Madurai Empires, by the armies of the Delhi Sultanate led by the Muslim commander Malik Kafur in 1311, followed by Khusrau Khan in 1314, and Muhammad bin Tughlaq in 1327.

The Vijayanagara Empire defeated the Madurai Sultanate in 1378 and this temple, along with other Chola era temples, then returned to the control of Hindu kings who repaired and restored many of them.