Brihadisvara Temple

브리하디슈바라 사원

Brihadisvara Temple, known locally as the Thanjavur Big Temple, is a Hindu temple of the god Shiva on the south bank of the Kaveri river in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India. The Chola emperor Rajaraja I built it between 1003 and 1010 CE. It is one of the largest Hindu temples and a shining example of Tamil architecture, so it is also called Dakshina Meru, the Meru of the South.

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At a glance

Country: India
Location: Thanjavur, India
Built: 1010
Height: 63.4 m
Type: Religious building

Quick answers

Where is Brihadisvara Temple?

Brihadisvara Temple is in Thanjavur, India.

When was Brihadisvara Temple built?

Brihadisvara Temple was built in 1010.

Chola granite temple whose 63 m, 13-tier vimana is capped by a single stone weighing about 80 tonnes.

The sanctum is topped by a huge granite tower, the vimana, one of the tallest in South India. The temple is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site called the Great Living Chola Temples, together with the temples at Gangaikonda Cholapuram and Airavatesvara. The builder himself called it Rajarajesvaram, which means the temple of the lord of Rajaraja.

The great tower

The main vimana is a massive tower of 16 storeys, of which 13 are tapering squares. It rises above a square base about 30 metres on each side, and every surface is covered in rhythmic pilasters, piers and columns. Inside the sanctum stands a huge stone linga, Shiva's abstract form, about 8.7 metres high and filling two storeys. Only priests may enter this inner chamber.

The courtyard and the Nandi

The temple stands in a rectangle about 241 by 122 metres, with a pillared veranda for walking around the shrine. Facing the sanctum is Nandi, Shiva's bull, carved from a single stone. It weighs about 25 tonnes and measures roughly 2 metres high and 6 metres long. Smaller shrines for Parvati, Murugan, Ganesha and others stand around. The frescoes and sculptures are mostly about Shiva but also show Vishnu and Shakti.

A thousand years of changes

The main temple and gateways date from the early 11th century, while later rulers added shrines and repaired damage from wars. The shrines of Murugan, Parvati and Nandi are from the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1777 French forces added the outer wall with gun holes and used the temple as an arsenal. Today the Archaeological Survey of India looks after the site, and it is among the most visited sights in Tamil Nadu.