The Big Temple – Thanjavur

The Big temple in Thanjavur is world famous and the main aspect of the temple structure was its disclosing Dravidian architecture. Built by the great ruler of South India Rajaraja Chozlan in 10th century AD, the building completing its 1000 years of history today, still continue to exist to everyone’s excitement and amazement without fail. The temple complex is much spacious unlike anywhere and it has three typical towers to invite us inside the temple and each one is in a kind and distinguishes.

The main structure of the temple lies in the middle of the complex which draws into a fortress walls built in 16th century. The fort complex is fortified by three layers of wall protection and the whole structure and premises are built with granite stones. As soon we cross the first layer, the temple elephant welcomes us with blessing and led by a stone path to the second layer where the 3 story tower exposes with beautiful sculptors in sandalwood color.

The space between the layer 2 and 3 is grass hold and least crowded as it hold the place to leave footwear’s and wash out feet. Alike the 2nd layer, the 3rd one is also a 3 story tower displaying sculptors and thus being evening the tower expose to sunlight produces a striking tone to it. The setting down of sun with it rays flashing from behind the big temple, remarks the beauty of the structure with its gleaming background and thus a spirit silhouette to exist.

As we enter the vast corridor of the temple complex, the striking sunlight on the small temple tower excites me to capture the sculptures to the nature’s sodium light! It was very bright to remind that the main temple tower was ones completely covered by golden plates, which were stolen by those captured the temple later by war or by the own predecessors. The structure of the temple lies on the basement of a large platform, which holds a huge Nandi (bull statue) in front of the sanctum, under a mandabam and this was the stage lately witnessed the 1000 bharatanatyam dancers to commemorate its millennium.

The main temple tower elevated by cone is one marvelous structure to be known as tallest among temples in South India and getting near is one nearly option to realize how spellbind and tiny we are before its grand structure. I was quite admiring the temple structure in astonishment by nothing to think about except imagining the things how the narratives of history describes the past of this building process. From every direction the building exhibits the scholar of the cholas and there thoughts, art and culture to be brought into a structure.

There are few shrines behind and beside the temple dedicated to various gods and the main temple is dedicated to Lord Siva. There is another marvelous shrine behind the temple to wonderfully carve around by pillars and sculptures; and in a sort it describes the art. The temple has old Tamil inscriptions around its base stones and it is said to describe about temple and things related to it and been written in ancient Tamil, reading or understand the inscriptions is not easy with our customary language.

The setting of sun and due to temple’s tone it attracts a lot to capture with eyes and lens to store in memory. The temple complex has an inner corridor along the fortress walls and the walls depict the ancient art and culture of Chola dynasty and related to Tamil literature. Beside the corridor, a beautiful lawn is maintained to add greenery to the temple complex and it’s awesome to watch the temple tower in day or night – due to lights, the nights turn glorious to check the temple – from the lawn.

After a patient dusk, the temple dawns to the sodium lights and moon to add delight, it was wonderful to check the temple complex again to relish the amazing structure. It’s easy to see the people come in nights, take their own time to admire the temple and taking down the lawn they zest themselves with families and kids. Taking a brief look across the complex, telling myself that I will be back with more restfully moments, we moved out to see a dry moat and one of the Kaveri’s Branch Rivers to flow fully beside the temple complex.