Brihadeeshwara Temple Tanjavur

The Towering Spiritual Treat

Steeped in sheer architectural beauty, the Brihadeshwar Temple is devoted to the lord Shiva. It is located in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu. The Raja Chola built it in the 10th century during their hey-days. Seeing its incredible beauty, UNESCO declared it as a World Heritage Site. You must pay a visit to this ancient Hindu Temple to see the passion of the Cholas for art and architecture. The Chola dynasty made a significant contribution to India by erecting several temples. They spent lavishly on the constructions of these structures. The shrine houses the Shiv Lingam which was scooped from a single stone. Its height is 8.7 meters and devotees make offerings at it.

The tourists flocking to the temple are bound to be astonished at the sight of its beautiful Gopuram(200 ft. high) and top cupola(weighing 81 tons). The gopuram was constructed in such a manner that its shadow never falls on the floor. Not only this the temple itself never casts a shadow in the afternoon.? How brilliant its designing is! The most conspicuous feature of the temple is its height. The credit for its international fame of being the tallest temple in the world goes to its height which is 215 feet.

On entering the temple you will come face to face with two giant towers built in the shape of a pyramid. They are called guparas and are festooned with amazing carvings of Lord Shiva. At the corner of these gopuras stand two guarding stone statues. The engravings of the heads of the sea monsters encircle the temple which is actually located inside the second gopuram. Vimana, the main building of the temple is done up by golden finial which is called 'Kalasam'. The dance lovers can have a look at the 108 dance poses of Nataraja, the cosmic dancer on the walls of Brihadeshwar Temple.