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| Brahadeswara Temple, Thanjavur (Tanjore), India Considered to be the finest example of Dravidian (South Indian) architecture in India, the Brahadeswara Temple in Tamil Nadu is the architectural gem of the Hindu Chola Empire. The Chola Empire reached its zenith between 985 - 1042 AD under the ruler Rajaraja I and Rajendra I. The Cholas were great builders and they first conveived the idea of the uniquely Hindu architectural design of a gopuram or a pyramidal gateway entrance to a temple. |
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| A view of the main entrance gopuram. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tanjore was a great capital of the Chola Empire and the Chola kings were known throughout the land to have "conceived like giants and finished like jewelers." This is certainly true of the great Brahadeswara Temple which combines the finest traditions of Chola building, architecture, sculpture, painting and applied arts. This temple complex is one of only a handful of sites in India designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Of particular interest is the enormous Nandi Bull (the traditional mount of the powerful god Shiva) sculputre that guards the temple. This massive bull sculpted from one piece of rock measures 6 meters long by 3 meters high and weighs 25 tons. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tanjore is a must see for any serious temple buff. If you are on a tight budget, Tanjore is best visited on a day trip from nearby Tiruchirappalli (Trichy). Trichy offers a greater range of good, budget accommodation and is only a short one hour bus ride from Tanjore. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The giant Nandi Bull sculpture guarding the temple. | The beautiful mural painting on the ceiling of the structure that enloses the Nandi Bull sculpture. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| A bronze statue in the inner courtyard of the temple. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The soaring main tower of the Brahadeswara Temple. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| A wooden sculpture of the many headed demon Ravana. | A smaller temple toward the back of the Brahadeswara Temple complex. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| People entering the main tower. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A graceful sculpture of the god Ganesh with offerings. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| An elegant carving in the walls of the temple, the intricate details should not be overlooked when visitng this complex. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The main tower to the left with a smaller temple on the right side. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Related Articles: | Historic Hindu Temples of Tiruchirappalli (Trichy), India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sri Meenakshi Temple, Madurai, India | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||