A World Heritage, Brihadeeswarar Temple is also widely known by name of ‘Big Temple’. This temple completed its 1000 years in the year 2010. This temple is swarmed by tourists all through the year, who visit this place to witness the unsurpassed display of fascinating architecture.The weight of the cap stone at the top of Tanjore big temple weighs 80 tons. The main exclamation about the cap stone is that how come the builders of Tanjore big temple were able to place the cap stone at the top of the Gopuram in Tanjore big temple.
PeruvudaiyarKovil, well known as Brihadeeswarar Temple, RajaRajeshwara and Rajarajeswaram Temple, was edified by Raja RajaChola I in the year 1010 AD. This ancient shrine is situated at Thanjavur district in Tamil Nadu. Brihadeeshwara Temple is a revered temple for Hindus, which they bestow to Lord Shiva (The God of destruction). This temple is one of the largest temples of India, and one of supreme brilliances of Indian architecture. This temple is a perfect illustration of the great heights achieved in the field of architecture by the Chola rulers. It is a homage paid to Lord Shiva and is a display of power of Raja RajaChola I.
Brihadeeshwar Temple is one of the most beautiful architectural splendors of the country. It is erected amidst the great walls made perhaps in the sixteenth century. Inside the temple, there is a temple tower famous as Vimana among the devotees and tourists. This temple tower has an elevation of 66 meters. Vimana is one of the tallest temple towers on the earth. A rounded apex structure is there in the Brihadeeshwar Temple, which is believed to be constructed out of carving on a single stone only.There is also located a figurine of a consecrated bull or Nandi at the entry of this Brihadeeshwar Temple, which is approximately thirteen feet in elevation and sixteen feet in length. Remarkably, this idol is made by a single rock carving.
The Brihadeeshwar Temple is edified by using granite, which can be brought from the granite sources near Tiruchirapalli, located roughly 60 kilometer from the western side Thanjavur.
