Brihadeeswarar Temple – Main Shrine & Sri Vimana
A first rectangular surrounding wall, 270 m by 140 m,
marks the outer boundary. The main temple is in the center of the spacious
quadrangle composed of a sanctuary, a Nandi, a pillared hall and an assembly hall (mandapas), and many sub-shrines. The most important part of the temple is the inner
mandapa which is surrounded by massive walls that are divided into levels by
sharply cut sculptures and pilasters providing deep bays and recesses. Each side of the
sanctuary has a bay emphasizing the principle cult icons.
The Karuvarai, a Tamil word meaning the interior of
the sanctum sanctorum, is the inner most sanctum and focus of the temple
where an image of the primary deity, Shiva, resides. Inside is a huge stone linga. The word Karuvarai means "womb chamber"
from Tamil word karu for foetus. Only priests are
allowed to enter this inner-most chamber.
In the Dravida style, the Karuvarai takes the form of a
miniature vimana with other features exclusive to southern Indian
temple architecture such as the inner wall together with the outer wall
creating a pradakshina around the garbhagriha for circumambulation (pradakshina). The entrance is highly decorated. The inside chamber
housing the image of the god is the sanctum
sanctorum, the garbhagriha. The garbhagriha is square and sits on a plinth, its location calculated to be a point of total
equilibrium and harmony as it is representative of a microcosm of the universe.
In the center is placed the image of the deity. The royal bathing-hall
where Rajaraja the great gave gifts is to the east of the hall of Irumudi-Solan.
The inner mandapa leads out to a rectangular mandapa and
then to a twenty-columned porch with three staircases leading down. Sharing the
same stone plinth is a small open mandapa dedicated to Nandi,
Shiva's sacred bull mount.
The main shrine of Sri Brihadisvara, the Great God - a
Sanskrit rendering of the original tamil name Peruvudaiyar- stands at the
western end of the main court.
It comprises of five divisions –
1. Garbhagriha or the Sanctum Sanctorum and the corridor
around it
2. Ardhana-Mandapam
3. Maha-Mandapam with the open aisles
4. Stapana-Mandapam with the shrine of Sri Thyagaraja
5. Nardhana-Mandapam for the temple paraphernalia and where
the servant waits; and
6. Vadya-Mandapam and portico for the musicians.
Main shrine has three portals named Keralantakan,
Rajarajan and Thiru-Anukkan. These portals are guarded by Dwarapalikas or the
guardians of the gate. They are of huge proportions and of exquisite
workmanship. There are several sets like these in the temple, of which seven of
them are 18 feet by 8 feet. They are all monolith, and some are of very
high artistic merit, especially at the entrance of Sri Subramanya temple.
The Shivalinga of Sri Brihadisvara is probably the
grandest in existence. This image was originally called Adavallan (the one who
is good in Dance). Another name was Dakshina-Meru Vitankar. Both the names
occur in Thiruvisaipa as the names of the deity are as same as in Chidambaram
Temple. This possibly indicates that the Saiva creed derived its support at the
time mainly from Chidambaram. Rajaraja Cholan calls the image
Rajarajeswaramudaiyar - The Lord of Rajarajesvaram. The tower over the shrine
is named Dakshina-Meru after the abode of Lord Shiva at Kailasam, the
Uttara-Meru.
Sri Thyagaraja, also called Vitankar, worshiped within a
portion of Stapana-Mandapam, is the patron deity of Cholas. The legend goes
that their mythical progenitor Chola Muchukunda helped Indra against the
asuras, for which help, he was presented with seven images of Thyagaraja, which
he installed in the seven holy places of Thiruvarur, Thiru-nagai-karonam,
Thiru-kkareyil, Thirukolili, Thirumaraikadu, Thirunallaru and Thiruvamur which
are known as Sapta-Vitanka-Kshetrams.
Rajaraja Cholan was a devout worshiper of Sri Thyagaraja
at Thiruvarur where he built this great temple; and, consecrated Sri Thyagaraja
at Thanjavur also, as a mark of his own piety and in commemoration of the exploits
of his celebrated ancestor.
The great Vimana is of the Dravidian style of
architecture. It rises to a height of about 216 feet, a tower of fourteen
storeys, finely decorated with pilasters, niches and images of gods of the
Hindu pantheon. The basement of the structure which supports the tower is 96
feet square. The sikhara or cupolic dome is octagonal in shape and crowns the
Vimana. The gilded Kalasa or finial, over dome is 12.5 feet high. It is
believed that the sikhara and the stupi does not throw on the ground. The dome
rests on a 8 blocks of granite, of 25.5 feet square. Two Nandis, each measuring
6.5 feet by 5.5 feet beautify each corner of the stone which is estimated to
weigh about 80 tons, and is believed to have been conveyed to the top of the
tower by means of a inclined plane commencing from Sarapallam
(scaffold-hollow), four miles north-east of the city.
The magnificent view of Sri Vimana appears as one enters
the huge open courtyard from the Rajarajan Gopuram. The Srivimana is pyramidal
in structure and very tall it is 60.96 meters in height. At the top the pyramid
is reduced into a neck and holds the Vimana or Sikhara which is believed
to be monolithic huge rock but it is 8 blocks of rocks spherical in shape. Its
approximate weight is 81.28 tones. It is believed to be elevated to this height
using an inclined plane which starts 6.44 km away from a place
called Sarapallam (Saram - means inclined and pallam -
means pit). Above the Vimana is the shining Kalasam (bowl) made up of
gold is seen whose height is 12 feet and was originally presented by
Rajaraja-I. At the top of the pyramid above the 13th stage 8 Nandhis are seen
on corners.
On the front side of the Vimana that is facing the east
direction one can see the sculptures of abode of Shiva called
as Mahameru or south Kailash. The whole of Sri Vimana is
built using granite rocks and the sculptures in them are covered by a thin
layer of mortar to preserve the granite sculptures inside.
The first three stages of the Sri Vimana houses various
forms of Shiva and Parvathi including the Dakshinamurthy, Bikshadanar, Lingothbhavar,
Durga, Shiva & Parvathi in natural standing pose etc.,
called Astagostam. These sculptures are seen in 2 stages of the
Karpagraham side wall lower stage and upper stage. In the third stage many view
of warrior standing with weapon pose are seen.
The Karpagraham has four entrances except the west
entrance the other entrances are guarded by gigantic Dwarakapalas with protruding
teeth’s and daring eyes. On the north and south entrance there is a Saraswathi
and Laxmi sculptures present.
The outer view of the Sri Vimana reveals the Cholas
sculptural excellence where as the inner view reveals the Cholas architectural
excellence.
Not only the outer view and the sculptures housed in the
Sri Vimana is amazing, the inner or the architectural beauty of Sri Vimana
construction is an architectural wonder.
No wonder it is an World Heritage Monument.
On the eastern side of the Sri Vimana a huge masterpiece
of Kailash (abode of Shiva and Parvathi) along with the various gods -
Ganapathy, Subramania are seen. The Masterpiece spans 3 stage of the Sri Vimana
from the 3rd to 5th stage. Rajaraja-I a great devotee of Lord Shiva called the
Sri Vimana as Maha Meru or South Kailash. The Masterpiece is prominent even
from far.
Hundreds of stucco figures bejewel the Vimanam, although
it is possible that some of these may have been added on during the Maratha
period. The Shivalingam - Peruvudaiyar, Rajarajeswaramudaiyar - is a huge one,
set in a two storeyed sanctum, and the walls surrounding the sanctum delight
visitors as a storehouse of murals and sculpture.
The long prakaram surrounds the great temple (500
feet/250 feet), and the walls surrounding the prakaram again go back to Raja
Raja Cholan's period. The walls house long pillared corridors, which abound in
murals, Shiva Lingams and Nandis. 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.
Incidents from the lives of the Nayanmars, several of
the 108 Bharata Natyam Dance postures, manifestations of Shiva (Aadalvallaan -
Nataraja, Tripurantaka, and Dakshinamurthi etc.) are depicted in sculptured
panels or in exquisite Chola murals. Both the interior, and the exterior walls
of the temple, are replete with images of the kind described above.
The sanctum, the ardhamandapam, the mukha mandapam and
the Mahamandapam, although distinct, form a composite unit with an imposing
appearance that awes visitors, forcing one to wonder how such timeless
architectural feat was executed about a 1000 years ago. Entrances to the
Mandapams and the towered entrances to the Prakarams are majestic. The grandeur
of the architecture and the sculptural finesse speaks volumes of the skills of
the Imperial Cholas.
Inscriptions refer to Shiva as Dakshina Meru Vitankar
and Aadalvallaan. The Nandi, which dates back to the Nayak period, is housed in
its own mandapam and it matches up to the grandeur and size of the temple. It
is a monolithic Nandi weighing about 25 tonnes, and is about 13 feet high and
20 feet long.
The vertical walls under the pyramidal tower are divided
into two stories. Pilasters and niches, typical of the southern style, give a
complicated artistic pattern to the extensive walls. There is a window in the
center of the four sides, surmounted with a shrine-like roof, showing the
existence of the Garbhagriha inside.
The niches on the walls are adorned with the statues of
Hindu gods and most of them are images of Shiva. On the south side wall of the
lower story is carved Shiva in the form of Nataraja, the Lord of Dance, in a
pose of Bharata Natyam.
On the base of the whole temple, an imaginary animal
resembling a lion, called Yali, is carved repeatedly and continuously in line.
There is sporadically a monstrous crocodile-like animal, called Makara, from
the mouth of which emerge warriors of the Chola Dynasty.
Each step of the tower consists of miniature shrines in
neat order in the style of the Pallava Dynasty, previous to the Chola Dynasty.
On the four corners of the top step are sculpted, a pair of crouching Nandis
(bulls), faithful servants of Shiva.
The Shivalinga itself is a very grand presence and is
believed to house the powers of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva in its three divisions
respectively. The topmost division is further sub-divided into ascending tiers
of energy beginning with Rudra, Mahesha, Sadashiva, Parabindu, Paranadam, Parashakti
and Parasivam. A remarkable feature of the structure over the main lingam,
called the Srivimana is that it is thought to enclose a sacred space within it.
This sacred space around the lingam and within the
soaring Srivimana is thought to be permeated with the sacred presence of Shiva
in the form of the subtlest of all elements, space. The linga is an aniconic
form of Shiva and the space within the Srivimana resonates with the presence of
the ‘Aadalvallaan’ or the Lord of the Dance.