Bṛhadīśvara
Quick Summary
The Brihadishvara Temple, located in Thanjavur, India, is a magnificent Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. Constructed between 1003 and 1010 CE by the Chola emperor Rajaraja I, it was the largest temple in India at its completion and set a new standard for grandiose design.12
The temple is a prime example of southern Indian temple architecture, featuring a towering pyramidal vimana (spire) over 200 feet high, representing Mount Meru. It is built entirely of granite without mortar and houses a 13-foot-tall lingam representing Shiva. The temple complex also includes a massive stone Nandi statue and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site, the Great Living Chola Temples.312
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South Indian temple architecture…fully realized in the splendid Bṛhadīśvara temple at Thanjāvūr, built about 1003–10 by Rājarāja the Great, and the great temple at Gaṅgaikoṇḍacōḻapuram, built about 1025 by his son Rājendra Cōla. Subsequently, the style became increasingly elaborate—the complex of temple buildings enclosed by the court became larger, and a number of…
Read More…fully realized in the splendid Bṛhadīśvara temple at Thanjāvūr, built about 1003–10 by Rājarāja the Great, and the great temple at Gaṅgaikoṇḍacōḻapuram, built about 1025 by his son Rājendra Cōla. Subsequently, the style became increasingly elaborate—the complex of temple buildings enclosed by the court became larger, and a number of…
Read More- South Asian artsMedieval temple architecture: South Indian style of Tamil Nadu (7th–18th century)
…the South Indian style, the Bṛhadīśvara, or Rājarājeśvara, temple, built at the Cōḻa capital of Thanjāvūr. A royal dedication of Rājarāja I, the temple was begun around 1003 and completed about seven years later. The main walls are raised in two stories, above which the superstructure rises to a height…
Read More…the South Indian style, the Bṛhadīśvara, or Rājarājeśvara, temple, built at the Cōḻa capital of Thanjāvūr. A royal dedication of Rājarāja I, the temple was begun around 1003 and completed about seven years later. The main walls are raised in two stories, above which the superstructure rises to a height…
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