Brihadeeswarar Temple – Myths & Features
In South of India, this temple’s Vimana is tallest at 60
meters. There is one European like figure as a carving on Vimana and it is a
belief that it is one ancient warning for arrival of Europeans. Later after investigations
by archaeologists they propose that claim like this may be one hoax.
People also widely believe that shadow of Gopuram, which
is one pyramidal tower generally over temple’s gateway, never falls over
ground. It is a saying that there is use of granite of about 130,000 tons for
making this temple. A 60 ton stone of granite is there as Kumbam and is having
a carving in a single piece and it lies on main Gopuram’s top.
It is a belief that they took this stone to top after
creating one inclined slope towards top of this Gopuram at a height of 66
meters. A belief that still prevails is that one mud-slope starting at nearly 3
miles from temple site Thirukkoilur or Raja Raja mother’s birthplace near
temple of SriVirateshvara swamy.
People claim this to be only portion of Gopuram, which
do not cast its shadow falling on to ground, not at least within temple
premises.
A widely held belief is that the shadow of the Vimana
never falls on the ground. However, several photographs exist showing the
shadow on the ground.
The Brihadisvara Temple stands as a supreme example of
Chola architecture. Built on a scale appropriate enough to house the presiding
deity, Sri Brihadisvara, or the Lord of the Universe, the temple continues to
excite wonder at its many unique architectural features and living presence as
a centre of Saiva devotion. During the period when Chola power was in the
ascendant, (around 850-1350 AD) architecture in the Tamil country went through
dramatic changes.
Indeed before the time of the most famous Chola king,
Rajaraja I, gopurams in temple complexes were not built on a very grand scale.
During the reign of Rajaraja I, the temple at Tanjore was built not only as a
monument to the sway of Chola power over many southern lands but as a living sign
of Saiva concepts and beliefs. It was called ‘Dakshina Meru’ as a complement to
the ‘Uttara Meru’ or the sacred mount of Kailasa, thought of as the spine of
the universe. The Dakshina Meru was thought to be a centre of divine power
analogous to the northern centre of Sri Kailas. Many inscriptions of Rajaraja I
(A D 985-1012) reveal him to be a great warrior and an ardent devotee of Shiva.
It is this spirit of ardent devotion that visualizes the
entire temple complex itself as a visible symbol of the divine presence. Over
the centuries the successive powers of the Nayakas and the Marathas added
smaller shrines and other embellishments to the temple complex in a manner that
is a tribute to the original founder as well as the spirit of Saivism.
Mythical accounts of the actual building of the temple
and the underlying puranic accounts for the source of sacred power vested in
this site abound. These Sthalapuranam of varying antiquity contain narratives
about the sacred geography of the location of the temple, anecdotes related to
the building of this complex, accounts of kingly lineages and some canonical
literature.
Foremost among these texts is the Brihadeeswarar
Mahatmya, forming an extract of the Bhavishyottara Purana. It contains many
legends related to the construction of the Brihadeeswarar temple. The text,
attributed to the legendary Vedavyasa, gives a mythical account of sixteen
Chola kings and the temples they built. It describes the festivals and fairs
held in the temple along with the Kumbhabhishekam. Another text of puranic
nature is the Parasara Kshetra Mahatmya, which describes the greatness of Sri Brihadeeswarar.
The Thiruvisaippa of Karuvur Devar is part of the Saiva canon and describes in
ten cantos, each of the sacred spots visited by the saint. The ninth canto
titled, Thanjai Rajarajesvaram speaks of the temple and its presiding deity
with great lyrical beauty.