Bṛhadīśvara, Thanjavur

Śiva as the Great Lord · Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu · UNESCO World Heritage

The Bṛhadīśvara temple, locally Peruvudaiyār Kōvil, was built by the Chola emperor Rājarāja I and completed around 1010 CE. Its granite vimāna, the tower over the sanctum, is one of the tallest of its kind, and the temple houses a huge liṅga and a monolithic Nandi.

It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site “Great Living Chola Temples”, together with the temples at Gangaikonda Cholapuram and Darasuram, and is still a place of daily worship. The walls carry Chola inscriptions and fine frescoes. October to March is the best season.

Inscriptions record Rājarāja’s gifts to the temple in great detail, including lands, jewels and the dancers and musicians who served it. Local tradition adds that when the great liṅga would not settle firmly, the Siddha Karuvūrār was called, and with his blessing it was installed.

Tamil Nadu · Chola · c. 1010 CE · UNESCO World Heritage · Mahāśivarātri

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