Brihadeeswarar Temple

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Coordinates: 10°47′N, 79°08′E

Peruvudaiyaar Koil [Peruvudiayaar Temple]

Name:	Peruvudaiyaar Koil [Peruvudiayaar Temple]
Creator:	Raja Raja Chola
Date built:	11th century AD
Primary deity:	PERUVUDIAYAAR = Brihadeeswarar (Shiva)
Architecture:	South Indian, Kovil
Location:	Thanjavur

This temple is one of India's most prized architectural sites. It depicts the amazing and outstanding efforts of the Dravidians. The building that carries the main sanctum is known as the 'Periya Kovil'. This stands amidst fortified walls that were probably added in the 16th century. The 'Vimana' of the temple is about 70 meters and is among the tallest of its kind in the world. The 'Shikharam' (crown) of Brihadeswara temple is itself very large and heavy (81.25 tons) and has been carved out of a single stone.

The Brihadeeswarar temple (Tamil: பெருவுடையார் கோவில்; Peruvudaiyar Koil^[1]^[2]) is an ancient Hindu temple located at Thanjavur in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The temple is dedicated to Shiva and dates to the Chola dynasty rule in the 11th century CE. The temple is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Great Living Chola Temples".

1 History
2 Architecture
3 Picture Gallery
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

History

The temple was built by Chola king Rajaraja Chola I. Construction was completed in 1009-10 CE.

Architecture

This temple is a prime example of the Dravidian style of temple architecture The central temple known as the Periya Kovil (Big Temple) stands within a fort, whose walls were later additions built during the 16th century. The name periya kovil came from its original name "periya aavudayar kovil" (aavudayar being a local name of Lord Shiva). The vimana (main tower) of the temple is approximately 65 m (215 ft) high and is the tallest in the world. It was so designed that the vimana never casts a shadow at noon during any period of the year and also the tower of this temple is build by single rock. More details on this temple can be found at http://www.templepages.com

Picture Gallery

The Big Temple	A rear view of the main gopura of the Big Temple	Entrance to Dakshinamoorthi temple	View from the rear right
View from the front left	Rajagopuram (main tower) of the temple	An ornamented pillar in the temple courtyard	The Nandi, with the [vimana] in the background
Frescoes on the enclosure roof	Entrance to the Brihadeeswarar Temple	Detail of Gopuram	The Shrine of Sri Subramanya
Detail of steps of the Shrine of Sri Subramanya	One of many bronze deities found in the pillared cloister surrounding the courtyard	Several of the Lingam found in the pillared cloister	Example of the many frescos found in the pillared cloister
Nandi, looking peaceful.

References

^ Bragatheeswarar Temple, The Big Temple. thanjavur.com. Retrieved on 2007/09/29.
^ Brihadeeswarar is also spelled Brihadeshvara, Birhadeeshwara or Bragatheeswarar

External links

• • e Famous Shiva temples
Kailash Mansarovar · Kashi · Kedarnath · Amarnath · Madurai · Rameswaram · Kanchipuram · Chidambaram · Thiruvannamalai · Kalahasti · Thiruvanaikaval · Thanjavur