12 interesting facts about Brihadeeshwara Temple Thanjavur – the big temple that doesn’t cast shadow

Thanjavur or Tanjore is the cultural hub of Tamil Nadu. This city was ruled by numerous dynasties in the past. And hence, was the centre of art, architecture and religion for centuries. A foremost example of the amalgamation of it’s art, architecture and religion is the Brihadishvara Temple. No doubt, Thanjavur and Brihadeshwara Temple have become synonym of each other. And many visit this town today just to visit this temple. Although it is one of the largest Hindu temples in India. But, there are many more interesting facts about Brihadeeshwara Temple Thanjavur that make it so unique. Although, to be honest with you, we didn’t know about many of these until we visited here.

Related read : Places to visit in Thanjavur in a day

So, here we bring to you the amazing facts about Brihadeeshwara Temple that will want you to visit here for sure. Better known as the Big temple, or, the temple which doesn’t cast any shadow. Also famous as the temple with several secret passageways, there are several interesting facts about Brihadeeshwara Temple!! Let us take you through a quick virtual tour of the temple before diving in the mysteries of the Brihadeeshwara Temple.

A brief introduction to Brihadeeshwara Temple Thanjavur

Brihadeeshwara Temple is a temple of Shiva. However, just like the other major big temples of South India like Rameshwaram Temple, Meenakshi Amman Temple and several other temples that we visited in Madurai, it has shrines of many other Gods and Goddesses. These include the shrines of Nandi, Parvati, Kartikeya, Ganesha, Sabhapati, Dakshinamurti, Chandeshvara, Varahi, Thiyagarajar of Thiruvarur and others. It is a UNESCO World Heritage. In fact it is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage site that includes several other temples of the region, together called “The great living Chola Temples“. And also one of the most visited ancient temples of India.

Related read : Things to do in Madurai in a day

The Brihadeeshwara Temple was constructed in 11th centuary, almost 1000 years back! Although not as old as the Mahabalipuram Temples, but definitely older than Meenakshi Temple. And it reflects the dravidian style of architecture. Huge towers, tall gopuram (tower), huge campus, several shrines around the main shrine, inscriptions and  intricate decor of the Brihadeeshwara temple are the major characteristics of it’s architecture.

The massive entry to Brihadeeshwara Temple Thanjavur

There are 3 gates, 2 of them very massive, through which you enter the temple. I literally struggled to capture their sheer size in my camera lens. The huge walls around the outer gopuram indicate a fort like structure. The 2nd gate is called Keralantakan Tiruvasal and the 3rd gate is called Rajarajan Tiruvasal. Keralatakan Tiruvasal was built as a memorial to the victory of chola king Raja Raja Chola. It is decorated with several tiny statues of Hindu Gods including Shiva, Parvati, Ganesha and Vishnu. There is provision to leave your shoes right after crossing this gate. The next gate, even more intricately carved, has 2 massive guards – dwarpalikas – carved in stone. It also has carvings depicting stories from puranas.

The monolith Nandi at Brihadeeshwara Temple Thanjavur

After crossing the gates, as you enter inside, the first massive structure you will see is the monolith Nandi, one of the largest in South India.

The main sanctum – the Sri Vimana

Behind the Nandi, after walking several yards, right in the center of the courtyard sits the main temple, the sanctum of Shiva – Sri Vimana. The major sculptures seen on the walls of this temple represent different forms of Shiva and Parvati in this order :

• East wall: Lingodbhava, standing Shiva, Pashupata-murti, and two dvarapalas flanking the pathway from ardha-mandapam
• South wall: Bhikshatana, Virabhadra, Dakshinamurti, Kalantaka, Nataraja and dvarapalas
• West wall: Harihara (half Shiva, half Vishnu), Lingodbhava, Chandrashekhara without prabhavali, Chandrashekhara with prabhavali, and two dvarapalas
• North wall: Ardhanarishvara (half Shiva, half Parvati), Gangadhara , Pashupata-murti, Shiva-alingana-murti, and two dvarapalas

There is a huge Shivlinga inside the temple. But its not allowed to take its picture.

Cloister Mandapa of Brihadeeshwara Temple

There is a courtyard that runs all along the boundary of Brihadeeshwara Temple. It contains several important deity shrines. It also has several murals and paintings. And also 108 Shivlingas established by maratha king Saraboji.

Other shrines at Brihadeeshwara Temple

The temple was built, damaged, restored several times. Several important dynasties including the Cholas, Marathas and Nayakas have contributed to the architecture of the Brihadwwshwara Temple of Tanjore. Having done a small virtual tour of the Brihadeeshwara Temple Thanjavur and admired it’s architecture. Let’s now dive into the intriguing facts about this temple.

Ganesha Shrine

Amman Shrine

Kuruvurar Shrine

The Brihadeeshwara temple doesn’t cast a shadow

No doubt, the biggest mystery of the Brihadeeshwara Temple is it’s shadow. And the most intriguing of the interesting facts about Brihadeeshwara Temple as well. It is said that this temple doesn’t cast a shadow on the ground!! No, it is not something magical. Rather it is the genius of the engineers who built this temple. Because the way the stones cascade in the structure of this temple, it creates an illusion that the shadow of Brihadeeshwara temple never reaches the ground!! Intrigued enough already to visit the temple? I definitely was after learning this amazing fact about Brihadeeshwara Temple.

An interesting legend of Brihadeeshwara Temple that is associate with the shadow of the temple . When the temple was completed, the King Raja Raja Chola asked the architect if this temple was ever going to fall down. The reply from the master craftsman was “ Even its shadow will not fall Raja!!”

Brihadeeshwara temple is built without any binding agents

No cement, soil or any other binding agent is used in the structure of Brihadeeshwara Temple !! Another genius of the architecture of Brihadeeshwara Temple. So, you might be thinking how does the massive structure of this temple stand. Well, the whole temple is built with strong interlocking stones. Without the use of any binding agents!

The temple is coloured in all natural colours

Did you know that each painting that you will come across in the Brihadeeshwara Temple is drawn using natural colours? These are the colours from natural elements like flowers, spices, leaves etc. When I learnt this fact, I recalled the block prints of Rajasthan which I saw while on my way from Amer Fort to Jaipur city. They also use all natural colors, at least the traditional method. What a sustainable and nature friendly way to add paint and colour to any structure!!

One temple with several names

The Brihadeeshwara Temple is the one temple which has several names. Some of these names that I myself learnt are :

• “Brihadeeshwara Temple” or ” Brihadishwara Temple” or “Brihadeshwara Temple” or “Brihadishvara Temple” . This is a composition of two Sanskrit words – “Brihat” meaning “large, massive, huge, lofty or vast” and “Ishwara” means “Lord, God”. This is actually, the most modern name of the temple. And it was given by the Marathas.
• Rajarajeshwaram Temple. This literally means “the temple of the almighty of Rajaraja”. because Rajaraja Chola commissioned this temple.
• Peruvudaiyar Kovil – based on one of the inscriptions that calls the deity of the temple as “Periya Udaiya Nayanar”
• Big Temple or Big Shiva Temple . The temple is fondly called Big Temple owing to the massive size and huge architecture of the temple.

How did the Brihadishwara temple survive the test of time for centuries?

Yet another of the most interesting facts about Brihadeeshwara Temple. This temple is more than 1000 years old. And still standing strong. The Brihadeshwara Temple has withstood the test of time through centuries without any damage. Once again, the credit goes to it’s genius architecture. Did you know that the basement of the temple is filled with sand. And the entire structure is built on a moving raft. Which helps absorb frictions of the ground, even massive earthquakes!

The Brihadishwara Temple is a fort !

Aah…another of my favorite among the interesting facts about Brihadeeshwara Temple!! It almost makes the temple all the more mysterious, isn’t it? If you ever visit teh Brihadishwara Temple, do keep an eye for the slots in the outer wall of the temple. Canons can fit into these walls. And it is believed that during Maratha rule, the Brihadishwara Temple was actually used as a fort as well!! The temple also has a backside entry. You can reach there through massive fort walls with narrow gates. We actually mistook the gates as that of another fort and entered inside, only to find ourselves once again on the premises of the Brihadeeshwara Temple!!

Other interesting facts about Brihadishwara Temple Thanjavur

• You will find “81 postures of Bharatnatyam” carved on the Brihadeeshwara Temple outer walls. Bharatnatyam is a traditional classical dance form of South India, especially Tamil Nadu
• The lingam inside the sanctum of Brihadishwara Temple is one of the largest in India. In total it weighs 20 tons!!
• Brihadeeshwara Temple has several underground secret passages which connect it to other important temples of the region.
• There is a monolith Nandi at the entrance of this temple – one of the largest in India. it is carved from a single stone.
• The dome of Brihadeeshwara temple, which is also made of granite, weighs 80 tons!! It is yet another mystery that how such a massive weight is supported by the temple structure. Since it was built in an era without any advanced engineering machinery or tools. And once again, even after the stones of the structure are interlocked without any binding agent.
• It is believed to be the origin of brass “Natraja” – the dancing form of Lord Shiva. Given the first brass Natraja was comissioned from this location.
• A unique temple, the Brihadeeshwara Temple has it’s main tower smaller than the gates of the temple. This is unlike most of the other temples of South India where the gates are massive and the actual tower smaller.

 

Tips on visiting Brihadeeshwara Temple Thanjavur

• Keep minimum 1 hour time to visit the temple properly
• Visit in early morning or late evening hours to avoid harsh sun
• Thanjavur is hot and humid all through the year, it also rains here for most part of the year and the rains are little unpredictable because Thanjavur lies very close to the coast. So, carry an umbrella.
• You can stay in the town near to the Big Temple so that you can conveniently visit here. We stayed at Hotel Sangam Thanjavur which was very good.
• Also, you can book any other accommodation in Thanjavur through this link.

Our complete guide on planning a trip to Thanjavur to help you plan an effective trip here.

 

 

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