Hypothesis

Tanjore Bragadeeswarar Temple

It is an architectural marvel located in Tanjore built in the Chola Regime. This grand temple with its countless finely carved sculptures was made entirely out of granite which is the hardest stone to work with and that too in the 10th century.

The temple is dedicated to Lord Shivan was built during the 1003 AD by the King Rajarajan Cholan I. We can see a huge Nandi as soo as we enter the temple.

It is quite different from all other temples because the main tower is soaring sky high whereas the gopurams are all small in size.

The Gopuram tower of the temple is 216 feet high and is topped by a block of granite 25 feet square and 80 tons in weight. Thanjavur. This stone was hauled four miles over an inclined plane and put on top of the tower. The dome carved from a single stone weighing 80 tons, is surrounded by 250 arcades, each containing a lingam. It is rightly said of the Cholas that they conceived like giants and finished like jewelers.

It attracts the curiosity of not merely the historian but also the sociologist, not to speak of the dancer and the painter for it is perhaps the only temple in the world which carries on its walls the engraved evidence, in beautiful calligraphy, of its entire history and the story of the contemporary society.

The temple also sports a depiction in stone, of eighty one of the one hundred and eight karanas of Bharata Muni's Natya Sastra - the first of its kind - setting the pace for many others to follow in succeeding centuries.

The inscriptional data also abound in mention of the jewelry of the period; about sixty-six different types of ornaments and jewelry are listed with all the details.

The Periya Nayaki temple within the temple is a later addition from the Pandya period, and so is the Subramanyar Temple sung later by the Saint poet Arunagirinathar.

HighLights

Another important aspect is the shadow of the Kumbam will not fall down.

There are 8 Nandhis in the Gopuram, representing 8 directions.

One of the arts in the walls of the temple is a person sitting with a hat on his head representing the presence of foreigner in our country.

The basement for suach a big temple is only 5 Feet ( very less) but the basement is put up for the entire area

Once Kumbabishekam was done, Lord will be brought to moolam, but the god was so big, that it was cut like an orage fruit and brought inside and again made together as one piece

There is an art depicting the Vishnu and Brahma fight for each other and how shiva made them to understand the truth

The Picture of Dwarabalagan is epicted in the walls in which he was killing the evils with his legs which tells that he is a strong person. But his hands will be pointing the moolasthalam indicating that god is the most strong person.

It is also called as Periya Kovil or Peruvudaiyaar.

Built by the greatest of Chola rulers, Rajaraja, the temple was named after him as Rajarajesvaram, meaning `the temple of the Isvara (God) of Rajaraja’.

Later on, it became known as the Brahadisvara temple meaning the temple of the `Great Isvara’.